Students were asked to collect a broad range of media materials (tweets, marketing campaigns, images, news articles, reports) which attempted to persuade an audience on a particular issue. They were then asked to interpret these messages and explain and apply concepts from readings and lectures related to the topic discussed that week in class. They were also encouraged to use the reading concepts to suggest improvements to the messages.

The outcome of this work was to develop a series of blogposts which were presented and published via WordPress.
Examples

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6 Example 7

Student teams were asked to develop a message for effective communication which had one of the following purposes: encourage “the other side” to better understand your own position, to encourage “the other side” to take on your position, or to encourage “your own side” to modify their feelings, beliefs, or actions in some way.

In addition, student teams were required to submit a written analysis of their message using these concepts as a starting point.

• Narrative Framing: What is the “big story” behind this message? How have you used shared values to communicate with your audience?
• Audience: who is the communication is designed for?
• Vehicle/ format: how would you deliver or circulate this message to the target audience (radio, television, print media, facebook messages, youtube videos). What are the affordances and constraints of this format/ vehicle?
• Emotions: what are trying to evoke from the message? How do these help you achieve your overall purpose?

Note, the students were assured that they did not need to be graphic designers to complete this exercise successfully!! They were encouraged to think outside the box and use any medium (drawing, collage, Powerpoint, photographic imagery etc).

Examples

• Republicans for Marijuana Message Analysis
• Felony Disenfranchisement Commercial Script
• Making Democracy Work

Each group was required to author a short, 3-5 page single-spaced policy brief for the SU administration that details a problem that exists in town/SU relations and suggests a possible solution. The briefs included a statement of the problem, a section providing relevant background information on that problem (including interview data, as well as any relevant information from local media or other resources), a section that offers 1-2 possible solutions, a cost-benefit analysis of those solutions, and a final recommendation.

• Clean Sweep Policy Brief
• International Fair Policy Brief
• Liason Program Policy Brief

Each group was required to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the President of the Institution, the Chief Financial Officer and the Grants coordinator (who works closely with the local community). As such, this presentation had to summarize the outcomes of their policy brief and illustrate how they would promote their ideas to the local community through marketing strategies and techniques.

• Clean Sweep Marketing Presentation

Once student teams had used their policy brief to develop a communication strategy, they were required to analyze their message using Rhetorical and Marketing Theory. There used the following questions to support this analysis:

1. Describe the audience that this communication is designed for (use segmentation strategies and audience analysis data to support)
2. Describe the vehicle/ format used to deliver or circulate this message (leaflet dropoff in stores, posters in downtown, local radio, facebook messages, youtube videos). What is the affordance or constraints of this format/ vehicle?
3. Narrative Framing: What is the “big story” behind this message? How have you used shared values to communicate with your audience?
4. What evidence led you to design this message in this way? (Interview insight, competitive analysis, auditing of existing messages)
5. Describe the content of the message including any items of importance e.g. Aesthetics (sound, color, logo, pictures, images) or Stories, Roles and Values. Why did you design it in this way?
6. What are the allusions/ feelings/ emotions that you are trying to evoke from the message? Why is this important?
7. In seeing this message, what is the action you want your audience to take or role you want your audience to take on?

• Community Liason Program Message Analysis
• International Fair Marketing Message Analysis
• Merch on Market Marketing Message Analysis