Marketing Mix: Promotion Determination

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Program Title: Business Management and Analysis

  Course Title: Business and Entrepreneurial Principles

  Course Number: 8215120

  Career Cluster: Business Management and Administration

  CIP Number: 0552070110

  Course Type: Career Preparatory

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “Colossal Cookie Promotion Dilemma.” See CPALMS resource ID#210915.

• Career Connection

  
  

  This lesson supports the career building skills of critical thinking, problem solving, researching, analyzing, decision making, oral communication, presentations, collaboration, and use of technology. In addition, this lesson supports promotional strategy determination, competition, and marketing strategies, which are essential competencies for business entrepreneurs.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Identify promotion objectives for a business.
  • Apply effective marketing strategies to promotion selection.
  • Identify ways to use promotions to maintain a competitive advantage.
  • Use digital tools to create promotional material for the cookie business.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with:

  • 4 Ps of marketing (marketing mix) concepts.
  • The concept of target market.
  • Promotional strategies, such as direct marketing, community relations, and competitive pricing.
  • Conducting online research using a variety of sources.
  • Collaborating with team members.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • What factors should be considered when selecting business promotion strategies?
  • How do target market characteristics affect the selection of promotional strategies?
  • How does business promotion contribute to the competitive advantage?

• Procedure

  
  

  1. To introduce the lesson, display the following guiding question on available technology: What factors should be considered when selecting business promotion strategies?

  • Ask students to brainstorm and share out. Record student responses using available technology.
  • Briefly review the 4 Ps of marketing (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion), also known as a marketing mix, target market, direct marketing, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, competitive advantage, and marketing strategy (see Teacher Notes).

  2. Distribute copies of existing promotional materials (e.g., local business flyers, links to online ads) and give students a few minutes to review materials, either individually or in small groups.

  • Facilitate class discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of each promotional item.
  • Guide students through brainstorming of ways to improve each promotional item.

  3. Distribute only the case study, "Colossal Cookie Promotion Dilemma" (see CPALMS Resource ID# 210915).

  • Provide students with sufficient time to read the case study.
  • Ask students to notate the case study with any examples of the concepts reviewed in Step 1.
  • Ask students to form small teams (3-4 students per team are suggested) and discuss the following questions:
    • Why does Colossal Cookie Creations bakery need to begin a marketing campaign?
    • What are the promotional campaign objectives for this business?
    • What are the various factors that this business must consider while selecting effective promotional strategies?
    • Who is the target market for the promotions?
  • Ask teams to share out case study recommendations and record responses using available digital technology.

  4. Distribute Business Descriptions handout from “Colossal Cookie Promotion Dilemma” (see CPALMS Resource ID# 210915).

  • Facilitate class discussion on brainstorming marketing ideas to address cookie business strengths and weaknesses, as identified by business descriptions.
  • Ask students to work in small teams to research and identify the best promotional strategies for Colossal Cookie Creations if this business were to operate in their own community.
    • Students can consider marketing strategies and competitive advantage while selecting promotional strategies.
    • Students will record their findings and justifications on available digital technology.

  5. Have students create a promotional item for the cookie business using available digital tools (see attached slide, Design Advertising Product Instructions).

  • Give students a choice of several digital options for the promotional item, to reflect the real-world environment, such as video, infographic, social media post, etc.
  • See attached teacher guidelines handout and student rubric.

  6. Ask teams to share their promotional materials using available technology.

  • Have teams orally present their choices and explain their promotion strategy selections and features of each promotional item.
  • Students should be able to cite how they used promotion strategy recommendations to make their choices and discuss marketing suggestions for business promotions.

  7. To bring the lesson to a close, facilitate a class discussion on the best promotional strategies and determining factors for Colossal Cookie Creations using the guiding questions.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Present the 4 Ps of marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion), the marketing mix, and related concepts, such as target market, promotional strategies prior to this lesson, in order to facilitate instruction.
  • Limit small group size to 3-4 students per team and quick-assign students using one of the team assignment methods, such as count off 1-8, then 1s become Team 1, 2s become Team 2, etc. This will increase heterogeneity of teams, resulting in varying abilities and contributions, thus encouraging creativity and quality of team outcomes.

• Optional

  
  

  Formative Assessment Ideas:

  • Utilize individual student and/or team share-out after reviewing the case study to assess sutudent's application of marketing strategies and promotion selection to Ella's business.

  Summative Assessment Ideas:

  • Assess students' comprehension of promotion selection and marketing strategies by reviewing students' promotional materials using the attached rubric.

  Extension Ideas:

  • Invite a guest speaker to discuss the 4 Ps of marketing and competitive advantage of promotional strategies.
  • Have students research recent promotional strategies used for local businesses.