COM 124 Exam 3

publics

specific groups of people who share a common interest, concern, or stake in an organization

publicity

the earned media attention an entity receives through third-party channels—such as news reports, feature stories, or social media mentions—rather than through paid advertisements

public affairs

strategic efforts to influence public policy, advocate for legislative interests, and engage stakeholders rather than promoting products for sale

flack

eferring to a press agent, publicist, or the act of promoting something

spin

selectively presenting information

sportswashing

sponsoring major sporting events

astroturf

fake grassroots movements

mercenary science

tobacco companies funding studies

issues management

The proactive, strategic process of identifying, monitoring, and responding to emerging social, political, or industry trends that could impact a brand’s reputation

video news release (VNR)

a pre-packaged, broadcast-style video segment created by corporations, government agencies, or PR firms to promote a product, service, or message

fixed-fee arrangement

(or flat-fee model) in advertising and professional services is a billing structure where the client pays a predetermined, total amount for a specific project or service, regardless of the time or resources the provider spends to complete it

collateral materials

the branded, tangible, or digital assets used to support sales efforts, communicate a value proposition, and guide customers through the buyer's journey

corporate social responsibility

the practice of communicating a company's commitment to ethical, environmental, and social goals beyond profit. It involves aligning marketing messages with genuine societal impact—such as sustainability or fair labor—to build trust and loyalty

cause marketing

a collaborative strategy where a for-profit business and a nonprofit organization partner to promote a product or service while simultaneously supporting a social or charitable cause

lobbying

grassroots or indirect lobbying, where paid media campaigns are used to shape public opinion and pressure government officials to support or oppose specific legislation or regulations

greenwashing

he deceptive practice of using marketing to create a false or exaggerated impression that a company's products, policies, or services are environmentally friendly when they are not

dark PR

unethical, covert efforts designed to deliberately harm, discredit, or destroy the reputation of a competitor or individua

integrated marketing communications (IMC)

strategic approach that unifies all promotional tools—including advertising, public relations, and social media—to deliver a consistent, clear, and persuasive message across all channels

viral marketing

an advertising strategy that leverages organic, exponential sharing through social networks and word-of-mouth rather than traditional paid placement.

transparentists

call for full disclosure in all PR communications

flog

fake blogs

unique selling proposition (USP)

Differentiation became essential for parity products (performance or packaging)

demonstrative advertising

n executional style that showcases a product or service in action to prove its effectiveness, unique features, or problem-solving capabilities

associative advertising

a marketing strategy that links a product or service with desirable non-market goods—such as emotions, lifestyles, or values—rather than focusing on physical attributes or functional features

promotional retail advertising

highlights sales or events

AIDA approach

(Attention→ Interest→Desire→Action) drives desire and action

programmatic buying

automates online ad purchasing (brought by algorithms)

boutique agencies

specialize in niche markets or platforms

retainer

monthly fees for ongoing work

commissions

(one-time campaign costs

cost per mile (CPM)

measures cost to reach 1,000 people

cease-and-desist order

advertising is a legally binding directive issued by a government agency (such as the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S.) or a court

corrective advertising

may be required to fix misleading claims

puffery

exaggeration

copy testing

evaluates ads before release

recognition tests

measure whether ads are remembered

recall testing

measure how easily ads are remembered

awareness tests

assess general brand consciousness

neuromarketing research

measures unconscious reaction to ads

banners

ectangular, image-based digital advertisements embedded into websites or mobile apps

search marketing

the practice of increasing a website's visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs) through a combination of paid advertising and organic optimization

rich media

digital ad units that include advanced features like video, audio, animation, or interactive elements (games, clickable hotspots)

lead generation

the strategic process of capturing interest from potential customers and converting anonymous website visitors into known contacts

third-party cookies

tracking across the web

first-party cookies

collected directly

zero-party data

voluntarily given

contextual targeting

sports article→ads for running shoes

social media influencers

individuals whose expertise or credibility attracts engaged followers

performance-based advertising

pays only when users take specific actions

engagement

emerged as a key measure of advertising effectiveness

accountability metrics

quantifiable indicators used to link marketing activities directly to financial outcomes and business growth

value-compensation program

value-compensation program (often called value-based remuneration or incentive-based compensation) is a model where an agency’s payment is tied to the outcomes, results, or business value generated for the client, rather than just the time, labor, or headcount spent.

prosumer

researching, evaluating, and negotiating

demographic segmentation

targets audiences by identity traits

psychographic segmentation

a marketing strategy that groups consumers based on internal psychological attributes rather than surface-level data

PRIZM (Potential Rating Index for Zip Markets)

classifies US households into 68 segments

micro-level effects

refer to the immediate, granular impact of media consumption or advertising on individual users

macro-level effects

the broad, systemic impact that advertising has on society, the economy, and the public as a whole, rather than on individual brands or specific consumers

administrative research

applied, decision-oriented research used by practitioners (agencies and clients) to solve immediate, practical problems

critical research

an academic and sociological approach that scrutinizes advertising not just as a commercial tool, but as a mechanism that shapes cultural norms, reinforces power structures, and influences societal identities

transmissional perspective

studies focusing on the function of advertising as a mechanism for transferring information, influencing consumer cognition, and measuring the efficiency of the communication process

ritual perspective

defines the consumption of a brand not merely as a functional utility, but as a symbolic, repeated, and emotionally resonant act that connects users to a community or identity

mass communication theories

explain how promotional messages are crafted, transmitted, and interpreted by large audiences to influence behavior and perception

cultivation analysis

explores how long-term, repeated exposure to media shapes an individual's perception of reality to align with the world depicted in that media, rather than objective reality

attitude change theory

the psychological framework describing how messages, sources, and context can shift a consumer's existing beliefs, feelings, or behavioral predispositions toward a brand or product

middle-range theories

ocused, empirically testable frameworks that explain specific phenomena—such as how a consumer responds to a specific ad campaign—rather than attempting to provide a single, universal law of all human persuasion

mass society theory

because modern society is composed of isolated, disconnected individuals, they are highly vulnerable to the persuasive power of mass media and advertising.

hypodermic needle theory

persuasive messages can instantly alter consumer behavior and attitudes without the audience being able to critically evaluate or reject the content

magic bullet theory

mass media—including advertising—can directly, immediately, and uniformly inject messages into the minds of a passive audience

limited effects theory

mass media, including advertising, has a minimal direct impact on changing people's deeply held beliefs or behaviors

two-step flow theory

media influence rarely moves directly from mass media to the general public

opinion leaders

respected individuals who hold significant influence over the purchasing decisions and opinions of others

opinion followers

are the audience members who look to opinion leaders (such as influencers, experts, or trusted peers) for guidance, advice, and recommendations before making purchasing decisions

dissonance theory

the psychological discomfort consumers feel when their actions (such as purchasing a product) contradict their existing beliefs, or when they hold two conflicting beliefs simultaneously

selective processes

the cognitive mechanisms consumers use to filter, interpret, and retain the massive amount of information they encounter daily

selective exposure (selective attention)

the tendency for consumers to actively seek out or choose media and messages that align with their existing beliefs, values, and interests while avoiding contradictory information

selective retention

a psychological bias where consumers choose to remember information that supports their existing attitudes, values, and beliefs while forgetting or overlooking conflicting information

selective perception

a consumer defense mechanism where individuals filter out most marketing messages, noticing and retaining only those that align with their pre-existing beliefs, needs, or values

reinforcement theory

posits that advertising’s primary role is to strengthen brand loyalty and satisfy existing customers, rather than just persuading new ones

uses and gratifications approach

shifts the focus from "what media does to people" to "what people do with media"

agenda setting

the strategic process of directing public attention toward specific products, brands, or issues to increase their perceived importance and relevance

social cognitive theory

a powerful social influence tool that shapes behavior through observational learning, modeling, and outcome expectancies rather than simple conditioning

modeling

the use of commercial models (people) to represent a brand or product and analytical models (frameworks/data) used to strategize or predict consumer behavior

imitation

the strategic practice of mimicking a leading brand’s product, packaging, or marketing tactics to capture existing demand, reduce branding costs, or influence consumer desire

identification

the technical recognition of entities (such as users, assets, or businesses) for targeting and measurement, or the strategic creation of brand awareness where consumers recognize and associate symbols with a company

observational learning

the technical recognition of entities (such as users, assets, or businesses) for targeting and measurement, or the strategic creation of brand awareness where consumers recognize and associate symbols with a company

inhibitory effects

generally refer to cognitive processes that suppress, restrain, or block an impulse, desire, or automatic response to a persuasive message

disinhibitory effects

(often referred to as the "online disinhibition effect") describes the psychological loosening of social restraints that leads users to act, speak, or purchase more impulsively when online compared to face-to-face interactions

cultural theory

analyzes commercials not just as sales tools, but as powerful agents that reflect, reinforce, and shape societal values, identities, and rituals

critical cultural theory

an analytical framework that goes beyond evaluating if an ad is effective to scrutinizing its role in shaping societal power structures, ideologies, and consumer behavior

neo-Marxist theory

analyzes commercial communication as a tool that perpetuates consumer capitalism, reinforces class divisions, and creates artificial needs to stabilize the economic system

Frankfurt School

a central component of the "culture industry," a system designed to standardize cultural products, manipulate desires, and maintain the dominance of consumer capitalism

British cultural theory

defines ads as "cultural texts" that do not merely sell products but actively shape social identity, reinforce ideologies, and transfer symbolic meanings from broader culture to brands

news production research

investigates how media organizations create content, including how advertising pressures and business models influence journalistic autonomy, topic selection, and the blending of editorial and commercial content (e.g., native ads).

mediatization theory

context of advertising describes how media logic—the norms, formats, and commercial imperatives of mass media—shapes the structure and content of other social domains

media logic

campaigns are designed to fit the specific constraints and aesthetic "grammar" of a platform

meaning-making perspective

advertising shifts the focus from a traditional, linear "transmission" model (where a sender pushes a message to a passive receiver) to an active, consumer-centric process

symbolic interaction

the process where consumers interpret a product not just for its functional utility, but for the subjective meanings, statuses, and social identities it represents

product positioning

the strategic process of establishing a distinct, favorable, and meaningful perception of a product in the minds of a target audience relative to its competitors

social construction of reality theory

ads do not merely reflect the world but actively help create, maintain, and reinforce our shared understanding of it