| Course | MKT 498 Integrated Marketing Strategy (MKT/498) |
|---|---|
| Week | 4 |
| Paper type | Promotion, PR and events plan |
| Length | about 1,000 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Business |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MKT 498 Week 4
Free Rides, a Ribbon Cutting and Friends at Every Station: Sales Promotion, Public Relations and Event Management for a Rapid Bus Opening
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
MKT/498: Integrated Marketing Strategy
Week 4 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Prairie Line Transit, the Gold Line and its partners are composites written for a model paper.
By now the Gold Line, the invented rapid route at the center of this capstone, has one name, a frequency message and a $380,000 media plan. The first week's analysis also flagged a trial problem: seven in ten residents have no experience of local buses, and messages by themselves seldom change a habit. The remaining $260,000 of the launch budget will fund the tools that turn awareness into a first ride and a first ride into a routine. This paper plans sales promotion, public relations and events, explains the research behind them and shows how they repeat the campaign's message.
Why Trial Matters
Fujii and Kitamura (2003) conducted a field experiment in Japan in which habitual car drivers received a free one-month bus ticket, while a control group did not. During the month, drivers who received the ticket used the bus more, and afterward their attitudes toward the bus were more positive and their car habit was weaker than before. Some continued to ride after the ticket expired. The experience of riding changed beliefs that information alone had not.
Thøgersen (2009) studied a free one-month travel card offered to car owners in Copenhagen who did not regularly use public transport. Those who received the card increased their public transport use during the free month, and part of the increase persisted after it ended. Thøgersen argued that a free period works partly because it breaks the routine of driving and lets people learn how the system works.
Matching the Promotion to the Benefit
Chandon et al. (2000) proposed that sales promotions deliver both monetary benefits, such as savings, and nonmonetary benefits, such as convenience, entertainment and the feeling of being a smart shopper, and that promotions work best when their benefits match the product. A practical product benefits more from promotions that save money or effort, while a pleasure product benefits more from fun promotions. The Gold Line is practical for commuters and also a new experience for the city, so the plan pairs a savings-based trial with an entertaining opening.
Promotion 1: The 30-Day Gold Pass
Employees of the two hospital systems, the largest clinic group and the two colleges along the route will be offered a free 30-day Gold Pass, activated on first use, at a cost of about $90,000, including the pass cards and reimbursed fare revenue. Employers will distribute the passes through human resources and orientation programs, and the hospitals have agreed to promote them because they want to reduce parking demand. After the 30 days, holders will be offered their first monthly pass at half price.
Promotion 2: Ride Cards by Mail
The direct mail piece in the media plan includes a free two-ride card for households near stations, giving them an easy first trip. The card costs little beyond the printing already budgeted.
A free month gives a commuter about 40 chances to discover that the bus really does come every 10 minutes, and a free day gives only one.
The Opening Festival
On Saturday, August 16, two days before regular service, the agency will host the Gold Line Opening Festival at the downtown station and the medical district station, with free rides all day, food trucks, music, a children's bus-art contest and short tours of a Gold Line bus. The cost is about $70,000. Cornwell et al. (2005) reviewed research on sponsorship-linked marketing and described how events transfer meaning and goodwill to sponsors when audiences see a fit between them. Local businesses along Minnesota Avenue, whose sales suffered during construction, will be invited to sponsor festival stations at no charge and offer riders discounts in the first month, which repairs relationships and gives riders reasons to stop along the line.
Public Relations and Media Relations
The press office will manage earned coverage, at about $40,000 for staff time, photography and materials. Activities include a media preview ride with the mayor and hospital executives on August 12, stories pitched to local television and the daily newspaper about a nurse and a student who tried the line during testing, a page explaining how construction impacts were handled and a plan for responding to questions about cost and early problems. All materials will use the Gold Line name, the gold color and the line every 10 minutes.
Sample News Release
Headline: Gold Line Opens August 18 With Buses Every 10 Minutes Across Sioux Falls. Lead: Prairie Line Transit will open the Gold Line on Monday, August 18, offering buses every 10 minutes on weekdays along a 9.5-mile route from downtown to the southwest shopping and office area, with 18 stations and real-time arrival screens. The release continues with a quote from the agency's director, a quote from a hospital executive on parking, details of the free festival and the Gold Pass and contact information.
Station Ambassadors and Staff
For the first four weeks, 24 trained ambassadors, many of them part-time students, will stand at the busiest stations during peak hours to help new riders buy tickets and read the screens, at a cost of about $35,000. Every driver and every customer service employee will attend a one-hour briefing on the Gold Line message, routes and common questions. These personal contacts are part of IMC, since a confused first ride would undo the advertising.
Measurement
About $25,000 is set aside for measurement. Gold Pass activations and continued riding after 30 days will be tracked by card. Festival attendance and free rides will be counted. Media coverage will be logged by tone. Ride card redemptions will show the response to direct mail.
Conclusion
Field experiments show that a month of free riding can loosen driving habits and change attitudes, which makes trial the center of the Gold Line's promotion. An opening festival, sponsorship by corridor businesses, active media relations and station ambassadors add goodwill, coverage and personal help, all carrying the same frequency message as the advertising.
References
Chandon, P., Wansink, B., & Laurent, G. (2000). A benefit congruency framework of sales promotion effectiveness. Journal of Marketing, 64(4), 65-81. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.64.4.65.18071
Cornwell, T. B., Weeks, C. S., & Roy, D. P. (2005). Sponsorship-linked marketing: Opening the black box. Journal of Advertising, 34(2), 21-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2005.10639194
Fujii, S., & Kitamura, R. (2003). What does a one-month free bus ticket do to habitual drivers? An experimental analysis of habit and attitude change. Transportation, 30(1), 81-95. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021234607980
Thøgersen, J. (2009). Promoting public transport as a subscription service: Effects of a free month travel card. Transport Policy, 16(6), 335-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2009.10.008
What the MKT 498 Week 4 instructions ask
The fourth MKT 498 assignment typically covers the IMC tools beyond advertising, such as sales promotion, public relations, publicity, events, sponsorship and sometimes personal selling or direct marketing. Students are usually asked to recommend specific activities for their organization, explain how each supports the campaign's objectives and message, describe timing and budget and say how each activity's effect will be tracked. Some prompts ask for a press release or an event plan. A strong paper distinguishes consumer promotions from trade promotions where relevant, considers the risk that promotions train people to wait for deals, uses research to justify choices and shows how each activity connects to the advertising and media from earlier weeks. Cite sources in APA format.
How this MKT 498 Week 4 example is built
The Gold Line's advertising will make people aware that buses come every 10 minutes, but awareness alone rarely changes a driving habit. The paper starts with a Japanese field experiment in which a one-month free bus ticket changed habitual drivers' attitudes and behavior, and a Danish study in which a free month travel card raised public transport use among car owners, with effects that lasted after the month ended. Those findings shape the main promotion, a free 30-day pass for employees and students. Research on sponsorship and on matching promotions to the benefits people want guides the opening festival and partner offers. A media relations plan, a sample news release, station ambassadors and a measurement plan complete the $260,000 program.
MKT 498 Week 4 grading rubric: where the points go
Promotion, public relations and events papers are scored on strategic fit, specificity and measurement. The higher bands require activities that directly address the campaign's objectives and communication problems, carry the same core message as the advertising and are described with dates, partners, costs and responsibilities. Research should support why the chosen promotions and events will work, including evidence on trial offers and on sponsorship. Graders look for awareness of risks, such as teaching customers to wait for free offers or losing control of publicity, and for a plan to measure results. Professional samples, such as a news release, organized headings, accurate APA citations and clear writing complete a strong paper.
MKT 498 Week 4 help: mistakes to avoid
A common gap in this assignment is a list of activities, such as a contest, a press release and a festival, with no reason for each. Tie every activity to a problem from the situation analysis. Another frequent issue is promotions that give away value without moving behavior; a free ride day attracts curious people but may not change commuting habits, while a month-long pass can. Students also write press releases that read like ads; reporters want news, facts and quotes. Some forget the employees who represent the organization, such as drivers and customer service staff. Brief them. Others treat public relations as free advertising and ignore the risk of negative coverage. Plan for questions. Finally, measure each activity, for example by redemption rates and continued riding.
Related MKT 498 sample papers
Other MKT 498 week samples
- MKT 498 Week 1: IMC Basics and Situation Analysis
- MKT 498 Week 2: Advertising Message Strategy
- MKT 498 Week 3: Media Selection and Planning
- MKT 498 Week 5: Integrated Communications Plan
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MKT 498 Week 4 questions, answered
What does MKT 498 Week 4 usually cover?
It usually covers IMC tools beyond advertising, such as sales promotion, public relations, publicity, events and sponsorship, and how each supports the campaign's objectives, message, timing and budget.
Where can I find a free MKT 498 Week 4 sample paper?
The Week 4 promotion, public relations and events plan for a composite rapid bus opening in Sioux Falls, including a sample news release, appears above.
Do free trial offers change customer habits?
Field experiments with free transit passes have found that a month of free use can shift habitual drivers' attitudes and increase later use, because people experience the service often enough to form new routines.
What is the difference between public relations and advertising?
Advertising is paid space where the organization controls the message, while public relations seeks earned coverage and goodwill through news, events and relationships, which carries more credibility but less control.
How do you measure the success of an event?
Track attendance, sign-ups or offers redeemed at the event, media coverage and later behavior, such as how many attendees use the service or buy within a set period.
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