| Course | MKT 498 Integrated Marketing Strategy (MKT/498) |
|---|---|
| Week | 5 |
| Paper type | Integrated marketing communications plan |
| Length | about 1,071 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 5
The Gold Line IMC Plan: Objectives, Message, Media, Promotion and Evaluation for a New Rapid Route in South Dakota
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
MKT/498: Integrated Marketing Strategy
Week 5 Final Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Prairie Line Transit, the Gold Line, its budget and its results are composites written for a model paper.
Executive Summary
On a Monday in mid-August, Prairie Line Transit, an invented public agency in South Dakota's largest city, will start running the Gold Line, a rapid route linking the downtown core, the hospitals and the southwest retail district with a bus every ten minutes on weekdays. This plan uses a $640,000 budget to build awareness, change the belief that buses are slow and rare and get commuters and students to try the line, with a goal of 2,400 weekday trips within a year. A single promise about frequency runs through advertising, media, a 30-day free pass, an opening festival, public relations and station ambassadors. Results will be measured monthly and reviewed in January.
Situation
Sioux Falls is a growing metropolitan area of about 300,000 people where most trips are made by car. The agency's 16 existing routes run every 30 or 60 minutes, and roughly seven residents in ten have never boarded one. The project has been known by three names, and the agency has communicated through five disconnected voices. Strengths include the new service's speed and frequency, modern stations and support from major employers. The main obstacles are a weak transit brand, the habit of driving and free parking outside the medical district.
Audiences
Primary audiences are about 9,000 medical district employees, who pay $45 to $70 a month to park, and students at two colleges near the route. Secondary audiences are current riders on the corridor and the wider public. Community stakeholders, including corridor businesses, city council members and local media, shape opinion.
Objectives
Communication objectives: six in ten metro adults able to name the Gold Line and about a third agreeing that service is frequent enough to ride without a schedule by November. Behavioral objectives: 3,500 Gold Pass activations and 1,200 holders still riding at least weekly 60 days after their pass ends. Business objective: 2,400 average weekday trips by the following August.
Why One Message Matters
Batra and Keller (2016) argue that integrated communication works when each channel plays the part it does best, while all channels reinforce a shared brand meaning, and that planners should judge a program by how well its parts complement each other. Bamberg et al. (2011) reviewed behavior theory behind soft transport policy measures, such as information, marketing and free trial tickets, and argued that these measures work best when they address people's motivation, help them form intentions and support the actual experience of a new mode. A message heard everywhere builds motivation; a free pass supports the experience.
The plan uses advertising to change what people believe and the free pass to change what they do, and both say the same thing.
Positioning and Message
The positioning from Week 2 stands, shortened for the plan: for hospital workers and students who expect a slow, irregular bus, the Gold Line is the quick crosstown option that arrives so often a timetable becomes unnecessary. Campaign line: Ten minutes. Every ten minutes. Tone: confident, friendly and local. Every item carries the Gold Line name, gold color and launch date.
Role of Each Tool
Advertising and media, $380,000: build awareness and belief through television, billboards, shelters, audio, social, search, direct mail, employer channels and campus media in three flights
Sales promotion, $90,000: drive trial through the free 30-day Gold Pass for employees and students and two-ride cards by mail
Events and sponsorship, $70,000: create excitement and goodwill through the August 16 Opening Festival with corridor business partners
Public relations, $40,000: earn credible coverage through a media preview ride, rider stories and prepared answers on cost and early problems
Personal contact, $35,000: support first rides with 24 station ambassadors and briefed drivers and staff
Measurement, $25,000: surveys, card tracking and analysis
Calendar
March to June: finalize creative, employer agreements and partner sponsors; baseline survey in June. July 14 to August 10: teaser flight, employer announcements, Gold Pass sign-ups. August 12: media preview ride. August 16: Opening Festival. August 18 to September 14: launch flight, ambassadors at stations, passes activated. September to December: sustain flight, follow-up offer of half-price first monthly pass, rider stories. January: student semester burst and mid-year review. February to August: lower-weight sustain advertising and quarterly reporting.
Risks
Three risks could undermine the plan. A rough first week, with late buses or confused riders, would contradict the frequency promise just as attention peaks, so the agency will run the line without passengers for two weeks before opening and keep spare buses ready. A harsh early winter could depress walking to stations, so the sustain flight holds money for a January push. Finally, the free pass could attract people who would have ridden anyway; card tracking will show how many holders were already riders.
Ethics and Responsibility
The campaign will describe service honestly, including that the 10-minute frequency applies on weekdays, with 15-minute service on Saturdays. Promotions will be offered to current low-income riders on the corridor through social service partners, not only to employees and students. Data from pass cards will be used only in aggregate.
Evaluation Framework
Measures sit at three levels. Three waves of a 600-person adult survey, in June, September and January, will track communication effects. Behavioral responses will be measured by Gold Pass activations, continued use by card number and ride card redemptions. Business results will be measured by daily automatic passenger counts at each station. Naik and Raman (2003) found that media can have synergistic effects, so the evaluation will judge the combined program and avoid cutting a medium simply because its separate effect looks small.
Mid-Year Review
In January, the marketing director and agency leadership will compare results with objectives. If awareness is on target but trial is low, money will move from sustain advertising to a second round of passes. If trial is high but continued riding is low, the agency will investigate service reliability before spending more on communication, since Week 1 research showed that service quality drives ridership.
Conclusion
This plan gives the Gold Line one name, one message and a coordinated set of tools, each with a clear role and budget. Research on integrated communication, behavior change in transport and media synergy supports combining advertising that builds belief with a trial offer that builds habits. Measured monthly and reviewed in January, the plan gives Prairie Line Transit a realistic path to 2,400 weekday trips.
References
Bamberg, S., Fujii, S., Friman, M., & Gärling, T. (2011). Behaviour theory and soft transport policy measures. Transport Policy, 18(1), 228-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2010.08.006
Batra, R., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Integrating marketing communications: New findings, new lessons, and new ideas. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 122-145. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0419
Naik, P. A., & Raman, K. (2003). Understanding the impact of synergy in multimedia communications. Journal of Marketing Research, 40(4), 375-388. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.40.4.375.19385
What the MKT 498 Week 5 instructions ask
The final MKT 498 assignment usually calls for a finished integrated marketing communications plan for their chosen organization, often combining the work of earlier weeks. Typical sections are an executive summary, situation analysis, target audiences, communication objectives, positioning and core message, the role of each IMC tool, media plan, promotion and public relations activities, budget, timeline and evaluation. Many prompts also ask for ethical or social responsibility considerations. A strong plan is integrated in substance, not only in format: each tool should serve the objectives and carry the same message, and the evaluation should measure both communication and business outcomes. Revise earlier sections rather than pasting them, cite scholarly sources in APA style and write for an executive reader.
How this MKT 498 Week 5 example is built
The final paper brings four weeks of work into one plan for the Gold Line, a composite rapid bus route opening in Sioux Falls in August. An executive summary states the goal, the message and the budget in one paragraph. The situation and objectives sections are tightened from Week 1, now with measurable targets for awareness, belief, trial and weekday ridership. Research on integrated communication explains why one message must run through every contact, and research on soft transport policy measures explains how communication and trial work together to change travel behavior. Each tool's role is shown in a matrix, the $640,000 budget and 12-month calendar are presented and an evaluation framework with three levels of measures and a mid-year review completes the plan.
MKT 498 Week 5 grading rubric: where the points go
The capstone IMC plan is graded on completeness, integration and professional quality. The top marks require every expected section, objectives that are specific and measurable, one positioning and message carried consistently through advertising, media, promotion, public relations, events and personal contact, and a budget and timeline that add up and fit the objectives. Graders look for evidence that earlier feedback has been used and that sections were revised to fit together. An evaluation plan that measures communication effects and business results, with research support, shows strategic maturity. Ethical considerations, an executive summary, consistent formatting, correct APA citations and concise writing complete an excellent plan.
MKT 498 Week 5 help: mistakes to avoid
Capstone plans often read as four earlier assignments stapled together, with different numbers and even different names for the same audience. Revise every section so facts, figures and terms match. Another common problem is objectives that are vague or that measure only activity, such as posts published, rather than outcomes. Set targets for awareness, trial and the business result. Students also present a budget that differs from the media and promotion sections. Reconcile the totals. Some plans omit evaluation or leave it to a sentence. Describe what will be measured, when and how results will change the plan. Finally, write the executive summary last and keep it to one paragraph, since it is the section a decision maker reads first.
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MKT 498 Week 5 questions, answered
What does MKT 498 Week 5 usually cover?
It usually covers the complete integrated marketing communications plan: executive summary, situation analysis, audiences, objectives, message, the role of each IMC tool, media, promotion, budget, timeline and evaluation.
Where can I find a free MKT 498 Week 5 sample paper?
The full IMC plan for a composite rapid bus line in Sioux Falls above is a complete Week 5 example, from executive summary to evaluation framework.
How do you show integration in an IMC plan?
Use one positioning and core message across every tool, show each tool's role in reaching the objectives, often in a matrix, and coordinate timing so tools reinforce one another.
What objectives belong in an IMC plan?
Plans usually set communication objectives, such as awareness and belief, behavioral objectives, such as trial, and business objectives, such as sales or ridership, each with a number and a date.
How is an IMC campaign evaluated?
By measuring communication effects through surveys, behavioral responses such as redemptions and visits, and business outcomes, and by reviewing results during the campaign so spending can shift to what works.
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