Individuals with a high school education represent the largest subset of the U.S. workforce. However, little is known about the employer expectations of these individuals, particularly in the area of soft skills--also known as 21st-century skills. Online job advertisements offer useful data for examining these expectations, as they may supplement…

Courses: Persuasion, Marketing, Advanced Public Speaking, Argumentation. Objectives: The aims of this assignment are to introduce students to the concept of data mining as a tool for audience analysis and to improve students' ability to adapt a message to a specific audience.

Courses: Campaigns, Account Planning, Public Relations (PR), and any other strategic communication course where groups are assigned. Objectives: The purpose of this single-class escape-room activity is to increase students' ability to work in time-demanding group settings while utilizing unconventional methods to reinforce material covered in…

Impromptu speaking is a typical exercise in communication-focused courses. This format is often used to practice reducing or assess speaking anxiety, getting to know one another, and delivering project updates and ceremonial remarks. For students to practice their skills in quick thinking and speech preparation, instructors commonly have students…

This article features 29 "Teaching Moments" from the 2018 "Society for Marketing Advances" ("SMA") Annual Conference. The publication of this article is a critical part of a multi-channel distribution system designed to help speed the diffusion of teaching ideas to marketing educators. The "Teaching Moments"…

Audience analysis is essential for creating successful messages across communication fields. The audience persona is an effective tool for understanding the characteristics and needs of a target audience. Through this unit activity, students experience the process of persona development, build skills in data collection and analysis, and gain…

An increased public knowledge of the health benefits of unsaturated fats has resulted in a surge of different cooking oils. Intense advertising of various oil brands claiming to provide the best dietary recommendations often leaves buyers unclear of what their best choices are. Herein, we describe a research-based project for upper-level…

The author, Greg DeLisi, a professor at John Carroll University, is always looking for ways to bring current events into his introductory physics classroom or laboratory. He is especially interested in finding examples where basic principles of physics can be used to cast skepticism on assertions made by celebrities, politicians, or professional…

The United States is currently experiencing its most severe measles outbreak in decades, driven in part by parents' belief that vaccines cause autism. That harmful misinformation is contrary to scientific evidence (DeStefano et al. 2013). The CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest multidisciplinary…

Tootsie Pops, manufactured by Tootsie Roll Industries of Chicago, Illinois, are spherical hard-candy lollipops with a chocolate-flavoured, chewy center. While Tootsie Pops have been around since 1931, it was a television commercial made in 1969 that captured the attention of many. The commercial, an amusing animated cartoon, posed the following…

Courses: Introduction to advanced classes in Media Studies, Women's Studies, Gender Studies, Race, Communication, and Advertising. Objectives: In this unit activity, students critically assess advertisements that co-opt female empowerment and then identify ways they can resist such strategies.

This teaching case highlights the complex and unique strategic issues facing social media platform companies, using Facebook as the primary, motivating example. The case centers on the breach of trust that occurred when Cambridge Analytica acquired user data from 87 million Facebook accounts and then attempted to sway the 2016 U.S. Presidential…

Greenwashing is defined as "the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service" (UL Environment, 2013). As "green living" has become a marketable concept, and desirable consumers seek to enact a green identity, more companies are utilizing…

Sponsored content, in-feed ads, and advertorials are innovative ways to promote brands. However, there are limited resources on how to use these advertising techniques. The Native Advertising project and debate helps students (a) gain knowledge and experience with current advertising practices and (b) engage in deliberation regarding a promotional…

Courses: Strategic Campaigns, Advertising/Public Relations Campaigns. Objectives: The purpose of this semester-long project is student application of research-based strategic communication strategies and techniques used in executing a professional strategic communication campaign for a client.