Faced with a problem, you will need to argue for a course of action. Problem: Your client wants their IMC campaign to entirely rely on earned media, because they believe consumers ignore paid ads. Your agencys media planner instead believes that paid media is necessary for a successful campaign. Format: 1. Introduction: Presents the decision situation. 2. Position: States the course of action which you decided to argue for. 3. Reason: Supports the stated position. You need to choose the most convincing reason that can be expressed in one sentence. 4. Challenge: Anticipates the most relevant point of criticism that a reader might voice about your reason, which helps strengthen your argument by pre-empting criticism. 5. Rebuttal: Provides an answer to the challenge and informs the reader that you have considered the pros and cons of your position. 6. Conclusion: Sums up your arguments and states the result of your reasoning. It should rest firmly on the previous sentences and avoid introducing new information. Example in the image uploaded!

Example Context: You are a team of account executives at a large communications agency. Your client wants to invest all their social media marketing budget on TikTok because they believe it is the most effective platform to reach the Gen Z (~18-25 years old) portion of their target audience. Your agency's media planner instead believes that diversifying the social media platforms used for the campaign would be much more efficient. What is your position? Response to client: 1. We need to decide whether the most effective way to reach your target audience is by investing all your social media marketing budget on TikTok or across multiple platforms. 2. We recommend investing your social media marketing budget across multiple social media platforms, as we believe it will more effectively reach your target audience. 3. TikTok reaches 48% of 18-29 years old, while Snapchat reaches 65%, Instagram reaches 71%, and Facebook reaches 70%a, thus offering broader reach opportunities across multiple platforms. 4. Even if it has a smaller reach, TikTok generates higher engagement rates with its content than other social media platforms, thus providing a potentially more engaged audience. 5. However, investing in multiple social media platforms also allows more frequently reaching a greater proportiona of the target audience, while still benefiting from TikTok's higher engagement rates. 6. We therefore recommend allocating your social media marketing budget across multiple platforms, as it provides a broader reach, a higher frequency, and the specific benefits of each platform. References: a Katie Sehl (May 5, 2021). 23 Important TikTok Stats Marketers Need to Know in 2021, Hootsuite blog, link: https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-stats/ Chloe West (April 22, 2021). 17 TikTok stats marketers need to know in 2021, SproutSocial blog, link: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/tiktok-stats/ Adam Post (2021). Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2021, Social Media Data blog, link: https://socialmediadata.com/best-times-to-post-on-social-media-in-2021/ Example Context: You are a team of account executives at a large communications agency. Your client wants to invest all their social media marketing budget on TikTok because they believe it is the most effective platform to reach the Gen Z (~18-25 years old) portion of their target audience. Your agency's media planner instead believes that diversifying the social media platforms used for the campaign would be much more efficient. What is your position? Response to client: 1. We need to decide whether the most effective way to reach your target audience is by investing all your social media marketing budget on TikTok or across multiple platforms. 2. We recommend investing your social media marketing budget across multiple social media platforms, as we believe it will more effectively reach your target audience. 3. TikTok reaches 48% of 18-29 years old, while Snapchat reaches 65%, Instagram reaches 71%, and Facebook reaches 70%a, thus offering broader reach opportunities across multiple platforms. 4. Even if it has a smaller reach, TikTok generates higher engagement rates with its content than other social media platforms, thus providing a potentially more engaged audience. 5. However, investing in multiple social media platforms also allows more frequently reaching a greater proportiona of the target audience, while still benefiting from TikTok's higher engagement rates. 6. We therefore recommend allocating your social media marketing budget across multiple platforms, as it provides a broader reach, a higher frequency, and the specific benefits of each platform. References: a Katie Sehl (May 5, 2021). 23 Important TikTok Stats Marketers Need to Know in 2021, Hootsuite blog, link: https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-stats/ Chloe West (April 22, 2021). 17 TikTok stats marketers need to know in 2021, SproutSocial blog, link: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/tiktok-stats/ Adam Post (2021). Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2021, Social Media Data blog, link: https://socialmediadata.com/best-times-to-post-on-social-media-in-2021/