QUESTION 1 (30 points; max 500 words)
Please note the following advertisement from New Zealand Police. Its execution was in the
form of “street art” in suburbs of Auckland, the largest city in the country.
QUESTION 2 (50 points; max 500 words)
This is an analytical question that will require formulas covered in our sessions.
Please justify your answer with clear calculations and state any assumptions.
Calculations are not included in the word count.
QUESTION 3 (25 points; max 500 words)
In our discussion of digital marketing, we spoke of modern technologies that allow us to
deliver personalisation for every visitor to a brand’s digital estate, such as a website.
However, this kind of targeted experience is scary to some customers who feel they are
being stalked. What would be your recommendation to marketers to manage this potential
negativity towards digital personalization, which, if managed well, can be beneficial to both a
brand and its prospects/customers?
QUESTION 4 (40 points; max 600 words)
In the recent IAAF 2017 world athletics championship held in London, Usain Bolt was a
favourite to win the 100m race. Audiences around the world were watching the coverage live
on Facebook and YouTube. Bolt, from Jamaica, had intense competition from Justin Gatlin,
a long-standing competitor, and Christian Coleman, a promising young sprinter, both from
USA. Most people had their money on Bolt, by far the favourite to win the race. As the
record holder in the 100m sprint he has boosted a renewed global interest in Athletics, a line
of sport that usually attracts far less universal attention than football/soccer or tennis.
It is now widely known that this final race for Bolt ended with an unexpected upset. Gatlin
won the race, and Coleman came in second. Bolt had to make do with the bronze against all
expectations. Despite losing in such an unexpected fashion, Bolt was cheered around the
stadium, while the gold medallist Gatlin was booed for his track record of “doping” (the
practice of taking disallowed performance-enhancing drugs), for which he has been banned
from the sport twice, adding up to six years away from the sport.
There is intensely divided opinion on the matter. Some people believe in the notion, “Once a
cheat, always a cheat”, and call for a lifetime ban for Gatlin. Others believe that Gatlin has
paid his price with his bans, and should now be recognized for a remarkable comeback that
makes for a powerful story of redemption. To win in such a competitive line-up at age 35
attests to his perseverance and should be an inspiration (Bolt is 30 years old).
Global news media happily play into this controversial divide. Social media channels on
Facebook and YouTube are full of passionate debates from armchair commentators. The
issue goes well beyond sport into nationalistic sentiment and ideas of fairness: some
Russian athletes have been banned for life with only episode of testing positive for drugs,
while some British track stars such as Dwayne Chambers have been similarly banned and
then made a comeback, never to be booed. This points to country-based biases.
Regardless of which side you take, one thing is clear: Gatlin has a crisis of his personal
“brand”. If you were his PR agent, how would you advise Gatlin to reposition himself in the
near and distant future, and turn around the widespread hatred he evokes into a more
positive and acceptable persona, especially as he goes into retirement?
(Please note that anyone can have a view on this sensitive subject, but as someone
who has now studied Marketing as a formal subject, you are expected to craft your
thoughts in a structured manner.