IMC Exam: An Epitomy of the Market

hmm. first there was CRM, then Communication and Society. Then we had comm law exam... major pain, major headache. Today, we had the exam in imc principles. it's either we fare well, or say farewell. confusing. mind-wrecking. vertigo-inducing. argh!!!

the exam itself is a representation of the market.

it shows the problems consumers and marketers encounter. the exam is IMC and not IMC in both lights. in the positive light, the exam is fully Integrated Marketing Communications for it is IMC. contentwise, it is. on second thought...

1. The exam represents the clutter in the market. On every instance of our lives, we are bombarded with information. We see countless products. We are buried in the clutter of ads. Information overload. We see different brands, with almost similar things to offer. We have many choices, and unfortunately, the number of choices is directly proportional to our confusion and inconvenience. Just like our exam. First part was MULTIPLE CHOICE. as in multiple with a capital E. The choices range from A-Z. argh... and we need to choose the best answer, only one answer. sakit sa ulo.

2. Different brands are not too differentiated. Look at the shampoo shelves in the supermarket. Look at the shampoo ads. You can make an omnibus ad without separating one from the others. They are just too similar. They have selenium sulfide and whatever. The plethora (naks plethora) of various brands and ads which are does not stand out, adds to the confusion and inconvenience of the customers. The choices we had in the exam from A-Z are almost similar. Some are direct statements, some are integration. But we have to choose one.

3. Answering an exam is a high-involvement activity. When you buy cars, computers, or any product which are expensive, and involve a lot of risk, we need to be highly involved. we need to think, think hard, and think smart. With the myriad of choices, we need to be careful and knowledgeable. Otherwise, we could suffer buyer's remorse. After choosing a product, we may feel some dissatisfaction or regret, thinking that we could have chosen a better one. The first part of the exam which was MULTIPLE choice have 6 numbers, 10 points each. HIGH INVOLVEMENT... as in HIGH...

hmm... i wish the exam could have been more consumer-focused, channel-centered, and results-driven. so hard. so confusing. waaah... the class is very enjoyable. i love the activities. the professor is really good. the course is great. GREAT means VERY CHALLENGING.

on the other hand... these exams build character...