Chapter 15--HBO's True Blood

TRUE/FALSE
1. This case details HBOs competitive advantage for True Blood.
ANS: F
This case is about HBOs promotional strategy for True Blood.

PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-1
TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion MSC: Bloom's Level I Knowledge
2. Because the initial communications were unidentified (and in dead languages), they would be considered
publicity rather than advertising.

ANS: T
PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-4
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking

MSC: Bloom's Level I Knowledge

3. The coded messages in the True Blood campaign were designed to get attention. The DVDs at the film festival
and the Blockbuster rentals were designed to inform and instill desire to watch the show. The True Blood
campaign was using the goals of promotion tactic.

ANS: F
These are steps in AIDA.

PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-5
TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion MSC: Bloom's Level II Application
4. Before Web 2.0, this sort of elaborate marketing campaign would not have been possible because of proliferation
of the Internet and popularity of viral campaigns.

ANS: T
PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-4
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion

TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking

MSC: Bloom's Level II Application

MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following goals of promotion did Campfire Media accomplish to great success with its subtle True
Blood campaign?

a. persuading
b. informing

c. reminding
d. None of the above

ANS: B
The campaign succeeded in stimulating interest in the new TV show, a consequence of information.

PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-3
TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion MSC: Bloom's Level II Application
2. HBO used a challenging initial contact with coded mailers. That some people decoded the messages functioned
as a type of what to marketers?
a. noise
b. message flexibility

ANS: D

c. encoding
d. feedback

This is feedback because the decoding of the message gives marketers an idea of who is interested in the
promotion and the show.

PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-2
TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion
MSC: Bloom's Level II Application
3. The individuals trying to locate distributors for the product TruBlood misunderstood the advertisements because
of

a. noise.
b. feedback.

c. decoding.
d. encoding.

ANS: A
Noise is anything that interferes with, distorts, or slows down the transmission of information.

PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-2
TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion
MSC: Bloom's Level I Knowledge
4. The Cloverfield trailer used the movie theater as
a. feedback.
b. a channel.

c. receivers.
d. All of the above

ANS: B
The movie theater was a channel for the trailers message.

PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-2
TOP: AACSB Reflective Learning
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion
MSC: Bloom's Level I Knowledge
5. Which of the following players in the communication process do all three of the examples in the case try to
obscure during the marketing campaigns?

a. the channel
b. the sender

c. the decoder
d. the receiver

ANS: B
The sender is purposefully obscured at the beginning of these campaigns to generate buzz about the products.

PTS: 1
OBJ: 15-2
TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Marketing Plan | CB&E Model Promotion
MSC: Bloom's Level II Application