AdSim Advertising gives you the opportunity to manage the Advertising and Sales Promotion Campaign for your own Smartphone Manufacturing Company.
You are initially tasked with implementing an improved Advertising and Brand Positioning Strategy for your company’s range of Smartphones. As you progress through the simulation you will be given access to additional Advertising Media Mix, Customer Relationship Management, and Marketing Communications decisions.
- Year 1 Decisions: Name Your Company, Brand Positioning and Product Advertising.
- Year 2 New Decision: Advertising Media Mix.
- Year 3 New Decision: Customer Relationship Management.
- Year 5 New Decision: Marketing Communications.
- From Year 6: All Decisions Available.
To track your performance you will be given Annual Performance Targets to achieve each year; Sales, Audience Coverage, Unaided Brand Awareness and Top of Mind Awareness. However, your company’s overall success is measured by your Total Marketing Contribution (TMC) by the end of the simulation.
Annual Marketing Budget
Each year you have a fixed marketing budget to spend. Your annual marketing budget increases each year of the simulation to facilitate the additional decision areas as they become available:
Year 1: $6m
Year 2: $6.5m
Year 3: $8m
Year 4: $9m
Year 5: $11m
Year 6: $11m
Year 7 and Beyond: $12m
Your annual budget is displayed when you first log in and on your company’s Home page. Additionally, the Live Budget and the Budget Report also show the budget remaining after the cost of your current decisions has been deducted.
You should ensure that you spend all your annual budget each year. If you overspend, the simulation will automatically reduce your Advertising budget to bring you back under budget.
Markets
There are two market segments in AdSim, New and Repeat Customers. New Customers are purchasing their first Smartphone. Repeat Customers are those who are looking to upgrade or replace their old Smartphone about every three years.
These markets have different media viewing habits, brand positioning preferences, and CRM and Marketing Communications preferences. So you should adjust your decisions depending on which of segment you wish to target.
How do I get started?
When the simulation begins, you will be sent your login details by either your instructor or by Smartsims.
- Log into the Smartsims website with the login details you have been given.
- You may need to register for your simulation.
- Launch your company by clicking on the blue launch button.
Rollovers
Rollover is the term used to describe moving from one year (decision period) to the next. A Rollover will process your currently entered decisions in the simulation for the year ahead.
Single-Player & Multi-Player
AdSim has two phases of the simulation. It is important that you know the difference between these phases, and that you are entering your decisions in the correct World.
Some courses will not use the simulation as described below, please check your Course Outline for more information.
Single-Player Phase: In the Single-Player you will compete against one or four (depending on your course) computer-controlled competitors. In the Single-Player you are able to roll forward into the next decision period/year or roll back as you wish in order to test and change your decisions.
Multi-Player Phase: In the Multi-Player you will compete either individually or in teams against other student-run companies in your class, or computer-controlled competitors (depending on your course). Moving from one year (decision period) to the next is done by automatic rollover on pre-set dates scheduled by your instructor.