Marketing Honor - advanced

Vocational Activities

Requirements

  1. Have the Marketing Honor.

    Answer: You must present to the instructor the duly signed card for the Marketing (basic) Honor as a prerequisite for starting Advanced Marketing, proving that basic concepts of market, target audience, segmentation, media, and strategy have already been studied previously, as required by the official Adventist Pathfinder program currently in force. — Advanced Honors presuppose mastery of the fundamentals. Basic Marketing covers concepts such as product, market, consumer, the simple marketing mix, and media. Without this foundation, the advanced one (with SWOT, Porter's 5 forces, BCG) is inaccessible. The signed card is the official document that proves completion of the previous basic Honor by the student.

  2. Explain the following phases of the creative process:
    • Perception of the problem
    • Theorization of the problem
    • Produce a solution

    Answer: You must present to the instructor the three phases: 1) Perception of the problem — clearly identify and recognize the challenge (what needs to be solved, who it affects, what the impact is); 2) Theorization of the problem — analyze causes, raise hypotheses, research the context, and formulate assumptions about how the problem works and what could solve it; 3) Produce the solution — develop and put into practice the chosen idea to solve the problem, executing the plan and measuring the results to verify whether it really worked. — The creative process follows a cycle similar to the scientific method applied to marketing and management. Identifying the problem is half the solution — many projects fail because they solve the wrong problem. Theorization helps to focus on the causes, not the symptoms. The final solution needs to be executable and measured by results — without feedback, there is no real learning or continuous improvement.

  3. What is Brainstorming? How can we use it in the Pathfinder Club?

    Answer: You must present to the instructor that brainstorming is a group technique in which the participants generate the largest possible number of ideas on a topic, without immediate judgment or criticism, in a free and stimulating environment. In the Pathfinder Club, it can be used to plan events, create a slogan or theme for the club, decide a unit name, prepare evangelism campaigns, organize campouts, or solve internal conflicts with collective and democratic participation. — Brainstorming was formalized by Alex Osborn in the 1940s in the USA. Four rules: (1) no criticism, (2) quantity generates quality, (3) 'crazy' ideas are welcome, (4) build on the ideas of others. In Clubs, it is powerful because it involves all the Pathfinders and generates engagement. Sessions of 20-30 min with a facilitator yield more ideas than long, traditional hierarchical meetings.

  4. Research and write a report on the 4 P's of the marketing mix and explain how they can be adapted for use in your Pathfinder Club.

    Answer: The 4 P's of the marketing mix, defined by Jerome McCarthy, are: 1) PRODUCT — what is offered (a good or service), its characteristics, quality, packaging, and benefits; 2) PRICE — how much it costs and how it is charged (value, discounts, payment methods); 3) PLACE (point/distribution) — where and how the product reaches the public (channels, location, logistics); 4) PROMOTION — how it is communicated and publicized (advertising, social networks, events, public relations). Adapted to the Pathfinder Club: PRODUCT = the club itself and its activities (campouts, Honors, mission, Christian and character formation), presented as a benefit for the family; PRICE = the monthly fee, event fees, and the uniform, showing the cost-benefit and offering conveniences; PLACE = the church, the school, the neighborhood, and the digital channels where the club is publicized and where the meetings take place; PROMOTION = the publicizing of the club (posters, invitations, social networks, Pathfinder Day, programs open to the community) to attract new members and fulfill the evangelistic mission. — The 4 P's were proposed by Jerome McCarthy in 1960, as the marketing mix. Applied to Clubs: the 'product' is the spiritual experience and personal development; the 'price' includes time donated by the parents; the 'place' is the church and the social environment; the 'promotion' is the testimony of the members and modern visual communication. Mastering the 4 P's helps in planning campaigns to recruit new members.

  5. Know some positioning techniques and marketing strategy such as:
    • SWOT
    • Porter's Forces
    • BCG Matrix
    • Others you consider interesting

    Answer: 1) SWOT: an analysis that crosses internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), helping to understand the current situation. Applied to the Club, it identifies the strong and weak points of the team and the ministry. 2) Porter's forces: the 5 forces that determine the competitiveness of a market — rivalry among competitors, the power of suppliers, the power of buyers, the threat of new entrants, and the threat of substitute products. In the Club, they show the competition for young people's time (school, social networks, sports). 3) BCG matrix: classifies products or activities into star, cash cow, question mark, and dog, according to market share and growth, helping to decide where to invest resources. In the Club, it helps prioritize which activities to keep, invest in, or abandon. 4) Other techniques: for example, the Ansoff Matrix (growth strategies by product/market), the 4 Ps of marketing (product, price, place, and promotion), and the PESTEL analysis (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors). — SWOT (Albert Humphrey, 1960s) is the starting point of any strategic analysis. Michael Porter's 5 forces (1979) assess the attractiveness of an industry. BCG (1968) helps to allocate resources among product lines. Applicable to Clubs: SWOT identifies strong points (engagement, team), the 5 forces show competition for young people's time (school, social networks, sports), BCG helps prioritize activities.

  6. Use your creativity to produce a presentation of your Club for your neighborhood. In this presentation, use at least 2 of the resources below:
    • Video or vignette
    • Website
    • Song or poem
    • Posters or flyers

    Answer: You must present to the instructor a creative campaign to publicize your Club to the neighborhood using at least 2 of the resources: a short video or jingle of 30s to 2min showing activities; a simple website or Instagram page with photos and contact; a song/poem with its own slogan; colorful posters or flyers distributed at strategic spots. The presentation must have a coherent visual identity, a clear message, and a call to action to visit the Club. — A multimedia presentation is more effective than a single channel. Video generates engagement on social networks, a poster reaches those who are not online, a flyer with a QR code connects the two worlds. Visual identity (the same colors, logo, and font) reinforces recognition. Local publicizing is the basis of recruiting new Pathfinders in small communities nowadays.

  7. Make a plan to promote your Club on at least 3 social networks.

    Answer: You must present to the instructor a plan to publicize the Club on at least 3 social networks (e.g., Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, or WhatsApp): define a posting schedule (1-3 per week), the type of content per channel (Reels and photos on Instagram, short videos on TikTok, events on Facebook, long videos on YouTube, direct publicizing in WhatsApp groups), a unified visual identity (colors, logo, font), tracking metrics (likes, reach, new followers), and the person responsible for publishing. — Each network has a different audience: TikTok attracts teenagers; Instagram, young people and adults; Facebook, parents; YouTube, in-depth content; WhatsApp, direct communication with members. Posting regularly (3-5x/week) builds an audience more than posting a lot once. Authentic content from the Club — behind-the-scenes, testimonials — engages more than overly polished professional material every time.

  8. Carry out a complete marketing consultancy in 2 of the following departments below and discover how to apply marketing resources to preach the gospel in your neighborhood.
    • Youth Ministry
    • Pathfinders
    • Adventurers
    • Music
    • Evangelism
    • Publications
    • Temperance
    • Christian Stewardship
    • Women's Ministry
    • Children's Ministry
    • Adolescent Ministry
    • Sabbath School
    • Personal Ministries
    • Family Ministry
    • Adventist Solidarity Action - ASA
    • Health and Temperance Ministry
    • Global Mission
    • Education

    Answer: You must present to the instructor a marketing consultancy in 2 departments of the Church (e.g., Youth Ministry and ACS): identify the target audience, analyze the department's SWOT, define objectives (reach X people, recruit Y volunteers), propose adapted publicizing strategies (social networks, open events, partnerships with schools and NGOs, posters at strategic spots in the neighborhood), prepare visual pieces and a schedule. — Each department of the Church has a specific focus: Youth, Family, ACS (social action), Health — and marketing adapts to each one. Applying marketing to evangelism: Easter campaigns (biblical cinema), health fairs (Health Ministry), sporting events (Youth). The consistency of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church's visual identity helps the brand be recognized everywhere globally.

  9. How can the text of Philippians 4:8 influence and direct the practices, strategies, and ethics within Marketing?

    Answer: You must present to the instructor that Philippians 4:8 ('whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, praiseworthy, think on these things') directs Christian Marketing toward practices that are true (without lies or deceptive advertising), honest (transparency about products), just (balanced prices and promotions), pure (without sensual appeals), kind (respectful language), and of good report. — Philippians was written by Paul from the Roman prison (~62 AD) and teaches healthy Christian thinking. Applied to marketing: it discards sensationalist tactics, commercial fake news, artificial urgency, and emotional exploitation. Companies like Tom's Shoes and Patagonia built brands with transparency and purpose; it is the opposite of greenwashing. Consistent Christian marketing generates real loyalty in the modern customer.