| Course | BUS 320 Principles of Marketing |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Communication plan |
| Length | About 1,033 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 320 Module 7
One Message, Many Touchpoints: An Integrated Communication Plan for the Southwest Espresso Launch
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
BUS 320: Principles of Marketing
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
One Message, Many Touchpoints: An Integrated Communication Plan for the Southwest Espresso Launch
Juniper Row Coffee Roasters is launching Southwest Espresso, a roast designed for home espresso machines, in early fall. The composite Albuquerque roaster's annual marketing budget is about $36,000, and in past launches it posted on social media and hoped. This time the owners want a plan in which every message and channel works together toward clear goals. This paper sets out an integrated marketing communication plan for the launch.
The Customer Journey
Lemon and Verhoef (2016) described customer experience as a journey that runs from before a purchase, through the purchase itself, to what happens afterward, and they sorted its contact points by who controls them: the company, its partners, the customer, or independent voices such as reviewers and friends. For a home espresso drinker, the journey might begin with frustration at sour shots, move through searching online or asking at a café, continue with buying a bag, and end in either satisfaction and repurchase or disappointment. Each stage offers a chance to communicate, and some of the most influential touchpoints, such as a friend's recommendation, are ones the brand does not control.
Why Integration Matters
Integrated marketing communication means coordinating messages across channels so they reinforce each other. Batra and Keller (2016) argued that communication channels differ in what they do best, some building awareness, others conveying detail or prompting action, and that effective programs match each channel to the stage and goal it suits and ensure the channels work together. For a small company, integration also stretches a limited budget: one core message and set of images can be adapted across every channel.
The Core Message
The launch message is: Espresso roasted for home machines, with help to pull a great shot. It follows the positioning chosen earlier, roasting for how customers brew and helping them get it right. Every piece of communication will include the roast's name, a photograph of a shot being pulled on a common home machine, and the link to a two-minute brewing video.
Channels by Stage
Before purchase, search advertising will target phrases such as best coffee for home espresso in the Albuquerque area, and short videos on social media will show common espresso problems and how the roast fixes them. At purchase, the website will feature the roast with a clear brewing guide, and café staff will offer samples pulled on a home machine at the counter. After purchase, an email series will send brewing tips at days two, seven and fourteen, ask for a review at day twenty and offer an espresso subscription at day thirty. The existing 640 subscribers, 41% of whom own espresso machines, will receive an early offer.
Working With Creators
Juniper Row plans to send the roast to five local coffee creators on social media and pay two of them for posts. FTC guidance says that payment, free products or any similar tie between a brand and the person praising it has to be disclosed clearly and conspicuously in the post itself, and endorsements must reflect the endorser's honest opinions (Federal Trade Commission, 2023). Each creator will receive a short written agreement requiring a clear disclosure at the start of each post and forbidding claims Juniper Row cannot support.
Budget
The launch budget is $12,000 of the annual $36,000, spent over eight weeks.
| Activity | Stage | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Search advertising | Prepurchase | $3,000 |
| Social media video production and ads | Prepurchase | $3,500 |
| Paid creator posts (two) | Prepurchase | $1,600 |
| In-café sampling with home machine | Purchase | $1,200 |
| Email series setup and design | Postpurchase | $900 |
| Launch discounts for subscribers | Purchase | $1,800 |
| Total | $12,000 |
Measurement
Each channel has a measure tied to its role. Search ads will be judged on cost per click and conversion to purchase; social video on views and visits to the espresso page; creator posts on tracked link visits; café sampling on bags sold per sampling day; and the email series on open rates, reviews and conversion to espresso subscriptions. The overall launch goals are 1,500 bags sold and 120 new espresso subscriptions within eight weeks. Results will be reviewed weekly, and spending will shift toward channels that perform best. A simple shared spreadsheet, updated every Monday, will hold these figures so every member of the small team sees the same numbers.
Timeline
Weeks one and two, before launch, will produce videos, set up the email series and brief café staff. Launch week will open with the subscriber offer, followed two days later by social and search advertising. Creator posts will appear in weeks two and three. Café sampling will run on Saturdays throughout. A review in week five will decide whether to extend spending.
Content for Owned Channels
Owned channels, the website, email list and social accounts, cost little and reach people who already know the brand. The launch will add an espresso page with three short videos: dialing in a shot, fixing sour or bitter espresso, and steaming milk on a home machine. Each video will be cut into shorter clips for social media, so one production effort serves several channels. Subscribers will receive a short note from the head roaster explaining how the roast was developed and tested with home machines. These pieces are the backbone of the campaign because they keep working after the paid spending ends.
Risks
Launch plans can fail in predictable ways. If demand is higher than expected, the roaster could run short; the plan includes a weekly production check. If creators' posts perform poorly, their budget can move to search ads. If early reviews are mixed, the email series will address common problems directly. Planning for these outcomes lets a small team respond quickly rather than scramble. After the launch, the team will write a one-page review of what worked and what did not, so the next launch starts from evidence rather than memory.
Conclusion
The Southwest Espresso launch plan maps communication to the customer journey, uses one core message across channels and assigns each channel a job suited to its strengths. It follows FTC rules for paid creators, spends a third of the annual budget with clear measures, and builds in weekly reviews so the small team can learn as it goes.
References
Batra, R., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Integrating marketing communications: New findings, new lessons, and new ideas. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 122-145. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0419
Federal Trade Commission. (2023). Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, 16 C.F.R. Part 255. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/part-255
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 69-96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0420
Reading the BUS 320 Module 7 assignment instructions
Integrated marketing communication and digital marketing are part of Aspen's BUS 320 description, and planning a launch campaign tests whether the pieces fit together. Since the Module 7 prompt is released in the classroom, this example plans one product launch. Start from the customer journey and its touchpoints. Explain integration and why channels should play different roles. Write one core message tied to positioning. Assign channels to stages with specific actions. Follow disclosure rules if you use paid endorsers. Present a budget. Set a measure for each channel and overall goals. Give a timeline and plan for risks. Explain how owned content supports paid efforts and continues after the launch.
How the BUS 320 Module 7 example is put together
The paper opens with a fall espresso launch and a $36,000 annual budget. It describes the customer journey through prepurchase, purchase and postpurchase stages. Integration is explained through Batra and Keller's matching of channels to goals. The core message promises espresso roasted for home machines with help to pull a great shot. Channels by stage include search ads, social video, a website guide, café sampling on a home machine and emails at days two, seven, fourteen, twenty and thirty. Creator agreements follow FTC endorsement guides. A budget table allocates $12,000. Measures, goals of 1,500 bags and 120 subscriptions, a timeline, three espresso videos and launch risks close it.
BUS 320 Module 7 rubric: what earns full marks
Communication plans are judged on customer focus, true integration, fit between channels and goals, compliance, budget realism and measurement. This example organizes the plan around the journey and gives each channel a defined job. Its APA sources are Lemon and Verhoef's Journal of Marketing article on customer experience, Batra and Keller's companion article on integrating marketing communications and the FTC's endorsement guides. The budget table and channel measures let an instructor test whether the plan could work. Weekly reviews and contingency plans show that a small team can adapt, and owned content shows attention to value beyond paid media. Planning for the postpurchase stage, often skipped, rounds out the journey.
BUS 320 Module 7 help: mistakes that cost marks
Many students list channels without explaining why each is used or how they connect. Tie each to a stage and goal. Another weakness is a message that changes from channel to channel; keep one core idea. Include a budget and measures, not only activities. If you use influencers or creators, address disclosure. Plan what happens after purchase, not only before. Set realistic goals. Build in reviews so the plan can change. Include content the company owns and can reuse. If digital metrics are new to you, pick one measure per channel that connects to sales or sign-ups rather than likes alone, and explain why it matters. Put the budget in a table and make sure it adds up, since arithmetic errors undermine an otherwise careful plan.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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BUS 320 Module 7 questions, answered
What does BUS 320 Module 7 usually ask for?
Aspen's BUS 320 covers integrated marketing communication and digital marketing, so a plan coordinating messages and channels for a product or campaign is typical. Follow your classroom prompt.
What is integrated marketing communication?
Coordinating all of a brand's messages and channels so they deliver a consistent message and reinforce one another.
Do paid influencers have to disclose that they are paid?
Yes. FTC guidance requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of material connections such as payment or free products.
Where can I find a free BUS 320 Module 7 sample paper?
Everything is above: an integrated launch plan for a home espresso roast, mapped to the customer journey, with channels by stage, a budget table and measures.
What should an integrated marketing plan measure?
Each channel's contribution to its job, such as clicks, visits or conversions, plus overall goals such as sales and new customers.