- Description
COM 295 Week 2 Practice: Case Analysis: Identifying Logical Inconsistencies
Complete the “Case Analysis: Identifying Logical Inconsistencies” in Connect
Identifying Logical Inconsistencies
You should always verify whether your messages contain sound logic. You can strengthen your logic by avoiding six types of logical inconsistencies introduced in the book: unsupported generalizations, faulty cause/effect claims, weak analogies, either/or logic, slanting of facts, and exaggeration.
Unsupported generalizations involve unfairly stating all people or parts of a group or category possess a certain characteristic.
Faulty cause/effect claims involve unsupported and unsubstantiated statements about how one thing causes another.
Weak analogies are comparisons that lack sufficient similarities to support conclusions. In other words, this is comparing apples and oranges.
Either/or logic involves unnecessarily reducing or constricting issues to two options or viewpoints.
Slanting of facts involves presenting those facts that are favorable to your position. Some people refer to this as cherry-picking the facts.
Exaggeration involves overstating the value or significance of something.
In this exercise, you will read a conversation among a team of marketing professionals and identify the faulty logic in their conversation.
Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.
Ron opened the conversation. “TV advertising is increasingly ineffective. Every report I’ve seen suggests that TV advertising will continue to diminish during the next 5 to 10 years, and we’ll even see spending on digital advertising surpass TV advertising pretty soon. I just saw a report that showed that TV advertising only comprises 37 percent of ad spending compared to 33 percent for digital advertising. Soon, digital advertising will overtake TV advertising. (1) As a result, it’s clear that digital advertising leads to high returns on investment. (2) We need to shift all of our TV advertising to digital advertising right away.”
Maria jumped into the conversation. “Come on, Ron. Don’t you think you’re being a bit dramatic? Last year, we had huge returns from our Super Bowl ad. Suzie’s analysis showed that we picked up $50 million in sales from a $4 million dollar investment on that ad. On top of that, our brand reached an audience of 125 million people in one day. (3) There’s no doubt that TV advertising is alive and well.”
“Maria, you know better than that,” Ron interjected. (4) “TV advertising is no different than cassette tapes—it’s on its way to quick extinction. We should invest all of our creative energies and budget allotments to the advertising of the future. Right now, I think we all agree that our focus is on Millennials, so why we’re still focusing on TV is confusing to me.”
“Ron, I think you’re caught up in the hype of digital. (5) The latest eMarketer research report about perceiving brand value shows that 70 percent of Millennials say they’re influenced by TV advertising. That’s higher than any form of digital advertising, including social, online display, and online video. Bottom line is that TV still is our best bet for our target demographic.”
“Maria, we’ve looked at that research together. You’re basically citing the only research study that shows that and it’s entirely based on self-perceptions. I can show you five other studies that show the opposite picture and which are based on more reliable research methods.”
Maria countered by saying, “Look, Ron, you can’t simply dismiss that eMarketer research report so easily. (6) The report undeniably shows that TV advertising is a completely effective approach that still influences nearly every Millennial.”
Ron responded, (7) “Maria, I guess I don’t know how to reason with you here. Virtually every study and data point indicates digital advertising will be more effective than TV advertising.”
1
Which logical inconsistency is Ron most likely displaying in statement 1?
Multiple Choice
faulty cause/effect claims
weak analogy
either/or logic
2
Which logical inconsistency is Ron most likely displaying in statement 2?
Multiple Choice
either/or logic
weak analogy
faulty cause/effect claims
3
Which logical inconsistency is Maria most likely displaying in statement 3?
Multiple Choice
unsupported generalization
either/or logic
weak analogy
4
Which logical inconsistency is Ron most likely displaying in statement 4?
Multiple Choice
weak analogy
slanting the facts
either/or logic
5
Which logical inconsistency is Maria most likely displaying in statement 5?
Multiple Choice
weak analogy
either/or logic