The second thing I would want to know is the details of the additional spending. The spending must fit with our overall brand development strategy. It should support our current endeavors and not conflict with the brand image we are seeking. Moreover, the ads should target our existing target audience -- if not I would need to know that ahead of time. Additionally, the decision of whether to apply the money to customer attraction or retention is a strategic matter (Lewis & Otto, 2005), and therefore this $500K should be considered as a strategic move within the context of the overall marketing strategy.

The third thing I would want to know is what sort of profit we can expect for that additional $2 million in revenue. If the additional revenues do not generate a level of profit above $500K, then the campaign would lose money on a net basis. So we need to know if the campaign will pay for itself.

Lastly, I would be curious as to why the additional funds are needed? I would need to be sure that the existing marketing budget is being used to maximum efficiency. If the same additional sales can be gained through current funding levels, the increase would not be approved. If the current campaign is operating at maximum efficiency, then I would consider the increase.

4. Advertising can be used to create buzz in several ways. One is to create a campaign that captures the public's imagination -- a contest, mystery or other element that generates buzz. The campaign can be conducted with a saturation strategy, with the buzz being created as a result of the campaign being drilled into consumers' minds. The campaign could...

A controversial campaign can offend consumers, and compel them to avoid the brand. A saturation strategy can become grating, again with negative consequences. Additionally, a saturation strategy can be expensive, which reduces the profit potential of the campaign. Creating a campaign that captures the public's imagination is a good strategy, but tricky to execute. The campaign could be expensive or fall completely flat if the execution is not precise. In most cases, buzz can result in backlash against the brand, in particular if consumer's view the buzz as having been contrived by the company (Khermouch & Green, 2001).
Works Cited:

No author. (2009). Strategy of Challenger, Leader and Follower. Scribd.com. Retrieved October 14, 2009 from http://www.scribd.com/doc/19487123/Strategy-of-Challenger-Leader-and-Follower

Rao, Vithala. (2009). Handbook of Pricing Research in Marketing. Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, UK.

Lewis, Barbara & Otto, Dan. (2005). ROI isn't the only factor to consider. Marquant Analytics. Retrieved October 14, 2009 from http://www.marquantanalytics.com/ar08CMOCT.html

Khermouch, Gerry & Green, Jeff. (2001). Buzz marketing: Suddenly this stealth strategy is hot -- but it's still fraught with risk. Commercial Alert. Retrieved October 14, 2009 from http://www.commercialalert.org/news/archive/2001/07/buzz-marketing-suddenly-this-stealth-strategy-is-hot-but-its-still-fraught-with-risk