An Interview with Broad Colleges Acting Director of Marketing & Communications:

I interviewed Cheri Declercq on November 14th, 2016, in her main office, located inside
the Eppley Center at Michigan State University. Ms. Declerq has two titles; she is both Assistant
Dean of MBA Programs and Acting Director of Marketing & Communications for Broad
College. Surprisingly, Ms. Declerq does not spend the majority of her day sitting behind her
desk. Instead, she explained how multi-dimensional her job is, and how there is constantly a new
project coming up or a meeting to be had. On a day-to-day basis, Ms. Declerq works collectively
with a team to finalize presentations for the Dean, critique marketing videos, and update social
media. Those tasks are just a fraction of the things she is expected to accomplish in a days time.
She loves how fast paced and flexible her job is.
One main focus of the interview was the relevance of writing in Ms. Declerqs work. She
stressed how critical it is for her and her team, as well as anyone within the occupation. It was
explained that one must be able to distinguish which audience they are targeting, and be able to
adapt their writing in the correct way for the best outcome. It has the ability to make or break a
huge deal. Ms. Declerq explained that marketers must pinpoint what is in it for the reader, and be
able to present it clearly, concisely, and compellingly, all while getting to the point error-free.
Another topic covered largely was the future of the profession, and she relayed to me that it is
only becoming more competitive due to journalists, among other related careers, switching to
marketing. Ms. Declerq stated passionately the importance of staying fresh and relevant, whether
it be taking classes to stay up-to-date, or being debriefed on innovative programs. This relates
back to having knowledge about the ever-changing path language can take. Overall, this
interview with Cheri Declerq gave me insight that no trade or scholarly article could afford me. It

was a firsthand experience with advice on how I can improve now to help myself become
successful in the field.

An Interview with MSUs Assistant Vice President for Marketing Communications:

For my second interview, I sat down with Todd Carter who is Michigan State Universitys
Assistant Vice President for Marketing Communications. Mr. Carter received his graduates
degree from the University of Illinois in speech and communication and later went back for his
Masters in marketing. Mr. Carters main campaign is Spartans Will and he explained that in an
average day he doesnt have a set schedule but his job itself has a natural cycle. There are endless
presentations to work on, an annual budget to be made, and social media to be updated. He is
extremely passionate about his work as it was evident throughout the entire interview. At one
point in conversation he gloated that marketing is a rewarding job when you can change
peoples perception on a mass scale and statistically see movement and great outcomes. These
outcomes are accomplished by having the proper knowledge and skills when forming these
Spartans Will advertisements.
Many of the skill sets Mr. Carter touched on related to the writing you do within the
career. Mr. Carter has a variety of writers who work for him and they all have a different
background, education, and skill sets. Some have degrees in journalism, therefore they are more
knowledgeable when it comes to more extensive write ups that need to be done, while others
have advertising backgrounds to develop 8-word slogans. Overall he works with around 200
communicators on campus. Mr. Carter himself works heavily on writing presentations and says
that within business, it is important to think very linear, and not use a lot of fluff. Ms. Declercq
mentioned the array of audiences one can be targeting, and Mr. Carter reiterated this. Within his

campaign, emotional appeal is huge to get followers to believe all the good going on here at
MSU and long after students leave campus. Mr. Carter was a pleasure to speak with, and after
our conversation I felt like I had a better idea of what work within marketing is truly like.

Analysis of an Academic Publication:

Corbin, S. B., & Glynn, K. A. (1992). Writing in the marketing curriculum. Journal of Marketing
Education, 14(2), 46-52. doi:10.1177/027347539201400208
To better understand writings relevance within the field of marketing I took a look at an
academic publication, Writing in the Marketing Curriculum. This document focuses in on many
aspects of writing that students within marketing are not sufficiently prepared for after
graduation. Authors Steve B. Corbin, a Marketing Professor at the University of Northern Iowa,
and Karen A. Glynn, who has worked with Boy Scouts of America among many other corporate
businesses, both have well-established backgrounds within the occupation. This creates
legitimacy in the publication. Corbin and Glynn also cite many sources and incorporate
information from a variety of other publications. There are many ways in which this publication
creates validity and employs ethos. Seeing as this piece is very objective and informative for
other professors within business, it is clear that the authors utilize the rhetorical strategy of logos
most abundantly.
Logical appeal is a form of persuasion that uses evidence and reasoning to relay
information and ideas. Within this publication there is a main argument being made surrounding
writing within undergraduate business programs and is broken down into several sections all of
which back up this argument. The different sections stay on topic and relate back to the argument
in a clear and concise way, in order to fully understand the argument. Examples of sections

include: Kinds of Writing Required, Standards for Good Writing, A Workshop for Students, and
Assessment. The collection of data from the authors is attached within the publication and
shows data from a span of 4 years and 13 semesters within the program at Northern Iowa
University. Corbin a Glynn did incorporate facts from other studies but were able to prove their
argument to be true through their very own study and analysis.

Analysis of a Trade Publication:

http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/195633643/fulltextPDF/10B7E41EFECD
4DE8PQ/1?accountid=12598
The trade publication, Effective Marketing And Sales Begin With Good Writing by
Kathy Vass proposes a variety of ways one can improve their writing skills in the marketing
world. Vass refers to seven different steps that can help change your writing skills immensely.
Pathos within this article is found when Vass writes about business professionals not having the
adequate writing skills to be successful. Readers may wish to continue reading the article in
order to widen their own skill set. Vass refers to other websites and books to gain more
knowledge on improving ones writing knowledge where she employs the use of logos.
Throughout this article Vasss main objective is to reveal quick tips to improve readers writing
abilities to help them succeed within sales and marketing, therefore she exploits ethical appeal
most prominently to persuade readers.
To start, Vass has experience within the field as a marketing coordinator, which gives her
work credibility. The article itself is written in a more informal manner, but is focused on
professionals within business. Vass uses language that can be understood by her intended
audience, which aids in their understanding. Not only does Vass give information on what one

should do, but also she gives you hypothetical situations of what the result can be if you improve
these qualifications. All of these suggestions are primarily focused on people within the field of
marketing and sales. Due to the fact Vass knows her desired audience, all of her tips on
improvement have ethical appeal towards this specific group. This creates a more relatable feel
throughout the article with less statistics or precise measure and more real life examples. Vasss
choice in using ethos most primarily helps to persuade her audience of her quick steps to become
a more successful individual.

Analysis of a Website:
https://www.mannixmarketing.com/digital-marketing-agency/
Mannix Marketing Incs website targets customers who are interested in having
professional marketers create and improve their online business presence. The website is well
organized and aligned making the information straightforward and easy to read. Green and blue
are the two main colors used throughout. Colors can hold an array of underlying meanings, and
when broken down for business it is said that blue is used most commonly when implying
honesty, trust, and dependability. There are no pictures on the website however, in terms of
emotional appeal there is a quote from a previous customer, Jon Katz, which reads, you all have
been a huge factor in my own growth and evolution. Although all three aspects of the rhetorical
triangle are touched on within the website, ethical appeal is exploited most commonly to ensure
their company is portrayed as properly qualified to their main target audience, business
professionals.
When the website is first opened, there is a description at the top of the page which helps
to persuade viewers to purchase their service. It states that if one uses Mannix Marketing Inc,

you hire the combined talents and experience of graphic designers, programmers, SEO
specialists, and inbound marketing strategists. Highlighting that customers get input from not
just one professional, but a group, to create the best site possible. Under the about tab one can
view each and every person that works within the company and are able to see their own
personal qualifications. Mannixs location and contact information are listed in more than one
location, and they also have listed multiple forms of social media to connect with proving that
they are established and have accountability. The overall presentation of the companys own
website helps to display that they will be able to produce a website to benefit customers needs.

Final Reflection:
As a freshman at MSU, I do not have the opportunity to enroll in marketing courses until
I have been accepted into the school of Broad, therefore I have little exposure to my intended
major. Over the course of this interdisciplinary writing project I have collected a great deal of
insight about the profession of marketing. I had the opportunity to sit in on two interviews with
highly qualified marketing specialists, Cheri Declerq and Todd Carter, as well as analyze
publications with information covering writing within the field. After speaking with Mr. Carter, I
had a better understanding that jobs within marketing do not only focus on the design of
advertisements within campaigns, there is constant communication with others. It is important to
have a widespread network in order to collaborate with other experts in various fields to ensure
you cover every possible spectrum of the project being presented. When searching for a career
that I would be passionate about, a major aspect I desire is the opportunity to communicate with
others and incorporate creativity within my day-to-day work. After speaking with Mr. Carter I
found both of these elements to hold true to a career within marketing. During my interview with

Ms. Declerq the fast pace atmosphere of the career was evident. She exposed the many projects
she juggles on a regular basis as well as the time put into instructing and debriefing her team.
When it comes to time management, I am aware of my skills of planning and keeping organized,
which I believe would be a good benefit in working within this field after speaking with Ms.
Declerq. Throughout my interviews with both Declerq and Carter I found many similarities
within the topics we touched on. By far the strongest similarity between the two interviews was
the emphasis on good writing skills. This was reiterated to me as well after analyzing the trade
and academic publications. I am now more cognizant that I must continue to improve my writing
skills and be sufficient in a variety of spectrums of writing to stay marketable to future
employers.
Prior to this project I had little awareness of how critical writing within the field of
marketing is. I paid no attention to how marketing has changed throughout the years and how it
is changing continuously. Language is constantly evolving too and in some ways it has become
more informal, but as I learned in my interviews, one must be aware of what group of people
they are addressing. With this asks which rhetorical strategy will come across most effective in a
particular presentation. In terms of business, such as negotiations, pathos is rarely found, it is
very formal using logos or ethos. When marketers are trying to appeal to certain audience it is
plausible that they will come off in a less formal manner to connect best with their target group. I
found in my own analyzes that in the academic publication logos was used most widely, and in
both the trade publication and website ethos was employed the greatest. A huge transition for
marketing is in the presentation of advertisements. Previously newspapers, magazines, and
television were the most effective way to reach the eyes of customers. Although the television
can still be a probable way to display ads, the main transition has been reaching viewers through

social media. Both Ms. Declerq and Mr. Carter have a team which works solely on keeping all of
their social media current. One can now reach out to consumers in a faster manner which has
completely changed the dynamics within marketing. Carter touched on the idea that workers no
longer have a week to complete an advertisement to ship out, there is now a much shorter time
frame to finalize it. Social media will only continue to change how companies gain followers and
effect how they market products. I now know the importance of working not only on my writing
skills, but also developing the proper skills to adapt my writing skills to the target audience at
hand and keep up with the most current writing trends.