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Writing a Memo
A memo is a document commonly used in the workplace to convey information to company employees.
In that sense, it is an internal document, which means that, generally, the audience is internal to the
company; it is not a form used for outside customers or clients. The purpose of a memo, usually, is to
inform employees of policies or other company-related matters, such as a change in personnel within
departments, change in a process or procedure, or an upcoming company meeting.
Each company you work for may have its own particular format for a memo, but generally, a memo is
written in the following format.
Date:
April 25, 2017 (if you are addressing employees in a foreign branch of the company, you
might want to use this format for the date: 25 April 2017, which is more common
overseas).
To:
List the names of employees that this memo is addressed to. If you are sending it to an
entire department, you can list the department title here, such as All English Faculty and
Staff. Consider the order of people. Will you alphabetize or should you go by
rank/position within the company listing the most senior personnel first?
From:
List the contact person’s name and title, such as Diane Martinez, Writing Specialist
Subject:
Make this brief but descriptive of the memo contents, such as Resource Development
Procedure Changes
The content of the memo begins here. Generally, a memo is single-spaced. For a memo written to an
American audience, you would state the purpose of the memo in the opening paragraph.
Body paragraphs of a memo contain the details of the news you are informing employees about.
Generally, you want to keep the information in a memo brief, or at least concise, providing only facts
that are needed to understand the main message of the memo. However, there are times when a
memo may be a longer document, such as when writing a memo proposal or a strategy memo. If the
memo is particularly long, you might consider using subheadings for easier reading since you will likely
be addressing different topics in the longer memo.
A conclusion paragraph ends the correspondence and generally provides readers with contact
information.
Remember that a memo is a business document so the language should be formal and the tone
professional.
The next page shows an example of a memo.
Writing Center Resource Library Writing a Business Memo May 2011 © 2011, Writing
Center, All Rights Reserved
Example Memo
Date:
April 25,2011
To:
Academic Advisors; Susan Campbell; Darleen Harding; James Russell
From:
Kimberly Sullivan
Subject:
New Communications Degree Training
We are pleased to announce the addition of a new technical communication degree in the School of
Humanities. All academic advisors are required to attend the training session on Monday, May 2, 2017,
at 10:00 AM ET in the Laguna Conference Room.
The Bachelor of Science in Technical Communication is a new degree program that will be launched May
15, 2011, in the School of Humanities. Because this degree is new and many faculty and staff are
unclear as to what this program is about, as well as career opportunities for graduates with this degree,
Kimberly Sullivan will conduct an hour-long training that will give you information about the degree and
career options. Please plan on attending this training. One make up session will be given on
Wednesday, May 4, 2011, at 10:00 AM ET in the Laguna Conference Room for those employees that are
out on Monday.
If you have any questions or concerns about this new degree program or the training, please contact
Kimberly at x123 or ksullivan@abcuniversity.edu.
Writing Center Resource Library Writing a Business Memo May 2011 © 2011,
Writing Center, All Rights Reserved
Case studY
Chapter
2
Disney
© iStockphoto.com/Bill Noll / © iStockphoto.com/OSTILL
The Happiest Brand on Earth
In 2006, Disney’s Pixar released the hit movie Cars, which
grossed $462 million worldwide. Since then, Cars merchandise has generated over $2 billion in sales each year.
Pixar has since created a series of Cars shorts to be aired
on the Disney Channel with a subsequent DVD release. A
Cars sequel was released in 2011 along with an online virtual gaming world on its Web site to help build hype. In
2012, Disney’s California Adventure theme park opened its
12‑acre Cars Land attraction.
At Disney, the brand is the name of the game, and
the cross-platform success of the Cars franchise is by no
means an exception to the rule. Disney also has the Jonas
Brothers, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, the
Disney Princesses, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the list goes
on and on. The man behind the magic is Disney’s CEO, Bob
Iger, who has lead a dramatic revitalization of the Disney
brand since succeeding longtime head Michael Eisner
in 2005. When he first took the post, his strategy shifted
Disney’s focus to its stable of “franchises.” These franchises
are distributed across Disney’s multiple company platforms and divisions, such as Disney’s various television
broadcast platforms (the Disney Channel, ABC, ESPN),
its consumer products business, theme parks, Disney’s
Hollywood Records music label, and Disney’s publishing
arm in Hyperion, just to name a few.
Iger’s franchise strategy has been supported by the
other major move he made upon first becoming CEO. On
his first day on the job, Iger told the board that revitalizing Disney’s animation business was a top priority, which
would be improved through the purchase of Pixar. As part
of Iger’s franchise strategy the deal made perfect sense, as
many of Disney’s latest television shows, theme park rides,
and merchandise were based on Pixar characters.
Finding a new market to push the Disney franchise into
became a priority as well. With the Walt Disney Company
experiencing flat growth, it was becoming evident that
Disney had missed some opportunities for broader success
due to a narrowing of its target market, which was at the
time largely associated with younger children.
Iger’s first move was to broaden Disney’s viewership
by moving the Disney Channel from premium to basic
cable and launching local versions in key global markets.
Then, Disney began pushing franchises to capture the
rapidly growing tween market. Putting its support behind the Disney Channel’s High School Musical, Hannah
Montana, and the Jonas Brothers (who were emerging out
of Disney’s music label), Disney quickly generated a series
of franchise juggernauts in the tween-girl market.
Though Disney’s focus has remained on familyfriendly fare, Iger has shown a new willingness to look
to even broader markets, if it fits with the Disney brand.
Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, the first Disney film with a
PG-13 rating, played a major role in refocusing the brand,
being based on the classic theme park ride, and it also
helped expand the Disney appeal to older kids and even
adults. The Pirates and Cars franchises also provided preliminary steps for Disney’s latest endeavors to crack the
tween-boy (age 6 to 14) market, one traditionally difficult
for media companies to sustainably capture. Their efforts
focus around the new Disney XD channel, with a broad
range of offerings, such as potential new franchises like
the science fiction action-adventure show Aaron Stone and
showcases of new musical talent. Disney will also be able
to leverage ESPN to create original sports-based programming. The recent acquisition of Marvel Entertainment also
provided Disney with a broad stable of material to create
content for that platform. The channel is accompanied by
a Disney XD Web site, which will promote the channel’s
programs, as well as offer games and original videos, social
networking, and online community opportunities.
As it continues to expand and provide new franchise
offerings, Disney looks to have relatively strong momentum. The success of its cross-platform franchise strategy has
certainly helped it weather the economic downturn as the
CASE STUDIES
1
effects of the recession continue to recede. Disney plans to
continue that strategy with the release of many film franchise sequels, including new Cars, Pirates, and Monsters, Inc.
films. As the late Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO and Pixar
stakeholder, commented, “Family is a renewable resource,”
and right now, Disney is making the most of it.
Sources: Richard Siklos, “Bob Iger Rocks Disney,” Fortune, January 19, 2009, 80–86; Peter Sanders,
“Disney Focuses on Boys,” Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2009, http://online.wsj.com/article
/SB123137513996262627.html (Accessed November 8, 2012); Ethan Smith, “‘Alice’ Boosts Disney; Theme
Parks Disappoint,” Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2010, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487042
50104575238640 019592022.html (Accessed November 8, 2012).
2
CASE STUDIES
Assignment 2: Competitive Advantage
Scenario:
You are a new marketing associate working for a growing Hollywood movie production company
named Movie Insights, Inc. Your marketing manager is working on a quarterly update to the
marketing plan for the company. The marketing manager assigns you the task of researching
the success of the Disney Company under the direction of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bob
Iger during the years 2006–2012. You have 7 days to conduct your research and report your
findings.
Directions for completing this assignment:
Before beginning this Assignment, make sure to review the Learning Activities pertaining to the
target market and marketing mix which will help you to be more successful in completing this
Assignment.
Write a 2-page, business memo answering the following questions. For assistance with your
Assignment, please use your textbook and library research resources. The directions for you to
execute this task are as follows:
1. Read “Disney®: The Happiest Place on Earth” case study
2. Learn how to write a Business Memo by downloading the short explanation on the document
icon and looking at the business memo example in Course Documents.
3. Use APA format and citation style to avoid plagiarism (See Course Documents). Include in-text citations
and a References page. Use a minimum of two References resources, including your textbook.
4. Select a Disney franchise mentioned in the case study.
5. In your business memo, summarize the following marketing strategy components of your
selected Disney franchise by addressing the following items:
Checklist:
Summarize the marketing strategy for one of Disney’s franchises mentioned in the case
study during the years 2006–2012.
Describe the target marketing strategy used.
Describe the components of the marketing mix.
Directions for Submitting this Assignment:
Review the grading rubric below before beginning this activity.
Compose your Assignment as a Microsoft Word document and save it as (Example:
TAllen-MT219 Assignment-Unit 2.docx). Submit your file to the Unit 2 Assignment Dropbox
before the end of the unit.
Unit 2 Assignment:
Percent
possible
Points
possible
Competitive Advantage
Content per Checklists
Answer provides complete
information
demonstrating analysis
and critical thinking in
response to the following
Checklist items:
Summarize the marketing
strategy for one of
Disney’s franchises
mentioned in the case
study during the years
2006–2012.
100%
50
80%
Describe the target
marketing strategy
used.
20
Describe the
components of the
marketing mix.
20
Subtotal:
Provides a 2-page
business memo using
correct grammar,
spelling, and APA format
and citation style.
Includes a minimum of 2
references including the
textbook.
80%
40
20%
10
Percent
Your Assignment
Score:
100%
Total
Points
possible
50
Points
Earned
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