| Course | MT330 International Marketing and Business Development |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | International message and media plan |
| Length | About 880 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT330 Unit 9
The Line That Survived Translation: An MT330 Unit 9 Message and Media Plan for an American Paddle in Spain
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT330: International Marketing and Business Development
Unit 9 Message and Media Plan
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The firm, readers and budget are composite; the testing method and sources cited are real.
The Test
Brislin (1970) set out back-translation as a test of whether a rendering keeps the original's meaning: one translator renders the text into the target language, a second translates it back without seeing the original and differences reveal where meaning was lost. This plan used that method and added a third step, review by native readers from the two target audiences: three padel club members in Madrid and three in Valencia, two of whom had tried pickleball.
Five Lines
"Win the kitchen." The kitchen is pickleball slang for the non-volley zone near the net. Translated literally, the line became a phrase about cooking, and the back-translation read "win in the kitchen." Four of six readers who had never played did not understand it. Fails.
"Engineered in South Carolina." Translated accurately, but readers said the state meant nothing to them, and one asked whether it was known for sports equipment. Weak; dropped from Spanish materials.
"Tournament approved." Survived translation, but readers said every racket claims this. Kept as a secondary line on packaging only.
"The paddle that pros trust." The translation of "pros" was understood, but readers asked which pros, since no Spanish players were named. Dropped until local players endorse it.
"From padel to pickleball in one afternoon." Translated, back-translated and read intact. All six readers understood it, and four said it described what they would want to know before trying the sport. Survives and becomes the core message.
The line that worked spoke to what a padel player already knows, not to what the American company is proud of.
The Core Message
The paddle is the easiest way for a padel player to try pickleball: the same court, the same friends, a game that can be learned in an afternoon. Cavusgil et al. (2020) note that international messages succeed when they build on what buyers in the target market already value. In Spain, that is padel.
The Valencian Question
In the Valencian Community, many club players use Valencian daily, and one Valencia reader said a Spanish-only poster in her club would feel like an outsider's. The plan funds a Valencian-language poster for clubs in that region, at a cost of about 1,000 euros for translation, review and printing. It does not translate packaging or digital ads into Valencian, because the distributor's accounts are spread across Spain and packaging must be in Spanish by law.
Why Test Before Spending
Translation errors are cheap to fix on paper and expensive to fix on packaging. Theodosiou and Leonidou (2003) found that adaptation of promotion is among the most common forms of international adaptation, partly because messages that work at home so often fail abroad. Testing five lines with six readers cost less than 600 euros. Printing 6,000 packages with "win the kitchen" in Spanish, and then reprinting them, would have cost several thousand.
Two Audiences
Padel club members. Reached through club demonstration days, padel coaches with followings and Spanish-language search ads.
English-speaking retirees on the Costa Blanca. Reached through English-language expatriate media and club sessions they already attend. For this audience, the American origin is a mild advantage and English materials are used.
Media Plan and Budget
Club demonstration days, 14,000 euros. Twenty off-peak sessions in clubs not tied to the Spanish padel maker, timed for weekday mornings and early afternoons as the Unit 6 seminar suggested. Measure: share of participants who book a second session.
Padel coaches with followings, 9,000 euros. Six coaches with Instagram or YouTube audiences try the paddle and post honest reviews. Measure: referral code use.
Spanish-language marketplace search ads, 8,000 euros. Search terms for pickleball paddles in Spanish. Measure: cost per sale.
English-language expatriate media, 4,000 euros. Two Costa Blanca publications and their newsletters. Measure: code use and club session sign-ups.
One regional tournament, 8,000 euros. Sponsorship of a Costa Blanca tournament, with demonstration stock. Measure: sales at the event and in the following month in nearby shops.
Valencian-language poster, 1,000 euros.
Contingency, 2,000 euros.
Total: 46,000 euros.
How the Plan Will Learn
Each channel's measure is checked monthly by the distributor and the firm's export manager. If club days produce second bookings above 25 percent, the plan moves contingency money into more club days. If search ads cost more than 20 euros per sale, their budget moves to coaches. The plan is meant to shift money toward whatever works in the first spring, not to spend each line as written regardless of results.
Timing
Demonstration days run from March to June, before the summer heat and tourist season fill courts. Coaches post in April. Search ads run all year, heavier in spring. Expatriate media run in February and October, when retirees return. The tournament is in May.
Channels Left Out
The budget excludes television, outdoor billboards or national print ads. Each would reach many people who do not play either sport, at a cost far beyond 46,000 euros. Nor does it use the American tagline "win the kitchen" in any Spanish material.
References
Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185-216. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910457000100301
Cavusgil, S. T., Knight, G., & Riesenberger, J. R. (2020). International business: The new realities (5th ed.). Pearson.
Theodosiou, M., & Leonidou, L. C. (2003). Standardization versus adaptation of international marketing strategy: An integrative assessment of the empirical research. International Business Review, 12(2), 141-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-5931(02)00094-X
MT330 Unit 9 instructions, in plain terms
In Unit 9 students plan the message and media for their product in its chosen market. Instructors expect messages to be tested rather than assumed, usually through translation, back-translation and review by native speakers from the target audiences. Each tested line should have a result and a reason. The core message should follow from the test. Regional language questions should be addressed where they apply. The media plan should be organized by audience, with each channel given a budget, timing and a measure. Most prompts ask for a total budget and some explanation of what the plan leaves out. A plan that shifts money toward channels that work during the year shows practical judgment. Claims that cannot be supported in the new market should be dropped rather than translated.
How the MT 330 Unit 9 example is put together
The sample explains the three-step test, citing Brislin. Five lines are reported with results and reasons, from the cooking confusion of "win the kitchen" to the padel line that all six readers understood, under the highlighted line that the surviving message spoke to what padel players already know. The core message is stated, citing Cavusgil and colleagues. A section explains why testing before spending saves money, citing Theodosiou and Leonidou. The Valencian question receives a 1,000-euro poster. Two audiences are defined. Six budget lines and a contingency total 46,000 euros, each with a measure. A section explains monthly reallocation. Timing follows the seasons, and channels left out are named.
Reading the MT330 Unit 9 grading rubric
Message and media plans are commonly assessed on the rigor of message testing, the logic connecting test results to the core message, audience-based media choices and measurable budgets. Graders reward plans that test claims with native speakers and back-translation. Results should be explained, not only reported. Regional language issues should be weighed against cost. Each media line should have a budget, timing and measure. Reallocation rules show the plan will learn. Exclusions show judgment. Translation research and frameworks appear in APA 7. Plans that translate home-market slogans without testing, or that list media channels without budgets or measures, generally fall behind plans whose message was picked by testing.
Common MT330 Unit 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Message plans often translate the home-market tagline word for word and assume it works. Another common weakness is testing messages only with fluent bilingual colleagues rather than target buyers. Some media plans list channels without budgets or measures. Regional languages are frequently ignored or over-funded. Before drafting, choose your five strongest home-market lines and ask a professional to translate them and a second person to translate them back without seeing the originals. Then show the Spanish lines to a few people who match your buyers. The line they understand without explanation is usually the one to build on.
Get an MT330 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Share the claims or taglines your product uses at home, the target country and the audiences you have identified. With the Unit 9 prompt and rubric, a plan is drafted in 24-48h that tests each claim for survival in the target language, keeps what survives and costs the media audience by audience. The first plan is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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MT330 Unit 9 questions, answered
Do I need a professional translator for the assignment?
Not for a course paper, but describe the testing method you would use and apply what you can. Machine translation followed by review from a native speaker, and a back-translation by someone else, shows the logic. Say plainly what you could and could not test, and flag any claim whose meaning you could not confirm.
How many media channels should the plan include?
As many as the audiences require and the budget supports, usually three to six. Each should reach a specific audience already defined and carry a measure. A plan listing every possible channel with small amounts spread across all of them reads as unfocused; one explaining why each channel earns its share reads as a plan.
What about regional languages within the target country?
Where a region has its own official language, consider whether using it would change how buyers respond, and at what cost. In some markets it signals respect and wins local partners; in others the national language is expected in commerce. State the decision and the reason, even when the answer is to defer.
Where can I find a free MT330 Unit 9 sample paper?
The complete MT330 Unit 9 message and media plan is on this page, testing five English lines in Spanish for an American paddle.
Which line survived testing in the MT330 Unit 9 sample?
The line about moving from padel to pickleball in one afternoon, which all six native readers understood.