Provides skills essential for success on this course, being both preparatory and supportive, to build a strong foundation for the development of academic and professional skills.
A foundation in the core theories and models of marketing, from a bottom-up perspective, including how marketing operates as a key functional area within business and how it critically interacts with other areas such as accountancy, human resource management and business management, as well as how to analyse and evaluate alternative approaches in the use of the marketing mix.
This module is designed to provide an overall understanding of marketing communications and the tools and techniques used, including internet marketing and e-commerce, advertising, sales promotions, public relations, publicity, personal selling, sponsorship, packaging, merchandising and exhibitions. How and why is each tool used? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? How do the tools interact with the other elements of the marketing mix and how they must all integrate to achieve eventual synergy?
This module introduces you to the importance of the ever-evolving, dynamic digital landscape, and understanding how to develop skills to improve digital marketing effectiveness. You will develop an awareness of the nature of the challenges and opportunities within the digital environment, the skills and tools required to support and enhance marketing activities, and the importance of effective digital monitoring and measurement techniques that enable organisations to improve digital marketing effectiveness performance. You will then be equipped to look at integrated campaign planning (online and offline), strategy and creativity, and promotional media in a digital age within a framework of appropriate ethical considerations and regulations.
Management in practice comes down to supporting people to work effectively in different organisational contexts. This module aims to develop the ability to analyse the human side of management and diagnose problems affecting performance and organisational effectiveness.
Understanding what people need and want and ensuring it is available at the right price, the right time and through the right channel is the core principle of marketing. This module examines consumer behaviour theory within a contemporary perspective, looking at the psychological drivers that influence behaviour and how this affects integrated marketing communications (both online and offline). Management customer relationships, improving customer service and understanding the barriers to purchase through the customer journey will also be explored.
Digital marketing offers the opportunity for more precise setting of goals and objectives and a greater ability to track, measure, improve and control campaign activity, as part of an iterative cycle of reflection and learning. This module examines the importance of managing digital marketing data for effective decision-making. It provides an understanding of how a range of measurement techniques, data sources and analytical tools can provide insight and value to the marketing team.
In recognition that a greater percentage of businesses sell to other business than sell to consumers, this module is designed to give the student and insight into the specific issues involved in strategic business-to-business (B2B) marketing, whilst also complimenting and studies into small business issues.
The increased access to new marketing across the world means that both opportunities and threats face marketers in the global context. Overcoming cultural issues remains a key challenge, along with the ability to communicate effectively to perhaps a very different target audience. The module examines a range of case examples and international market entry strategies, beginning with an assessment of the impact of culture on international marketing.
The success or failure of a digital campaign is not solely reliant on understanding the principles of campaign planning, the tools with which to measure associated metrics, or the attitudes and likely behaviours of the targeted customer: content is king. Here, the principles of content curation, creation, atomisation and planning will be covered providing both a theoretical and a practical, applied understanding of this critical element of digital marketing.
Project management is a key skill for a digital marketer. Building on the planning skills developed in the previous module 'Introduction to Campaign Planning', this module focuses on developing your skills in managing marketing projects.
Brands are very important to consumers and firms. In this module students will learn about how to manage these valuable assets, as well as the naming of new products and brand extension. The concept of brand equity will be developed and explored using the work of leading marketing theorists and practitioners. Keller's consumer based brand equity module will be used as a foundation for understanding how brands are built, what their role is and how their equity can be measured.
By understanding consumer behaviour, the art and science of creating memorable and impactful visual advertising becomes clearer. This module looks at the history and development of effective creative in advertising and how this relates to digital marketing. The principles of how advertisers can engage with increasingly empowered and vocal customers on multiple channels, globally and locally, are explored to establish how digital marketers can create or commission successful campaigns, or visual content for their content management plans.
The module develops specialist knowledge of the retail industry from a marketing perspective and explores the emerging use of "shopper marketing" which applies a range of research techniques to understand the behaviour of shoppers at point-of-purchase.
The global financial crisis highlighted the importance of the financial services sector. It demonstrated that the way in which financial products are designed and marketed can have implications for the stability of the global financial system and for social well-being. This module revises digital theories and prepares the student to take an examination set by the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing, in order to gain the Certificate in Digital Marketing professional qualification. The examination is three hours long and will consist of five questions, from which the student will choose three.
In an increasingly global business environment, those involved in international business and marketing must develop the insights and skills to interact with customers and stakeholders in a culturally sensitive way. The module explores the application of these theories to decision making at the level of the individual, the team and the organisation.
The principles and skills of planning a digital campaign have developed throughout the course, from campaign planning principles, to content development. Now you will demonstrate the campaign implementation skills, and your assessment of its impact. In this 30-credit major project module, you will demonstrate your knowledge and skills developed throughout the course to create a live campaign. You will agree the campaign with your tutor and employer before going live.