
- UCAS course code
- N203
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
Marketing Communications in the Digital Age
Unit code | BMAN24352 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 2 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
Offered by | Alliance Manchester Business School |
Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
This course builds on students’ marketing knowledge from previous courses with a specific focus on marketing communications and the digital environment. The course will introduce students to a diverse range of marketing communications tools and encourage students to critically consider their application in the digital environment. Academic understanding will be supported by practical application through the use of case studies and a practice-oriented assessment task.
Pre/co-requisites
Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Marketing Foundations | BMAN10101 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
Available as option for BSc Mgt/Mgt Specialism, ITMB, IM and IMABS. Core for BSc Management with Marketing Specialism.
Aims
The course introduces students to the role and importance of marketing communications in the contemporary marketing landscape. This involves a focus on digital communications tools alongside offline marketing communications tools, at both the strategic and tactical/operational level.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the contemporary marketing communications environment, including the opportunities and challenges posed by digital technologies.
- Evaluate given marketing communications situations and apply knowledge of a range of integrated marketing communications theories to suggest creative and feasible solutions.
- Describe the strategic value of a range of marketing communications tools and demonstrate how they can be integrated to produce an effective marketing communications campaign.
- Work in a group to develop an integrated marketing communications plan.
- Communicate academic and applied knowledge, concepts and ideas professionally and creatively.
Reflect on the learning experience of developing an integrated marketing communications campaign plan.
Syllabus
• Integrated marketing communications (IMC) and branding
• Competitive Market Analysis in the Digital Age
• IMC campaign planning
• IMC in the digital age: practitioner’s perspective
• Theories of communications
• Advertising
• Social Media and user generated media
• Search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Public Relations
• Sponsorship
• Direct marketing
• Sales promotions
• Media planning and evaluation
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures: 22
Workshops: 10
Independent study hours 168
Methods of delivery: lectures and workshops. Additional, supporting materials (e.g. links to My Learning Essentials workshops/online resources) will be signposted on Blackboard each week.
To meet some of the ILOs we will deploy the experiential learning technique (Kolb 1984), where students learn by working on marketing problems, and then reflect on the effectiveness of their strategies/recommendations/interventions in order to improve future performance.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Employability skills
- Other
- Through guest lectures from industry practitioners, students will also develop a critical understanding of how and when academic models and theories do and do not apply in practice and will thus be encouraged to demonstrate a reflective approach to the study of marketing communications in the digital age.
Assessment methods
1) 60% group coursework
(i) Presentation performance (20 min presentation, responses to any questions)
(ii) PowerPoint slide.
(iii) Planned script for slides corresponding to an IMC plan (3000-4000 words)
2) 40% individual critical reflection – reflection in relation to the group work. Students need to address the following aspects:
(i) executive summary of your project
(ii) If you were asked to change your plan, what would you do differently?
Attendance
In accordance with The University of Manchester Student Charter, you are expected to attend ‘all scheduled teaching sessions’. Workshop tutors will keep a register of attendance and punctuality. Any student who is absent without a valid reason (supported by acceptable evidence) will receive a penalty on their overall course mark. Penalties will be applied as follows:
• Failure to attend any ONE workshop sessions will result in 1% being deducted from the final course mark for each ONE workshops missed.
By way of example:
(i) a student who misses two workshops will have 2% deducted from their final course mark.
(ii) a student who misses three workshops will have 3% deducted from their final course mark.
(i) a student who misses four workshops will have 4% deducted from their final course mark.
In addition, any student missing a workshop in which summative assessment is undertaken will be awarded a mark of zero for that particular piece of coursework.
If a student is unable to attend a workshop due to illness or another valid mitigating circumstance, then s/he may be able to avoid a penalty by providing suitable evidence (such as a signed and dated doctor’s note).
Any student whose reason for absence/ lateness is not deemed valid by the course coordinators, or who does not wish to explain their absence to the course coordinators, may submit their case to the School’s Mitigating Circumstances panel for consideration. Details of how to submit a case to the mitigating circumstances panel are available in the Student Handbook.
Students must not sign the register for anyone other than themselves. Any student found to have signed the register for another student will be reported and may face disciplinary action
Feedback methods
- Informal advice and discussion during lectures and project workshops.
- Feedback on group presentation.
- Responses to student questions via Blackboard discussion boards and emails.
- Written feedback on individual essay.
Recommended reading
The following set texts are proposed for core reading each week, in addition to a reading list of journal articles:
De Pelsmacker, P, Geuens, M and Van Den Bergh, J. (2018) Marketing Communications. A European Perspective (6th Edition), Pearson: Harlow.
Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2015) Digital Marketing (6th edition), Pearson: Harlow.
Hooley, G., Piercy, N.F., Nicoulaud, B., and Rudd. J.M.(2017) Marketing strategy and competitive positioning (6th edition). Pearson, Harlow.
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
---|---|
Lectures | 22 |
Practical classes & workshops | 10 |
Independent study hours | |
---|---|
Independent study | 168 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
---|---|
Marzena Nieroda | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
Other staff involved: Dawn Holmes, guest lecturers from industry.
Pre-requisites: BMAN10101 Marketing Foundations
Co-requisites: None
Dependent courses: None
Programme Restrictions:
BSc Management/Management (Specialisms)
BSc International Management with American Business Studies
BSc International Management
BSc ITMB
Core: BSc Management (Marketing)
For Academic Year 2022/23
Updated: March 2022
Approved by: March UG Committee