Online MSc Marketing

Develop a critical understanding of the fundamental marketing principles, concepts, and practices. Exploring the marketing frameworks used to identify and solve marketing problems, you will develop a deeper understanding of customers and competitors. You’ll examine market forces and the social, economic, political, and technological dimensions which affect marketing decisions around product, price, place, and promotion.

Drawn from research in marketing psychology, this module is focused on customers; their behaviour in different settings, and how this guides marketing strategies and practices. It provides an overview of core consumer and buyer behaviour theories. It also explores the role and influence of culture on consumers’ and buyers’ decision-making, perception, learning, memory, attitudes, and persuasion. You will also consider ethical implications of marketing strategy and practice, from misleading claims or false advertising to misusing consumer data.

Sustainability and ethics are now considered some of the most critical aspects of doing business; they can positively or negatively influence the brand and reputation of organisations. In this module, you will examine the current developments in sustainability and ethics and reflect on the role of the marketer. Looking at case studies of companies that have embarked on a sustainable and ethical journey, you will learn about the challenges of changing behaviour and how to motivate organisational behavioural change.

Studying digital marketing from a consumer behaviour perspective, this module explores the impact of and latest developments within digital marketing technologies. You will consider how digital technology can influence consumer/buyer relationships with brands or firms, evaluating the advantages and limitations of various tactics, from content and email marketing to web optimisation and analytics, to marketing strategy.

This module aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to marketing strategy and planning. You will develop the advanced conceptual and practical skills needed to successfully develop a professional strategic marketing plan. Topics include: marketing strategy, analysis and perspectives; environmental analysis, market information and intelligence; strategic marketing decisions and choices; segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies; branding strategies; relationship strategies; product innovation and development strategies; strategy implementation, control and metrics.

Successful businesses rely on market research to supply the marketing intelligence required to understand the effectiveness of the current marketing mix and explore and identify new marketplace opportunities. The objective of this core module is to equip you with the skills and knowledge to conduct effective marketing research, as well as interpret and use the marketing research of others to aid decision-making. You will consider how to develop actionable marketing research through the definition of marketing research problems, information gathering, data analysis, report writing, and presentation.

Introducing the fundamental principles, concepts and practices of brand management, this module views brands and branding from a managerial and a consumer perspective. Topics include: an introduction to brands and brand in context; brand purpose, identity, and positioning; building and measuring brand equity; integrating brand communications; brand architecture and leveraging equity; and managing brands over time.

In this module, you will learn how to use marketing analytics to analyse, visualise, and interpret customer data from various sources, such as surveys, transaction data, company-internal data, and data from social media platforms. You will review and gain practical experience using some of the typical software packages available. In doing so, you will gain a deeper understanding of how various marketing analytical techniques, tools, metrics, and data sources can be used to address fundamental challenges marketing managers face today in the age of Big Data.

Against the backdrop of an increasingly global and digitally connected marketplace, you’ll consider the strategic role of services and services marketing. This module provides an in-depth exploration of the roles played by various stakeholders, including customers, patients, employees, and others within the service sector. A key element of the module is the focus on contemporary challenges in managerial service practices, particularly those related to adapting to digital transformation and effectively managing customer expectations in a digital context.

You’ll be introduced to the ways to capture, measure and add value to service customers. This will equip you with the knowledge and skills to critically evaluate potential strategic options and recommend sound strategic solutions to real-life services marketing problems.