Introductory description

Continuous advances in technology and increasing levels of global competition can seriously affect an organisation’s ability to succeed in the long-term. Therefore, the implementation of effective strategic marketing is essential for organisational survival and prosperity. This module introduces the marketing concept as a key component of business management, highlighting that everyone within an organisation has a contribution to make to the Marketing-related efforts of the organisation. Through the framework of the Strategic Marketing Process, this module teaches marketing specialists and other employee practitioners to critically evaluate and apply relevant tools and techniques to support the organisation achieve its long-term goals.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• The importance of the Marketing concept and Marketing orientation. The Strategic Marketing Process. The internal and External Marketing environment. Market and customer types- Consumer, Industrial, Government, International Customer Value and Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. The strategic role of Brands and Branding
• Designing and managing the tactical marketing mix
  o Product - Product policy and innovation. Product life cycle.
  o Price - Price decisions, price strategies.
  o Place - Channel choices & network. Push and pull. Physical distribution systems.
  o Promotion - Corporate image, advertising, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling.
  o The role of other “P’s”
• The impact of data, digital tools & techniques and digital businesses on the role of Marketing
• Strategic Marketing Decision-making and Planning
  o Analysing external market opportunities & threats and assessing internal company capabilities in terms of strengths & weaknesses.
  o Competitor analysis and co-operation.
  o Strategic Decision-making Methods & Tools - Portfolio analysis. Market attractiveness and business position assessment.
  o Management - The planning cycle and marketing performance measurement and improvement.
• International Marketing – strategy and globalisation, modes of entry and standardisation versus adaptation of the tactical marketing mix
• The Marketplace Simulation- Integration of most of the above topics via a simulation of a competitive business environment

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Analyse the impact of external and internal environmental factors on a Strategic Marketing Plan and adapt accordingly
• Interpret what different customer segments value and decide upon an appropriate mix of tactical marketing decisions in order to achieve clearly defined strategic objectives
• Critically evaluate a range of strategic marketing tools/models/techniques in order to justify their inclusion and application in a Strategic Marketing Plan

Indicative reading list

Baker, M.J. and Saren, M. eds., 2016. Marketing theory: a student text. Sage.
Beverland, M., 2018. Brand management: Co-creating meaningful brands. Sage.
Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S., 2013. Essentials of marketing. 3rd Edition Pearson education.
Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2019. Digital marketing. Pearson UK.
Chernev, A., 2018. Strategic brand management. Cerebellum Press.
Doole, I., Lowe, R. and Kenyon, A. 2016. International marketing strategy: analysis, development and implementation. Cengage Learning.
Dunbar, I. and McDonald, M.H., 2012. Market Segmentation: How to do it, how to profit from it. John Wiley & Sons
Farris, P., Bendle, N., Pfeifer, P. and Reibstein, D., 2015. Marketing metrics: The manager's guide to measuring marketing performance. FT Press.
Fill, C. and Turnbull, S.L., 2016. Marketing communications: brands, experiences and participation. Pearson.
Hooley, G.J., Piercy, N.F., Nicoulaud, B. and Rudd, J.M., 2017. Marketing strategy and competitive positioning Sixth Edition. Harlow, Pearson
Kaufman, I. and Horton, C., 2014. Digital marketing: Integrating strategy and tactics with values, a guidebook for executives, managers, and students. Routledge.
Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G., 2016. Principles of marketing 16th Global Edition. Pearson education.
Kotler, P., Keller, K.L., Brady, M., Goodman, M. and Hansen, T., 2016. Marketing management. Pearson Education Ltd..
McDonald, M. and Wilson, H., 2016. Marketing Plans: How to prepare them, how to profit from them. John Wiley & Sons.
Rajagopal (2019) Contemporary Marketing Strategy: Analyzing Consumer Behavior to Drive Managerial Decision Making Palgrave Macmillan
Vargo, S. and Lusch, R. (2018) The SAGE Handbook of Service-Dominant Logic SAGE Publications Ltd
West, D.C., Ford, J. and Ibrahim, E., 2015. Strategic marketing: creating competitive advantage. Oxford University Press, USA.
Wilson, A.M., 2018. Marketing research: Delivering Customer Insight. Red Globe Press.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

Develop strategic marketing planning and execution skills within a rapidly changing environment, Application of market data and competitive signals to adjust the strategic plans and more tightly focus marketing tactics, Analyse market research data, Analyse the internal resources of an organisation, Design brands to appeal to different market segments, Devise advertising campaigns, sales force plans, and price option, Plan and roll out a marketing campaign, How to adjust Marketing strategy and tactics in response to financial performance competitive tactics and customer needs, Write a Strategic Marketing Plan

Transferable skills

Critical thinking, Problem solving, Self-awareness, Communication, Teamwork and working effectively with others, Information literacy (research skills), Digital literacy, Sustainability, Ethical values, Intercultural awareness, Professionalism, Organisational awareness