1. Describe key principles and terminology in marketing strategy and communications within a business context.

Knowledge & Understanding

2. Apply guided marketing and communication frameworks to support the development of basic campaign planning, idea generation, and decision‑making abilities

Application & Problem Solving

3. Use relevant secondary sources to inform marketing decisions, showing an introductory understanding of academic research and accurate referencing

Research Skills

4. Communicate in conjunction with peers your campaign ideas, clearly and persuasively, through written, verbal and visual formats.

Communication, Critical Reasoning and Collaboration

Assessment 1 Marketing Campaign Proposal Report (60%)

Produce a Marketing Campaign Proposal Report for a selected organisation, product or service. The report should demonstrate understanding of marketing and communication principles and show how a simple, guided campaign could be developed to meet business objectives.

The report will include:

Situation analysis and audience overview

Campaign objectives and strategic alignment

Using secondary data and Harvard-referenced sources

Professional report layout and presentation

Assessment 2 Group Presentation (40%)

Working in small groups, students present their marketing campaign concept to a panel acting as key stakeholders (e.g. tutors, peers, or guest professionals). Presentations should:

Summarise campaign aims, audience and communication approach

Justify decisions with reference to research and frameworks

Demonstrate professional delivery with clear and engaging visual support. Each student must contribute meaningfully to the presentation and be assessed on their individual performance

Indicative content includes

Introduction to Marketing and the Marketing Mix
Understanding marketing as a business function; the role of marketing strategy in organisational success; 7Ps framework and its relevance to campaign planning.

Marketing Strategy and Planning Fundamentals
Strategic marketing process, situation analysis (SWOT, PESTLE), and setting SMART objectives within guided frameworks.

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP)
Principles of market segmentation; identifying target audiences; positioning products and services effectively; developing customer personas.

Marketing Communications Concepts
Understanding the marketing communications mix; integration of traditional and digital channels; consistency of brand message across media.

Campaign Design and Message Development
Crafting clear campaign messages; using AIDA and hierarchy-of-effects models; creative planning for target audiences.

Media Selection and Communication Channels
Evaluating communication channels, print, broadcast, PR, digital, social media, events, sponsorship; selecting appropriate channels for campaign objectives.

Branding and Consumer Perception
How branding influences consumer attitudes and decision-making; aligning brand identity with campaign goals.

Promotional Strategy and Budgeting
Setting campaign budgets; resource allocation; measuring value for money; guided introduction to evaluation metrics.

Research and Data for Marketing Decisions
Using secondary sources for market insights; applying academic and industry data to support campaign recommendations; Harvard referencing.

Ethical, Legal and Sustainable Marketing Practice
Exploring advertising regulation, ASA codes, ethical considerations, and the role of sustainability in communications strategy.

Presentation and Professional Skills
Communicating marketing plans effectively through written and verbal means; designing professional visual materials for stakeholder presentations.

Campaign Evaluation and Review
Assessing campaign performance against objectives; reflecting on teamwork, communication and marketing effectiveness.

Want to understand how marketing really works?

In this module, you’ll learn how businesses use strategy and communication to connect with customers and grow their brands. You’ll explore how to research markets, identify target audiences, and plan simple campaigns that meet business goals. Through workshops and live case studies, you’ll build confidence in analysing marketing problems and presenting campaign ideas to stakeholders. By the end of the module, you’ll understand how strategy, creativity and communication come together in marketing, preparing you for future study or roles in brand management, communications or campaign planning.

Indicative learning methods include:

Lectures introducing marketing and communications theory, frameworks and industry examples to build foundational knowledge (supports LO 1–2).

Workshops developing campaign-planning, creative and analytical skills through team activities, scenario simulations and client-style exercises (supports LO 2–4).

Case-study analysis of current marketing campaigns to explore how strategy and communications align with organisational objectives.

Practice presentation sessions to prepare for the stakeholder presentation, encouraging collaboration, confidence and professional delivery.

Research and report-writing tasks that strengthen the use of academic and industry sources, Harvard referencing and evidence-based decision-making (supports MLO 3).

Peer and tutor feedback on draft campaign ideas and presentation plans to promote continuous improvement.

Independent study for reading, data research and campaign proposal development, supported by online materials and discussion forums.

Aim for a maximum of 5 key texts, published within the last 5 years, where possible.

Marketing Communications: Integrating Online and Offline, Customer Engagement and Digital Technologies (Smith & Zook, 8th ed, 2024) — URL: https://www.koganpage.com/marketing-communications/marketing-communications-9781398611719

Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning (Hooley, Nicoulaud, Rudd & Lee, 8th ed, 2024) — URL: https://www.pearson.com/en-gb/subject-catalog/p/marketing-strategy-and-competitive-positioning/P200000010811/9781292741925

Marketing Communications (Fill & Turnbull, 9th ed, 2023) — URL: https://www.pearson.com/store/p/marketing-communications/P200000004191/9781292400327

Principles and Practice of Marketing (Jobber & Ellis-Chadwick, 10th ed, 2023) — URL: https://www.mheducation.co.uk/higher-education/feature/jobber-ellis-chadwick/principles-and-practices-of-marketing-10e

Marketing Management: A CustomerCentric Approach (Selnes & Lanseng, 2024) — URL: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/marketing-management/book285375‑Centric Approach (Selnes & Lanseng, 2024)

Adobe Express (Education licence) for visual materials and presentations

Statista and Mintel Reports (via university library) for market data