Postgraduate Course: Marketing Communications (CMSE11113)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | Marketing communications tools are constantly evolving in response to developments in media, technology and branding, and changes in consumer practices. This course builds on the understanding of marketing principles and practices gained in Semester 1, and aims to examine the process of planning and managing marketing communications, within communication agencies and between agencies and clients, and the factors which impact on effective, responsible integrated marketing communications programmes. Particular attention will be paid to enabling effective creative work that harnesses target audience insights and strikes an appropriate balance between traditional and digital media. |
| Course description |
This course seeks to provide you with the knowledge and skills to manage the development of marketing communications campaigns, from either side of the agency/client relationship. It aims to introduce you to the contemporary marketing communications landscape, with particular emphasis on agency perspectives, and the roles and relationships which can help or hinder effective marketing communications. It also aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of how key communication tools can be integrated effectively, led by audience insights and often combining traditional, digital and social media. Finally, it aims to provide you with analytical frameworks and practical insights to guide you through the process of planning and evaluating marketing communications campaigns, including their ethical and societal implications.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Marketing Management (CMSE11132) OR
Principles of Marketing Management (CMSE11110)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Alternatively, students must have previously undertaken a marketing-related module at university/college level (documentary proof must be supplied), or worked in a marketing post for a minimum of one year.
For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
125 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Course Work
40% Group Project Assesses LO3,LO5
Exam
60% Exam Assesses LO1,LO2,LO3,LO4,LO5
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| Feedback |
You will receive informal feedback throughout the course on your participation in class
Each group will be invited to meet with the Course Organiser to discuss their approach to the project, and will also receive formative feedback on one draft of their creative brief.
When the projects have been marked, students will receive written comments on the text of the project, and a feedback summary sheet containing rating scales and overall comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the work.
Following the Board of Examiners meeting, generic feedback will also be provided on examination questions. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Marketing Communications | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand how the marketing communications industry is organised and key relationships within it.
- Understand and comment critically on the marketing communications process, and on the environmental, ethical, organisational and personal factors shaping it.
- Critically evaluate the implications for communications planning of the expanding role of digital communication tools.
- Critically discuss the rationale for integrated marketing communications, barriers to achieving it and ways of overcoming these.
- Apply theoretical frameworks to analyse particular marketing communications situations.
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Reading List
Class Text
Hackley, C. and Hackley, R.A. (2015) Advertising and Promotion: London: Sage.
This book provides a useful and up-to-date orientation to most sessions and is a good background text, but it will need to be supplemented with academic and practitioner journal articles as detailed below. You may wish to buy your own copy of the textbook, but may find it enough to borrow a copy when necessary from the HUB or main library.
A lecture outline, including lecture-specific essential readings, is available as a separate document on the course Learn page. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Knowledge, understanding and cognitive skills
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- analyse the contemporary marketing communications landscape and the key challenges facing the industry, informed by both academic and practitioner literature
- understand the process of marketing communications planning and the organisational context in which it is undertaken
- analyse the contribution of different communication tools and media to effective communications
- explain ethical and regulatory aspects of marketing communications practices
Applied knowledge, skills and understanding
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- apply theoretical frameworks to analyse particular marketing communications situations
- identify and evaluate alternative communication strategies in light of an organisation's marketing environment, objectives and target markets
- understand the perspective of advertising creatives and how account planners and other managers can communicate effectively with them;
- research and write a creative brief in an appropriate format and justify your approach
- compare, contrast and apply different approaches to assessing marketing communications effectiveness.
- locate and use appropriate marketing resources to research particular issues concerning marketing communications.
Communication, ICT and numeracy skills
By the end of the course you will be expected to be able to:
- communicate and exchange ideas and arguments about marketing communications
-analyse secondary data about a particular marketing communication challenge in order to identify and evaluate potential solutions
-develop your autonomy, accountability and ability to work with others
By the end of this course you will be expected to:
- have contributed proportionately to group coursework by agreeing, undertaking and reviewing the tasks required to research, write and justify a creative brief
- have contributed effectively to class/small group discussion through appropriate channels
- reflect on and communicate your own values with respect to ethical marketing communications practice |
| Keywords | Mark-MComms |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Stephanie O'Donohoe
Tel: (0131 6)50 3821
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Emily Davis
Tel: (0131 6)51 7112
Email: |
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