Strategic Planning and Marketing Planning

This first module focuses on the strategic impact of marketing on company operations and on company results. The aim is for participants to develop a marketing plan in direct relation to corporate strategy, so that the whole company is able contribute directly to the success of new initiatives.

Topics include:

• The importance of planning
• The strategic marketing planning process
• Marketing audit and SWOT
• Marketing objectives and strategies
• Scenario and IT planning
• Barriers to planning
• Why marketing plans fail
• Marketing simulation

Market Research

The second module is a course in advanced market research under the supervision of an expert practitioner, building on the basic market research tools introduced in the core course on Marketing. Case will illustrate the importance, tools presented, analytical approaches explained.

Topics include:

• Traditional approaches to generating data
• Recent approaches to generating data
• Analyzing data
• Approaches to market segmentation
• Using research data to implement market strategy
• Managing the research results, the market data and their exploitation within the company

E-Marketing

The fast-changing electronic media environment and its impact on marketing is the focus of this module. Areas covered on this course include website communication, online consumer behavior, growth in e-retailing and customer relationship management.
 

The impact of social networking tools is explored as well as the following:

• The ways in which customers go through the online buying process, the issues and concerns they have, as well as the motivators for going online. Customer Relationship Management is a key area to consider: database management, profiling, personalization, relationship marketing.
• Website design and function: value proposition, customer orientation, aesthetics, page design, copyrighting, navigation and usability.
• Other important topics will be covered on a more general level: viral marketing, search marketing, search engine optimization, paid search, affiliate marketing, e-mail marketing, blogging, internet advertising.