Continuous Assessment Aim:

This assessment will give you the opportunity to engage with the leading researchers in the services strategy. The topic has been deliberately selected to allow you to study a significant subject within the services marketing strategy. The building block of the assessment will be research articles published in leading the US and European journals.

Outcomes:

•  Identify the core constructs and arguments in top tier journal articles in services strategy
• Critique the research methodologies employed in these articles
• Assess the applicability of the findings in each article for practice
• Identify and utilize an additional academic research article as a theoretical priming

Required:

• What are the main ideas or constructs being examined in each article? Try to avoid flat summaries of each article
• What is the background justification for examining these ideas or constructs?
• What do you feel about the methodology – if relevant – used to investigate this topic?
• What are the contrasts between findings of the various articles? Are there differences in emphasis or conclusions?
• What was it in the ‘additional’ article that justified its inclusion?
• Critically assess the applicability of the various findings? Are they over/understated? Do they need updating or further refinement through research? Can you identify examples from current practice where the ideas in these articles are being put into practice?
• Could/should any of the findings or recommendations be included in a practical briefing for a marketing executive?

Papers will be assessed under the following headings:

1. Identification and articulation of key ideas and arguments
2. Synthesis of perspectives and findings across articles
3. Suitability of your chosen ‘additional’ article
4. Applicability of findings

Digital Media Implementation Plan

Task 1

Students will craft a digital marketing strategy for a business of their choice. This will include three optional scenarios:
a) work with an existing business
b) choose an existing business and work in hypothetical terms
c) choose a unique business concept which does not yet exist
Students will liaise their business of choice with module lecturer.
To craft a digital marketing strategy, students will utilise a strategic framework (SOSTAC): this will include the implementation of the six core steps in the strategic process and the creation of appropriate outputs at each stage of the process.

Students will first outline the business objectives and appropriate KPIs to be achieved via digital marketing strategy, as well as, put together a detailed digital audit which outlines the competitive digital media landscape of the chosen industry. This will be followed by the development and creation of well-researched customer personas, which will represent the target segment.
The key of this project includes a digital tactical plan where students will use a variety of digital marketing tools such as google ads, SEO, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), content marketing etc. and build their experience in using these in a marketing related scenario. Furthermore, students will get hands-on experience in writing ad copy, persuasive headlines and descriptions and the use of visual aids (pictures, videos etc.) to inform, educate, delight and inspire consumers.
In addition, students will develop their understanding of how to maximize the opportunity in achieving the appropriate fit between consumer, business objective, as well as, the stage of the customer journey on which the customer currently resides in. As a result, this will allow students to develop LO1-LO5 of Implementing Digital Media Module (B81S112).

Digital Media Implementation Plan Presentation

Task 2:

The presentation form of assessment aims to provide students with an opportunity to display their knowledge to peers, the lecturer and optionally internal moderators. This form of face-to-face presentation (with electronic formats such as Skype conferencing also allowable) gives an opportunity to answer questions on the work, clarifying any areas that need further explanation. The presentation should cover the main themes of the digital media implementation plan.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, learners will be able to:

1. Design and develop a selection of the more popular digital marketing tools.
2. Apply these tools to a variety of typical marketing scenarios.
3. Explain the procedures involved in this application.
4. Assess the value of their applied tools to marketing aims and objectives.
5. Explore the integration of digital tools for a given marketing set of processes.