MKTG 304 : Digital Marketing

Business and Economics

2024 Semester Two (1245) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Examines how digital devices and applications are transforming the way organisations engage with consumers and how consumers search for, compare and select products. Develops understanding of how organisations use emerging technologies and how these influence consumer preference and decision-making. Builds skills in online data analytics and conducting research with an industry partner.

Course Overview

The course serves as an introduction to the theory and practice of holistic inbound digital marketing, developing knowledge and skills relevant to key aspects such as digital analytics, social media, content marketing, digital advertising, and marketing automation. Throughout the course, students will learn to develop integrated digital marketing campaigns, applying industry tools and resources.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: MKTG 202 and 201 or 203 Restriction: INFOSYS 344

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Commerce

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Examine the fundamentals of digital marketing and its impact on organisational performance, fostering connections with diverse communities and encouraging responsible citizenship through effective digital strategies. (Capability 1.1, 3.1 and 8.1)
  2. Conduct a thorough audit of a client organisation's digital marketing practices, identifying key areas for improvement and offering strategic recommendations that address immediate needs while enhancing understanding of the business’s sustainability risks and opportunities. (Capability 2.2, 4.1, 5.1, 6.2 and 8.2)
  3. Complete industry-recognised certifications specific to digital marketing, demonstrating specialist knowledge and critical evaluation of digital marketing theories and practices. (Capability 3.2 and 4.1)
  4. Develop and present a data-driven digital marketing campaign tailored to a specific client organisation, ensuring alignment with its marketing goals and responsiveness to audience needs while showcasing proficiency in evidence-based reasoning, innovative problem-solving, and effective communication. (Capability 4.2, 5.2, 6.1 and 7.1)
  5. Defend a digital marketing campaign proposed to a client organisation, including goals, objectives, key metrics, and content ideas, ensuring that it adheres to ethical practices, strengthens customer relationships, and aligns with the organisation’s overall marketing goals. (Capability 3.2, 4.2 and 6.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Industry certifications 10% Individual Coursework
Audit report 40% Individual Coursework
Campaign proposal 30% Group Coursework
Proposal defence 20% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5
Industry certifications
Audit report
Campaign proposal
Proposal defence
The assessments in MKTG304 contribute to a total of 100%. To pass this course, students must achieve a minimum overall score of 50%. Given that the campaign proposal assessment is a team-based project, peer evaluations will be applied to determine each team member's level of contribution.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15-point course, and students are expected to dedicate 10 hours per week to each 15-point course in which they are enrolled. This includes attending a 1-hour lecture, participating in a 2-hour tutorial, spending 3 hours on reading and reflecting on the content, and allocating 4 hours for working on assignments. While independent study and coursework outside of class are crucial for academic success, they alone cannot guarantee a comprehensive understanding of the material covered in MKTG 304. This is because the course is practical in nature, involving the use of numerous industry tools. Regular attendance in both plenary lectures and tutorials is therefore highly recommended to fully grasp the applied aspects of the course. Students anticipating difficulties in maintaining regular attendance or those concerned about managing the course workload are strongly encouraged to discuss these matters with an Enrolment Adviser before the course begins.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Owing to the applied and practical nature of the course, students are expected to attend all scheduled activities, including tutorials, to complete various course components. While lectures will be available as recordings, other learning activities, such as tutorials, will not be recorded due to their interactive workshop format, which emphasises hands-on activities designed for completion either individually or in teams. Attendance at plenary lectures is mandatory for sessions with industry experts, formative feedback activities, and all meetings with a client organisation. All course activities adhere to a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Due to the ever-changing nature of digital marketing, there is no textbook required for this course. Instead, we will utilise a combination of relevant academic articles and resources from leading industry platforms, including Hubspot, Hootsuite, SEMRush, and Sprout Social.
Several course components are based on Hubspot, a prominent industry CRM platform. All students will receive complimentary access to all features available in the Hubspot Marketing Hub and Semrush. The access includes tools for social media, SEO, email marketing, and much more.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Based on feedback from students who studied digital marketing between 2022-2023 several enhancements will be made to the course in 2024:
1. The course structure will comprise weekly 2-hour tutorials and a 1-hour plenary lecture, allocating more time for hands-on learning, training, and formative feedback activities. A greater emphasis will be placed on teamwork from the very first week, encouraging collaborative learning and project development.
2. AI applications in marketing will be integrated across all modules, with a variety of AI tools introduced to enhance learning and application. Students will explore how AI can be seamlessly incorporated into different aspects of digital marketing, gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.
3. Individual proposal defense interviews will be implemented, a change supported by 66% of surveyed students. This format ensures that each student has the opportunity to articulate and defend their team's proposed ideas, fostering a comprehensive understanding and application of digital marketing strategies.

Other Information

The course actively collaborates with real organisations as clients, bringing authentic digital marketing challenges directly into the classroom. Past collaborations have included Doc Edge and Samsung NZ, providing students with the opportunity to engage in practical problem-solving and gain invaluable hands-on experience.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Students are encouraged to use University of Auckland resources to avoid penalties for poor academic integrity. For an overview, go to: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/academic-integrity-copyright/about-academic-integrity.html
For examples of how to avoid academic integrity issues, go to: https://www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/index.html
 
 

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 10/11/2023 02:48 p.m.