Marketing Communication

6 ECTS credits
153 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1016680BER for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool

Department

Communication Sciences

Educational team

Alfons Van Dyck (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
127 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course offers students an in depth introduction in the broad fields of advertising and marketing communications. Emphasis lies on the main theoretical insights, but grounded in cases and field testimonials.

The course comprises 3 parts:

A first part of the course dives deeper into the meaning and role of advertising and marketing communications for brands. Marketing communications planning will be explained in detail, with special attention for effect models and strategy development, for instance in the context of a specific product life cycle. Several relevant market segmentation models will be tackled and students will learn how to define target groups for marketing communication purposes.
The course will familiarize them with the most important advertising concept strategies and their effects. Special attention goes to the concept of integrated marketing communications. The different media channels will be presented and examined critically. Valid effect studies in the field of marketing and communications will hereby be involved.
The second part of the course treats the most important marketing communication sub-domains in greater detail: public relations, sponsoring, e-communication, direct marketing and activation communication.
The third and final part of the course situates advertising and marketing communications in its wider context. More specifically we will discuss the place and use of advertising (and its different players and positions) within the media economy. Also the ethical aspects of advertising and marketing will be reflected upon, and critical reflections from a society point of view will be taken into account. Finally, topical items will be added to the course whenever relevant.

The course builds on current academic knowledge in marketing and communications, both national and international.

Multiple business guest speakers, with relevant experiences in the field, will be invited to contribute to this course. They will present business cases that reflect the subjects treated in class.

Additional info

All sessions will be conducted by means of a PowerPoint presentation, to lead and illustrate the subjects talked about. This presentation serves as an overview and summary of the course and contains a lot of valuable illustrative material. The electronic version of the course slides will be made available for students; however, guest speaker slides will only be presented during class. Moreover, students will receive a number of academic articles concerning brand management.

If students desire additional reading, apart from the standard course material, the following manuals are recommended:

De Pelsmacker, P., Geuens, M., Van den Bergh, J. (2015), Marketingcommunicatie, Pearson Education Benelux (5th edition), 456 p.
Van Dyck F. (2013), Reclame: dood of levend, Lannoo Campus, 186 p.

Learning Outcomes

General Competencies

This course contributes to the following general learning results of the bachelor in communication sciences:

Students have specific knowledge and understanding of the diverse paradigms, main theoretical currents, concepts and research traditions within communication scientific approaches to media, strategic communication and marketing.
Students demonstrate insight in the underlying human and worldview and (the historical development of) assumptions of the diverse paradigms, main theoretical currents, concepts and research traditions in general and their approach to the relation between media, communication and society in particular.
Students have knowledge and understanding of historical and recent developments in media and communication.
Students have knowledge and understanding of the structures, operation and processes of media and communication organisations, media and communication practices, and media and communication markets and their relations with media, strategic communication and marketing.
Students can detect and analyse trends and issues within a media landscape and estimate their societal, professional and policy implications on the basis of a theoretical framework of reference and analysis linked to communication scientific approaches to media, strategic communication and marketing.
Students demonstrate insight in the diversity of sources and search techniques.
Students show a critical attitude with regard to sources and literature.
Students can develop their own scientifically grounded judgement and act in the spirit of free inquiry – i.e. with an open, critical-constructive and a-dogmatic attitude. Students do not seek ‘ultimate truths’, yet respond to scientific debate and the relative uncertainty of insights from an open position.
Students can critically and self-critically, with a long term perspective, from an interdisciplinary angle, and cautious of monocausal interpretations, gauge the impact of social, cultural, economic, ethical, technological, political, legal and other factors to communication processes.
Students reflect upon their own position as scientists, construe assumptions and identify and explicitate critically their presuppositions.
Students demonstrate an honest attitude, ethical stance and engaged position, permitting a relevant contribution to current scientific and societal debates.
Students act upon an open attitude in a culturally diverse international context. They critically reflect on their own (geographical, social, cultural, local, personal, …) position
Students are able to communicate information, insights and their research findings to diverse audiences in writing, orally and by using multimedia.
Students develop an attitude of willingness to listen and respect to one another in order to engage in debates on the basis of scientifically and empirically grounded arguments.
Students can – with guidance – learn and act independently, creatively, critically and entrepreneurially.
Students demonstrate an interested, studious and inquisitive attitude and have an open attitude to life long and independent learning.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Written Exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The following subject material will be studied:

The lectures’ PowerPoint presentations, as well as the additional explanations given in class by the instructor;
The academic articles, completing the course material;
Business cases brought by guest speakers.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context