BA (Hons) Marketing and Advertising

Marketing Data Analysis  (15 credits) 
Students will learn to interpret the solutions. Students will be introduced to and encouraged to use spreadsheet and statistical software. The main topics studied include: investment appraisal; summary statistics; probability distributions for marketing; correlation and linear regression; forecasting techniques for time series; and project management.

Principles of Marketing  (15 credits) 
This initial marketing module aims to introduce students to some of the key ideas of marketing. Concepts central to an understanding of marketing are considered – role and application of marketing, marketing micro and macro environment; segmentation; targeting and positioning; the product life cycle; the marketing mix; buyer behaviour, marketing research, product policy,  pricing strategies, distribution strategies, marketing communications etc.

Digital Marketing Essentials (15 credits) 
The module introduces students to digital marketing tools and techniques widely used by marketers across different kinds of organisations. The following areas will be covered throughout the module: content and data roles in digital marketing, development and usability of websites, SMM, overview of the digital landscape and trends in online customer, Email/mobile marketing and cross media integration.

Creativity, Technology and Innovation (15 credits) 
This module covers the main theoretical models of the discipline, and an understanding of the external environmental climate for products and services, the main business processes and resources affected when businesses react to these new challenges. Appropriate international perspectives will be included. Creativity, technology and innovation are three important interrelated drivers for internal and external marketing strategy. Marketers are increasingly being challenged to manage these assets, and driver changes in business processes and resource skills.

Professional Development in Advertising (30 credits) 
The module will employ a variety of teaching and learning strategies to develop both the academic skill set of the student and the ability to self-reflect through the context of programme related topics and projects. The module will use case studies across various sectors including advertising, creative and communications agencies, charities, creative campaigns, brands and FMCG products. Teaching and learning strategies will include the use of: i-spy; diagnostic tests; case studies; simulation exercises; role play; research assignments.

Foundations of Economics for Marketers (15 credits) 
The first part of the Module will cover the fundamental microeconomic aspects: supply (including costs, revenue, and profit maximisation) and demand (including marginal utility, consideration of risk and uncertainty), pricing, taxes, elasticity, market structures, and policies (covering the problems of inequality, inefficiency, and regulation). The second part of the Module will introduce the macroeconomic foundations: the national economy aggregates, unemployment, inflation, economic growth, money and interest rates, the balance of payments and exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, as well as the analysis of the ongoing contemporary issues. The concepts and principles will be explained (verbally, graphically, and mathematically) and illustrated in relation to the marketing problems and business decision-making, so that the application of the economic theory to the marketing issues is evident.

Introduction to Marketing Communications (15 credits)
The module combines an understanding of relevant marketing theories, for instance consumer and organisational buyer behavioural models, buyer behaviour; market segmentation, targeting and positioning; and marketing research, exploring the use of all elements of the promotion mix. This module will cover the main areas of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, sponsorship and direct marketing. Attention is also given to new areas of increasing relevance such as product placement and electronic media. Group work are used in this module to help students develop team skills which are key for a career in the marketing communications industry.

Advertising Concepts and Campaigns (15 credits) 
The role and function of the advertising agency, the client-agency relationship, account planning, creative briefing, media planning and evaluation of advertising will be covered. Students are required to read the trade press and be aware of advertising campaigns in order to apply theory to current practice. Students will be expected to be able to use electronic searching techniques to find out details of campaigns and associated advertising agencies, as well as study published market reports on products/brands.

Enhancing Employability in Advertising (15 credits) 
The module will enable students to research employment issues and opportunities in advertising and to develop an action plan to help them secure eventual employment. It will also help students to continue to develop their employability skills. Module content will include: - The changing nature of the workplace and employer needs - Job search and career planning - Personal development planning - Recruitment and selection processes including the use of selection centres - Contemporary issues affecting employability within advertising - appropriate personal analysis leading to the formalisation of a career action plan.

Strategic Marketing Planning  (15 credits) 
This module will introduce students to the underlying philosophy of marketing planning and the significance of the planning phase in order to give an overall perspective of what planning aims to achieve. At the end of the module, students should be able to identify the usefulness of marketing planning in a range of situations, conduct a marketing audit, outline a basic marketing plan and understand the application of the planning process in a variety of existing organisations.

Creativity in Advertising (15 credits) 
This module will ensure students understanding of creativity in advertising and help students develop creative and design solutions that are required in an advertising and communications department or agency environment. The module will integrate creative and technology practical solutions with their marketing and advertising knowledge.  Students will use a variety of case studies of recent campaigns to analyse and re-design; as well as carrying out research into contemporary media tools that would allow them to design their own campaign.

Managing People (15 credits) 
Managing People aims at providing students with an introduction to the management of people in organisations. Content includes: - The development of HRM, theory and practice, contextual factors, strategic approaches. - Recruitment and selection - role of R&S, models of R&S and their application. - Equality and diversity - the case for equality and diversity. Approaches to implementing equality and diversity policies and tackling discrimination in organisations. - Flexibility - managing flexibility. - Performance and reward management - managing people for performance, motivation and the link with reward management. - Employee participation and involvement - definition of terms.

Factors affecting the success of employee involvement (EI). Effective communication. - Learning and development - contribution it can make to people performance and business success from identifying needs to evaluation of the outcomes. Managing people activities will be introduced from both strategic and operational perspectives. The role of the HR function and the line manager will be introduced.

The module will engage with the practicalities of managing people and develop the students' critical understanding of the subject area. Indeed, throughout the module, students are encouraged to challenge the rhetoric often associated with people management in an attempt to discover the underlying operational realities.

Enterprise (15 credits) 
In this module, students study the nature of enterprise and entrepreneurship, its importance to society and the individual personal opportunities that developing enterprise skills provides. Students will also work in a team to identify a new business opportunity and take this idea through the full business planning cycle, ending in a formal presentation of their proposed enterprise. Experts from business and commerce will aid academic staff in providing workshops on particular aspects of business planning and role play. Students will be encouraged to form cross-disciplinary teams that is necessary to create a business idea in order to develop a business plan for launching that idea. With the practical perspective a variety of opportunities will be offered to the students to take their ideas forwards, including pitching to a panel of external judges.
 
Consumer Behaviour (15 credits) 
The cognitive versus behavioural approach to consumer analysis is compared and evaluated. The understanding of consumers and their behaviour will enable students to have a greater understanding of target customer segmentation and product/brand positioning for the development of product, pricing, distribution and marketing communication strategies. Perception of the self and brands is considered along with the social issues of behaviour, beliefs and personality and its longer-term impact on consumer learning.

The module offers an introduction to the psychology of the consumer, and the impact that this has for the Marketer in creating, developing and delivering customer-valued products and services. The above will expect students to utilise secondary research methodologies learned in other components of the module and the available University of Hertfordshire information resources, e.g. content analysis of existing market reports and other published market surveys. The coursework will relate to the application of consumer behaviour theory in formulating marketing strategy.

Public Relations Concepts and Campaigns (15 credits)
The module will develop student's knowledge and skills in PR and marketing communications. The module combines an understanding of relevant PR theories alongside current issues and campaigns: - PR process - PR public - Indirect communications - Direct communications - Indirect and direct communications: a practitioner's viewpoint - Crisis management - Crisis management: a practitioner's viewpoint - PR ethics - New media and PR. 

Students will use case studies, current news articles, other online sources to elicit up-to-date thinking about contemporary PR activity and how it relates to the wider marketing programme. This module involves groupwork - current live PR Brief or a recent case study (30% of assessment).