Understanding marketing

This course will take you through the basics of modern marketing practice enabling you to understand how marketing has progressed and to focus on the most important elements of marketing activity to maximise effect and value.

Much marketing theory was generated in the last part of the 20th century when manufacturing was still driving marketing behaviour related to products.  

The arrival of the internet, the rise of the service economy and the provision of a whole new set of social channels, have enabled consumers to be more selective and to have more access to information, turning the tables on marketers who now have to quickly respond to consumer choice rather than being able to dictate what consumers can have.

At the end of the course you will have a more contemporary view of what tools marketers have at their disposal and a new framework around which marketing activity can be based. 

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• Be aware of the fundamentals of constructing a Value Proposition
• Be familiar with the Alphabet Marketing Model
• Be able to construct an appropriate marketing strategy for any product or service 

Classes

1. Audience
This class will focus on defining the various audiences that you need to consider as a marketer including the initial and subsequent users of your product, identifying how and who they are influenced by and lastly being clear about which networks they are part of and how you access them.
2. Benefit
This class is focused on how you as the product or service owner can illustrate the value that your customer will get from you, driven by a clear understanding of the benefits they will access. This is linked to identifying why what you are offering is better than other options and how you make those differences clear.  
3. Content
This class focuses on understanding how each marketer needs to become a publisher, generating, distributing and measuring effective content in a range of forms. This process involves being clear about brand values, what stories can be told, leveraging user generated content when available, picking the right media and channels and delivery quality and consistency.
4. Data
This class focuses on the challenges that marketers face in collecting, understanding and analysing data generated from marketing activity and from customer responses to that activity. This drives the needs for marketers to develop a data strategy which can optimise work and focus effort on the most efficient activities whilst also ensuring a clear return on marketing investment
5. Engagement
The last class is focused on how marketers stimulate engagement from their target customers and stakeholders. This is linked to creating and maintaining connections which should lead to referral activity and ultimately loyalty and advocacy through activities that include co-creation, active feedback and active customer service.

Typical week: Monday to Friday

For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.