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BTEC Level 5 Professional Diploma in Marketing and Advertising Management |
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In almost every market, as companies and individuals strive to win new customers, the customers themselves benefit from the huge array of available choice. Businesses compete with one another by varying their appeal and by employing more and more sophisticated techniques in their attempts to enhance the profitability of their organisations. Every business also must work extremely hard to retain the loyalty of their existing customers.
Additional factors have increased both competition and opportunity in today’s business environment. International travel and technological advances in both manufacturing and communications have enhanced opportunities for trade. The developing world provides new customers to win. Improved transport enables organisations to find new sources for raw materials or for finished goods. International trade also brings increased competition from overseas suppliers.
Throughout industry there is a growing acceptance of the importance of marketing as a means of gaining competitive advantage. The selection of appropriate marketing strategies helps an organisation achieve customer satisfaction and form profitable long-term relationships. To thrive in the current business environment, anyone engaged in the world of commerce needs an understanding of marketing and how to employ its various strategic tools. It is vital that the business executives of tomorrow understand the importance of differentiating their own offerings from those of their competitors
Although differences between products are important, pricing policies and distribution strategies have equally important roles to play. Competitive advantage can be achieved by a variety of means such as branding, advertising, selling and public relations. Gaining an understanding of the various strategic marketing tools available to the business executive can enhance their chances of success in today’s increasingly competitive business environment.
The Diploma in Marketing and Advertising Management is a course that aims to provide vocational training in marketing and advertising for students who wish to have an understanding of these subjects and the possibility of a career in marketing, advertising or public relations. The course aims to provide students with those skills that will enable them to solve marketing, public relations and advertising problems, and, if they wish, to continue their studies to an advanced professional level.
Aims
The course aim is to provide a vocational course in marketing and advertising, sales and PR in a commercial or industrial organisation or in a non-profit organisation (such as a charity, trade association or government department) that undertakes marketing and advertising, sales and PR on an extensive scale. It is also aimed at those seeking to work in advertising agencies or associated organisations such as public relations consultancies, sales promotion companies and direct response marketing agencies.
Entry Qualifications
Students should be over 18 years of age and possess at least 4 GCSE's or their equivalent, or have at least three years work experience. Students may be admitted without formal qualifications provided they have relevant work experience and provided that their written and spoken English is at least Upper Intermediate/ First Certificate Level.
Duration of course
The course lasts for one acedemic year. There is normally only one intake of students per year, commencing in late September and ending in June the following year. The course is structured around formal classes, seminars, tutorials and individual tuition.
Syllabus
The course comprises five modules: Marketing, International Marketing, Advertising Management, Sales Planning and Operations and Public Relations. The syllabus for each individual unit is contained within the description of individual units. There is emphasis on practical tasks based on realistic work based scenarios designed to enable the students to develop their skills to be able to apply their knowledge in the work place. Throughout the course, student undertake a range of tasks of increasing complexity that begin with basic terminology through to solving quite sophisticated communication problems that involve all the skills and knowledge learned throughout the course.
Assessment
Students will be assessed according to their performance when asked to complete a range of tasks consistent with the objectives and outcomes specified for each unit. The tasks will include reports, presentations and research based assignments. As far as possible, issues of current interest will be incorporated into the range of activities used by tutors. This is in addition to ensuring the work relatedness of all aspects of the learning programme
1 MARKETING
1 Aims
1. This course is intended to provide students with an understanding of the role of marketing in both ‘for profit’ and ‘non-profit making’ organisations. Students will develop the ability to select and develop appropriate marketing strategies and apply these to solving a range of marketing problems. This course should help prepare students for a career in marketing.
2 Learning outcomes
1 Investigate the concept and process of marketing
2 Explore the concepts of segmentation, targeting and positioning.
3 Identify and analyse the individual elements of the extended marketing mix >
4 Apply the extended marketing mix to different marketing segments and contexts.
3 Content
1 Concept and process of marketing
Definitions: alternative definitions including those of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the American Marketing Association, satisfying customer’s needs and wants, value and satisfaction, exchange relationships, the changing emphasis of marketing
Marketing concept: evolution of marketing, business orientations, societal issues and emergent philosophies, customer and competitor orientation, efficiency and effectiveness, limitations of the marketing concept
Marketing process overview: marketing audit, integrated marketing, environmental analysis, SWOT analysis, marketing objectives, constraints, options, plans to include target markets and marketing mix, scope of marketing
Cost and benefits: benefits of building customer satisfaction, desired quality, service and customer care, relationship marketing, customer retention, customer profitability, costs of too narrow a marketing focus, total quality marketing
2 Segmentation, targeting and positioning
Macro-environment: environmental scanning, political, legal, economic, socio-cultural, ecological and technological factors.
Micro-environment: stakeholders (organization’s own employees, suppliers, customers, intermediaries, owners, financiers, local residents, pressure groups and competitors), direct and indirect competitors, Porter’s competitive forces.
Buyer behaviour: dimensions of buyer behaviour, environmental influences, personal variables- demographic, sociological, psychological – motivation, perception and learning, social factors, physiological stimuli, attitudes, other lifestyle and lifecycle variables, consumer and organisational buying.
Segmentation: process of market selection, macro and micro segmentation, bases for segmenting markets ie geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural; multivariable segmentation and typologies, benefits of segmentation, evaluation of segments and targeting strategies, positioning, segmenting industrial markets, size, value, standards, industrial classification.
3 Extended marketing mix
Product: products and brands – features, advantages and benefits, the total product concept, product mix, product life-cycle and it’s effect on other elements of the marketing mix, product strategy, new product development, adoption process
Place: customer convenience and availability, definition of channels, types and functions of intermediaries, channel selection, integration and distribution systems, franchising, physical distribution management and logistics, ethical issues
Price: perceived value, pricing context and process, pricing strategies, demand elasticity, competition, costs, psychological, discriminatory, ethical issues
Promotion: awareness and image, effective, communication, integrated communication process – (SOSTT + 4Ms), promotional mix elements, push and pull strategies, advertising above and below the line including packaging, public relations and sponsorship, sales promotion, direct marketing and personal selling, branding, internet and online marketing
The shift from the 4Ps to the 7Ps: product-service continuum, concept of the extended marketing mix, the significance of the soft elements of marketing – people, physical evidence and process management.
4 Different marketing segments and contexts
Consumer markets: fast-moving consumer goods, consumer durables, co-coordinated marketing mix to achieve objectives
Organisational markets: differences from consumer markets, adding value though service; industrial, non-profit making, government, re-seller
Services: nature and characteristics of service products – intangibility, ownership, inseparability, perishability, variability, heterogeneity – the 7Ps, strategies, service quality, elements of physical product marketing, tangible and intangible benefits
International markets: globalization, standardisation versus adaptation, the EU, benefits and risks, market attractiveness, international marketing mix strategies
4 Assessment
The main method of assessment for this module is by assignment. There are four assignments each focusing on the outcomes as shown in the objectives. Each assignment will be graded according to grading criteria – Distinction being the highest achievable.
2 INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
1 Aims
This unit is devised to enable students to understand the role of International marketing in a global context. Students will focus on the strategic importance of marketing operations. This broad based unit will demonstrate not only how global marketing works, but also how it relates to real decisions around the world. Students will be able to analyse international marketing situations and to suggest appropriate responses.
2 Learning outcomes
1. Understand the marketing process
2. Understand the nature of international and demographic influences on the marketing environment
3. Investigate and explain the key international markets
3 Content
1 Importance of International Marketing
Globalization of trade and communications: knowledge of overseas markets: types of agents & agreements, commodities; joint ventures; marketing and documentation.
Marketing in U.K: compared to developed, developing and underdeveloped countries.
Wealth creation: roles of marketing; disposable incomes; exchange rates, cost, profit, policy.
Trade blocks: such as the E.U., NAFTA, ASEAN, MERCOSUR; significance of international marketing with developing nations.
2 International Marketing Environment
Demography: population, size, classification; social, cultural and economic environments; culture/society and their influence upon local attitudes, motivations and purchase decisions; cultural stereotypes, both positive and negative as constraints to marketing and promotional activity.
Economic profiles and trends: market behaviour; decision making & political structures, effects of government policy on economic activity of the consumer, legislated or implied “Buy National” policies, non-tariff barriers, green issues; importance of developing an international business perspective.
3 International Market Opportunities
International markets: globalisation, standardisation versus adaptation, the EU, benefits and risks, market attractiveness, international marketing mix strategies; the nature of the small firm and export marketing; advantages of international perspective; mid-sized function based organisations compared to global poly-centred organisations; stages in internationalisation, importance of customer-based marketing concepts; international planning and concentration on key markets.
Segmentation: process of market selection, macro and micro segmentation, bases for segmentation markets ie geographical, demographic, psychographic and behavioural; multivariable segmentation and typologies, benefits of segmentation, evaluation of segments and targeting strategies, positioning, segmenting industrial markets, size, value, standards, industrial classification; relative values of wealth and poverty between developed and developing countries.
Product policy decisions: decision making in the international context; political risk analysis, political stability, growth, enforceability of contracts; problems of international marketing research; non-standardization of key segmentation variables such as demographics and statistics; international pricing, including tariffs, documentation requirements, methods of payment; legal constraints associated with international marketing such as advertising in various contexts and restrictions on sales promotion techniques in various countries.
4 Marketing Plans in a Global Context
Promotional activities in the global economy: centrally versus locally developed advertising campaigns and their advantages and disadvantages; how to plan and design an international skeleton campaign; communication process with emphasis on identifying opinion leaders and their attitudes; media availability and consumption in a range of local environments, including research available on viewers and readers; international advertising agencies, their size and scope of their activities; distribution – swot analysis; organisational goals; corporate and marketing objectives; P’s: product; price; place; promotion; people; process; physical evidence.
Sources of data and collection techniques: accuracy of data; methods of analysis; forecasting techniques; written guidelines; oral methods of presentation.
4 Assessment
The main method of assessment for this module is by assignment. There are four assignments each focusing on the outcomes as shown in the objectives. Each assignment will be graded according to grading criteria – Distinction being the highest achievable.
3 ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT
1 Aims
This unit is intended to provide students with an understanding of the role and key elements of advertising along with certain other associated elements of the marketing communication mix. Students will develop the ability to select appropriate promotional activities and apply these to solving a range of advertising problems. This unit will help prepare students for a career in marketing and advertising as well as further study.
2 Learning outcomes
1. Identify the nature of the advertising environment.
2. Investigate the role and objectives of advertising
3. Identify and explain the key components of advertising
4. Prepare an advertising plan
3 Content
1 Advertising environment
Organisation of the industry: advertisers, media owners, advertising agencies, triangle of dependence, types of agency - full service, a la carte, media independents, hot shops, other supporting services - PR, sales promotion, marketing research.
Regulation of promotion: sale of Goods Act, Trade Descriptions Act, Consumer Credit Act, Data Protection Act etc. Statutory authorities including role of OFCOM, self regulation - Advertising Standards Authority, consumerism, ethics and public opinion as a constraint.
Current trends: media fragmentation, micro-marketing, media costs, increasing use of sales promotion techniques at the expense of advertising and its effect on branding and awareness, new media, role of IT, use of internet and increase in home shopping.
Communication process: model of communication process, adoption process and adopter categories, consumer buying decision-making process, influences on consumer behaviour - personal, psychological, social, response - hierarchy models.
2 Objectives of advertising
Role of advertising: definition, purpose and objectives of advertising, remind, inform, persuade, role of advertising within marketing mix, within promotional mix.
Working with advertising agencies: Structures, role of account handler and account planner, methods of agency selection, agency appointment including contracts and best practice guidelines, remuneration - commission, fee, results, evaluation of agencies.
3 Components of advertising
Creative aspects of advertising: positioning, messages, message-appeals, ad design and testing, story-boards and radio scripts, copy writing, visuals, creative briefs, impact of IT on advertisement design.
Aspects of advertising media: media - press, TV, radio, cinema, outdoor/transport, internet.
Production of advertisements: production of print advertisement; printed materials; stages of production for radio and television commercials; testing and assessing advertising effectiveness.
4 Advertising Plan
Budget formulation: Methods - percentage of sales, per unit, competitive parity, task, executive judgement, overview of media costs, guidelines for budget allocation, relative costs of various promotional techniques and low-and high- budget campaigns.
Developing an advertising plan: Situation analysis, objectives, target audiences, creative strategy, media strategy and tactics, media selection, scheduling, budget allocation, evaluation measures, inter- and intra-media decisions, burst versus drip.
Relationship with other promotional activities: sales promotion, public relations, sponsorship, direct marketing, packaging and merchandising. Overview of the role and uses of corporate identity, exhibitions, word-of-mouth, personal selling, miscellaneous and new media. Examples of successful campaigns.
Measuring campaign effectiveness: customer response, recall, attitude surveys, sales levels, repeat purchases, loyalty, cost-effectiveness, creativity, quantitative and qualitative measures.
4 Assessment
The main method of assessment for this module is by assignment. There are four assignments each focusing on the outcomes as shown in the objectives. Each assignment will be graded according to grading criteria – Distinction being the highest achievable.
4 SALES PLANNING AND OPERATIONS
This unit offers the student a pragmatic approach to sales promotion from a practitioner’s perspective and is intended to define the role of sales promotion and introduce students to the ways in which controlling sales promotion expenditure has a direct effect on sales.
2 Learning outcomes
1 Explore the role of personal selling within the overall marketing of organisation
2 Identify and evaluate the stages in the selling process.
3 Analyse the role and objectives of sales management.
4 Examine the implications of operating in different sales environments and contexts.
3 Content
1 Personal selling
Promotion mix: personal and impersonal communication, objectives of promotional activity, push-pull strategies, integrating sales with other promotional activities, evaluating promotion, allocation of promotion budget
Understanding buyer behaviour: consumer and organisational purchase decision-making processes, personal, psychological and social influences on consumer purchase behaviour, environmental, organisational, interpersonal and individual influences on organisational buyer behaviour, purchase occasion, buying interests and motives, buyer moods, level of involvement, importance and structure of the DMU, finding the decision-taker, distinction between customer and users.
Role of sales force: definition and role of personal selling, types of selling, characteristics for personal selling, product and competitor knowledge, sales force responsibilities, information gathering, customer and competitor intelligence, customer databases, prospecting, stock allocation , sales reports and records, liaison with sales office, sales force communications and the role of IT in improving communications
2 Selling process
Principles: customer-oriented approach, preparation and objective setting, opening remarks, techniques and personal presentation, need fro identification and stimulation, presentation, demonstration and use of visual aids, handling and pre-empting objections, techniques and proposals for negotiation, buying signals and closing techniques, post sales follow-up, relationship marketing.
3 Sales management
Sales strategy: setting ales objectives, relationship of sales, marketing and corporate objectives, importance of selling in the marketing plan, sources, collection and use of marketing information for planning and decision making, role sales forecasts in planning, quantitative and qualitative and quantitative sales forecasting techniques, strategies for selling.
Recruitment and selection; importance of selection, preparing job descriptions and personnel specifications, sources of recruitment, interview preparation and techniques, selection and appointment.
Motivation, remuneration and training: motivation theory and practice – financial and non-financial incentives, salary and commission-based remuneration, induction and ongoing training, training methods, preparation of training programmes, the sales manual
Organisation and structure: organisation of sales activities by product, customer, area, estimation of call frequency, territory design, journey planning, allocation of workload, team building, creating and maintaining effective working relationships, sales meetings and conferences
Controlling sales output: purpose and role of the sales budget, performance standards, appraisals, self-development plans, customer care.
Database management: Importance of database building, sources of information, updating the database, use of database to generate incremental business and stimulate repeat purchase, use of database control mechanisms, importance of IT methods in database management.
4 Sales environment and contexts
Sales settings: sales channels – retailers, wholesalers, agents, importance of segmentation, industrial selling, selling to public authorities, selling for resale, telephone selling, selling services, pioneer selling, systems selling, selling to project teams or groups
International selling: role of agents and distributors, sources, selection and appointment of agents/distributors, agency contracts, training and motivation agents/distributors, use of expatriate versus local sales personnel, role, duties and characteristics of the export sales force, coping indifferent cultural environments
Exhibitions and trade fairs: role, types and locations of trade fairs and exhibitions, principles of stand design, setting objectives for exhibition attendance, audience profile and measurement, qualification and follow-up of exhibition leads, evaluation of exhibition attendance, financial assistance for exhibition attendance.
4 Assessment
The main method of assessment for this module is by assignment. There are four assignments each focusing on the outcomes as shown in the objectives. Each assignment will be graded according to grading criteria – Distinction being the highest achievable.>
5 PUBLIC RELATIONS
1 Aims
This unit not only covers Public Relations (PR) as applied to the Marketing and Promotional mixes, but its wider roles in Corporate Communications both for commercial and non-commercial organizations. It concentrates on modern press (news media) relations and the techniques, skills and knowledge needed to carry out press relations effectively. Other publics are not ignored and students will learn about a wide variety of events, techniques and created media that PR uses to communicate to employees, customers, local communities and shareholders. PR’s role in multi-promotional techniques – alongside Advertising Management, Sales Planning and Operations, Strategic Marketing and International Marketing will be featured.
This unit will touch on the specialist areas of PR, organizational structures, law and ethics to complete the students understanding of the wide scope and career opportunities of this profession.
2 Learning outcomes
1. Understand the role and function of PR and be aware of its ethical and legal framework within the PR industry.
2. Demonstrate an ability to communicate with the press and understand their working environment.
3. Select appropriate methods of communicating with all major publics and plan their use.
4. Design a comprehensive PR plan
5. Select different communication situations and adapt techniques according to international and global contexts.
3 Content
1 Understanding Public Relations
Define: PR definitions compared to Advertising, Marketing and Sales Planning; the informative nature of PR; its use by business, government, charities, financial institutions, pressure groups, etc both externally and internally; PR’s role as a promotional and informative tool; the importance of PR in building a good reputation.
Publics: the groups of PR publics, their needs, wants and attitudes; how publics relate to an organization; targeting the right publics.
2 Press Relations
Press: the organization and working practices of the editorial departments of newspapers, journals, radio and TV (including satellite and cable); what is news?
Releases: press releases writing style, lay-out and content; statements; preparing articles for publication and how these differ from releases.
Press events: press conferences, receptions, facility visits and briefings; selecting the correct event for the occasion; selecting and preparing the venue, including audio/visual aids and hospitality; briefing and preparing speakers; press packs.
3 Created Communication
Events: open days, dealer conferences, tours, presentations, trade and consumer exhibitions, selecting events suitable for the target public and situation; major organisational factors, programming; preparation and use of A/V aids.
Created media: using housing journals to keep in contact with customers, consumers, employees, members and shareholders; the use of leaflets, fact packs and direct mail in PR; selecting and captioning photographs; procedures during printing.
Multi promotional events: co-ordination with other promotional mix elements during sponsorship, exhibitions and dealer conferences; the roles PR plays and the PR opportunities they offer.
4 Planning
Plan: working to objectives; targeting the right public; selecting the methods that suit the public, budget elements; evaluation; planning for commercial and non-commercial organizations and different situations. Understand how quantitative and qualitative market research can be used to evaluate plans and assess situations; how to evaluate press coverage.
5 International PR
Barriers: language, literacy, cultural, social, infrastructure, media differences.
Techniques: visual, oral and folk media; international exhibitions; sponsorship and donations; translation and interpretation.
6 Organisation
Services: the advantages and disadvantages of using in-house PR departments and consultancies; commissioning photographers, graphic designers; in-house department structure.
Ethics: the British and International Code of Professional Conduct; the freedom of the press; voluntary controls; copyright; trade descriptions and defamation law; propaganda.
4 Assessment
The main method of assessment for this module is by assignment. There are four assignments each focusing on the outcomes as shown in the objectives. Each assignment will be graded according to grading criteria – Distinction being the highest achievable. | |
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