Digital Marketing MSc

What you'll study

You will learn from the most influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators, exposing you to the latest theories and developments from across your discipline.

Modules

Our Digital Marketing masters covers a wide range of topics; to give you a taster we have expanded on some of the modules affiliated with this programme and the specific assessment methods associated with each module.

• Compulsory
• Optional

Strategic Marketing Management

Strategic Marketing Management

By the end of this module you will be able to perform a critical analysis of the way in which an organisation positions its products and services in a market. This module examines recent developments in marketing thinking and market strategy development and focuses on the dynamic aspects of market strategy development. We will investigate the current issues facing the sector, including relationship and Internet marketing. This, alongside use of a simulation exercise, will provide you with practical experience of the development and adjustment of strategies in an integrative manner. The module draws on key theories in strategic marketing management, building on the latest academic insights into market orientation, segmentation and positioning, value-creating strategies, branding and customer retention.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate a critical awareness of the factors involved in the marketing of products and services;
• Critically reflect on traditional and emerging marketing practices;
• Critically investigate and reflect on the impact of marketing choices;
• Identify marketing strategies and suitable tools to reach organisational and marketing goals;
• Critically synthesise and reflect on the professional and academic journal literature.
• Synthesise information from appropriate sources
• Demonstrate effective communication skills to persuade and influence stakeholders
• Demonstrate effective report writing skills
• Select and use appropriate investigative and research skills
• Exhibit care for written and spoken communications

Assessment

• Case analysis (40%)
• Report (60%)

Digital Practices for Customer Engagement

Digital Practices for Customer Engagement

This module will familiarise students with techniques of understanding and engaging consumers/customers through emerging digital technologies and how knowledge about customers can be used to make better marketing decisions.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module you will be able to:

• Critically analyse customer engagement and understanding through digital marketing practice
• Critically assess the related behavioural theories and models that can be used to generate customer knowledge
• Relate influential factors of the digital age to emerging and future patterns of customer behaviour
• Appraise the key platforms and underpinning digital marketing practice driven by customer knowledge
• Compare different technologies for customer behaviour prediction and brand engagement
• Assess customer engagement models and their relevance to brand strategy
• Critically analyse core practices of customer engagement and brand strategy
• Utilise customer behavioural models to analyse customer behaviour to inform marketing decisions
• Critically analyse the aspects of customer engagement that relate to social networks and online communities to build effective brand strategies

Assessment

• Coursework (100%)

Digital Technologies for Market Analysis

Digital Technologies for Market Analysis

The aims of this module are to introduce you to the importance and practices of market research and analysis to design, perform and present effective market research using digital technologies.

Topics covered include quantitative and qualitative market research methodologies, digital technologies for market research including, mobile surveys, ethnography, crowdsourcing, gamification and eye tracking, data analysis methodologies (including text, media and big data analytics), visualization techniques and ethical issues surrounding market research.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of commonly used methods for market research and analysis utilizing digital technologies
• Critically analyse methodological issues in different research techniques, and ethical issues surrounding those techniques
• Evaluate the relative importance of various emerging forms of research tools for data collection
• Compare and contrast various methods for analysis of collected data to gain relevant insights
• Use market research as a tool for generating insight and informing business decisions
• Independently design and conduct market research utilizing a multitude of digital tools
• Critically select appropriate methods of research among various digital tools suitable for a given scenario
• Use relevant data visualization techniques to present information to various audiences
• Research and organise information from a range of sources relating to a given subject
• Present one’s work in professional and technical reports targeting specialist and non-specialist audiences
• Articulate arguments effectively under timed conditions and in assessed coursework

Assessment

• Coursework (50%)
• Exam (50%)

Dissertation

Dissertation

The Dissertation module will equip you with the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding to embark on your own research project.

You will have the choice of three dissertation pathways:

1. A desk based research project that could be set by an organisation or could be a subject of the student's choice
2. A project that involves collection of primary data from within an organisation or based on lab and/or field experiments
3. An Internship within an organisation during which time students will complete a project as part of their role in agreement with the organisation (subject to a suitable placement position being obtained)

By undertaking a dissertation at master's level, you will achieve a high level of understanding in your chosen subject area and will produce a written thesis or project report which will discuss your research in more detail.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The importance of project planning;
• The importance of a clear hypothesis or research question;
• The ethical implications of research;
• The relevant empirical data and methodologies for data collection or knowledge assimilation for the subject area;
• Methods of data analysis and their suitability for the intended data;
• The areas of expertise or publications of the major individuals or organisations in the subject or business area;
• The previous research or current knowledge in the specific subject or business area;
• Theoretical perspectives relevant to your chosen topic;
• The most effective methods of presentation for data or knowledge;
• Developing a clear, coherent and original research question, hypothesis or business problem in a suitable subject area;
• Synthesising relevant sources (e.g. research literature, primary data) to construct a coherent argument in response to your research question, hypothesis or business problem;
• Analysing primary or secondary data collected by an appropriate method;
• Critically evaluating data collected in context with previously published knowledge or information;
• Engaging in critical debate and argumentation in written work;
• Applying principles of good scholarly practice to your written work;
• Performing appropriate literature searching/business information searching using library databases or other reputable sources;
• Planning a research project and producing a realistic gantt chart demonstrating your intended timelines;
• Synthesising information from appropriate sources;
• Demonstrating rational use of research method tools;
• Selecting and using appropriate investigative and research skills;
• Demonstrating effective project planning skills;
• Finding and evaluating scholarly sources;
• Engaging in critical reasoning, debate and argumentation;
• Demonstrating effective report writing skills;
• Recognising and using resources effectively;
• Successfully managing a project from idea to completion;
• Demonstrating commercial awareness or the impact of knowledge transfer in a business or research environment

Assesement

100% Coursework consisting of:

• 20% Literature review
• 20% Research proposal
• 60% Dissertation report/essay

The Collaborative Project

The Collaborative Project

With a multi-talented group of students, you will work on a brief from a real company looking to solve a real social or business problem.

Together with your student team, you will research and build solutions to a business problem, supported by our project tutors, clients and staff. Previous clients include Foster + Partners, Speedo, The London Legacy Development Corporation as well as many other companies, start-ups and charities.

The Collaborative Project provides a means for you to engage in critical enquiry and to be exposed to project-based teamwork in multicultural and interdisciplinary settings. By undertaking this module, you will strengthen your cooperative and collaborative working skills and competencies, whilst raising your awareness and appreciation of cultural and disciplinary diversity and differences.

The Collaborative Project aims to provide you with a hands-on experience of identifying, framing and resolving practice-oriented and real-world based challenges and problems, using creativity and appropriate tools to achieve valuable and relevant solutions. Alongside the collaborative elements of the module, you will be provided with opportunities to network with stakeholders, organisations and corporations, which will give you the experience and skills needed to connect to relevant parties and potentially develop future employment opportunities.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Work effectively in diverse and interdisciplinary teams;
• Undertake and contribute towards a project-based development process;
• Apply critical enquiry, reflection, and creative methods to identify, frame, and resolve issues and problems at hand;
• Identify user and stakeholder needs and value creation opportunities, whilst collecting and applying evidence-based information and knowledge to develop appropriate insights, practices and solutions;
• Identify, structure, reflect on key issues and propose solutions to problems in creative ways;
• Enhance your appreciation for diversity and divergent individual and disciplinary perspectives;
• Be able to provide structured, reflective and critical feedback to peers and other stakeholders;
• Plan and execute a project plan including scope, resources and timing;
• Effectively communicate ideas, methods and results to a diverse range of stakeholders;
• Use multiple, state-of-the-art date media and technologies to communicate with collaborators;
• Make informed, critical and reflective decisions in time-limited situations.

Assessment

100% Coursework consisting of:

• 20% Group project proposal
• 20% Individual reflection
• 30% Final project report
• 30% Project deliverables to the client

International Marketing

International Marketing

This module aims to provide you with an understanding of the key concepts and core issues in international marketing and to develop decision-making skills for the successful formulation, implementation and control of international marketing programmes.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the module you should be able to:

• Describe the core issues associated with the development of international marketing strategies
• Explain the key decisions and problems associated with developing a marketing mix in an international setting
• Analyse the international marketing environment of an organisation
• Debate international marketing issues in a group setting
• Use web-based information on internationalmarketing
• Evaluate the impact of contextual influences on international marketing decision making
• Work independently and manage time effectively
• Work effectively in a small team on case studies and projects

Assessment

• 50% group assignment
• 50% exam

Advanced Big Data Analytics

Advanced Big Data Analytics

The aims of this module are to:

• Introduce the concept of Big Data systems and the challenges posed by such systems
• Introduce the requirement of advanced analytics, processing techniques and architectural solutions to tackle the problems encountered

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module you should be able to:

• Describe the theoretical background of big data, and recognise the need for big data analytics
• Have a critical awareness of machine learning algorithms for data analytics in big data systems
• Describe distributed architectures of big data systems including database technologies used in industrial big data systems
• Understand signal processing techniques for big data systems with advanced matrix manipulation
• Appreciate various visualisation tools and techniques
• Select and apply various machine learning algorithms to a given data set to interpret the data and make necessary predictions
• Demonstrate ability to evaluate and select an appropriate database technology for a given need for big data storage and retrieval
• Analyse the need for visualisation and employ appropriate visualisation tools
• Critically analyse building blocks of a practical big data systems for performance improvement
• Demonstrate programming skills related to data analytics and usage of associated tools
• Formulate creative data solutions that start with cleaning up raw data sets, to discover new patterns that are underlying, to make necessary predictions, utilizing established state-of-the-art tools and techniques
• Develop experimental, analytical and problem solving skills in data driven applications
• Illustrate professional report writing, presentation and communication skills to communicate complex ideas to expert and non-expert audiences
• Develop creative thinking skills to demonstrate ways of solving problems with existing tools

Assessment

• 35% Coursework
• 15% Presentation and Q&A
• 50% Exam

Business Planning

Business Planning

You will look at a variety of frameworks for assessing entrepreneurs, products, markets, and industries with a view to understanding the importance of thorough market analysis and research prior to planning a new venture.

The aim of this module is to equip you with the background knowledge on strategic positioning and the more practical aspects of business planning.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module you should be able to:

• Highlight the complexity of the innovation process
• Explain the importance of idea creation and opportunity spotting
• Create critical assessment of a potential product or service
• Explain strategic positioning of a novel business idea
• Analyse data and information in order to make effective decisions
• Recognise and apply self-reflection for personal development
• Demonstrate rational use of business and risk analysis tools to analyse company performance
• Demonstrate effective communication to persuade and influence stakeholders
• Evaluate the funding needs of a new venture
• Select and use appropriate investigative and research skills
• Demonstrate effective report writing skills
• Work effectively in a team and demonstrate recognition of an individual’s contributions to a group activity
• Demonstrate a positive attitude towards a commercial opportunity
• Spot or create an opportunity for a new product or service
• Successfully manage a project from idea to completion

Assessment

• 100% Coursework

Design Thinking

Design Thinking