The Philadelphia Center

Great Lakes Colleges Association

Instructor:    Al Tedesco

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

AN EVENING ELECTIVE

Fall 2007

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

              This elective course explores the dynamics of the marketing process.  It is designed for students who will work in education, government, the arts, social welfare organizations, and other not-for-profit organizations, for students who are business, marketing and/or communications majors, and for students, regardless of major or career objectives, who seek a clear understanding of the role marketing plays in society. 

              The course examines how experts develop, target, promote, and distribute products and services. It addresses the positive and negative impact marketing has on our lives and in society. It investigates how marketing, as a practical organizational activity and personal skill, evolves from a sophisticated application of business expertise, the arts and sciences (especially psychology, communications, sociology, and other cultural studies) and the fine arts. 

              Students explore the creative and technical aspects of marketing through a "hands-on" final project, as well as through class discussions and debates on the strategies, tactics, and ethical issues, which are central to the marketing process.

OVERVIEW

              This is a course about the pragmatics of marketing management.  It is designed to illuminate the process and techniques of current marketing practice from the perspective of the practitioner.

              This is a course for students who want to learn about the central role marketing plays in our day-to-day lives.  It is a course for students interested in careers in not-for-profit organizations as well as for those whose careers will be in the world of for-profit corporations.

              The core of the course is designed to explore the central role of the marketplace in modern society and the function of those who "market" within that arena.

While the emphasis of the course is on the pragmatic, on what works in a given context, and why it works, there will be recognition of both the artistic and scientific components of the marketing discipline and the contributions made by theory.

              The multidisciplinary nature of marketing will be addressed with special emphasis on the contributions made by communications sciences and the traditional social sciences.

              The philosophy of the course grows out of the fact that it is a seminar in which students engage fully in discussion and exploration.  To achieve this end, there will be adequate opportunity to solve problems and share results.

              The marketing discipline is as much centered on communications skills as any other human tool, and for this reason the course relies heavily on the give and take of class discussions.

              The end product of the course will be a project which will allow students in the role of "marketing managers" to research and create a new product or service, and to design and demonstrate their marketing plan for its launch.

CONTENT

              In the seminar we will cover selectively the following topics through reading, discussion, and practical application:

              The role of Advertising, Publicity and Public Relations in the

                            marketing mix

              E-Commerce and the Transformation of Business: The convergence of

                            Bricks and Mortar and the Internet

              Database Marketing and Customer Relationship Management

              The Lifetime Value of Customers and its Social Context

              The issue of Consumer Privacy

              Competitive Intelligence

              The Status of the Information Environment/Information

                            Economy and the Technology that drives it

              The Web and Marketing: Creating Web Sites that Achieve their

                            Objectives

              New Paradigms for Marketing in the Interactive Age

              The Psychological and Social Significance of Interactive Technologies                             in the Marketplace

              Introduction to Web Design and Management

              Introduction to electronic tools for building marketing plans

              The Role of Interpersonal Communication in Marketing

              The Social/International Environment of the Marketplace

              Systems Theories applied to Marketing

Communications Theories (Interpersonal and Mass Communications)

              The Central Marketing Problem

The Assessment of Needs and Wants

              Target Markets-Segmentation

Understanding the Marketing Implications of Differences among                            Consumers

              Marketing to Diverse Targets -- the Role of "Culture" in Diversity                        Marketing

Demographic Analysis

              Psychographics and Positioning

              Market Research with Emphasis on Focus Groups and Survey Research

              Business Information Databases

              Strategic Market Planning

              Tactics

              Product Creation and Campaign Planning

              Advertising and Promotions

              Marketing Tools

              Sales and the Selling Environment

              Pricing

              Marketing Mix- Ways of getting the products to Consumers

              The Marketing Plan within the Context of the Business Plan

ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE

              There are seven components or "teaching tools" employed to get the work done in the course.  These are:

              (1) Lectures and Discussions

              Designed to explore core topics and to build on in-class and homework problems, readings, personal research and internship experience, field trips, and trends in marketing practice.

              (2) Homework Problems

              Assigned as an opportunity for students to explore a problem in depth between class meetings, homework problems form the basis for many class discussions.

              (3) Case Studies, Class Problems, Media Analysis

              Class members evaluate/create a marketing strategy, plan, environment, tool (web site for example), and share their assessments and results with the class.  Members share readings with the seminar.

(4) Database Searches

Members will search on-line to retrieve course-related information and to collect competitive intelligence and product and industry data for the final project.

(5) Field Trips

Visits to businesses, agencies, media organizations or retail marketing environments, which illustrate one or more dimensions of the marketing process.

 (6) Consultations (live and e-mail)  (al@medianex.com)

              Members are expected to consult with the seminar leader in person and by e-mail regarding anything to do with the course.  Response time frame is usually 24/7 for e-mail.       

(7) Final Project

              Members create a product or service and design its marketing launch.

              The final project has four parts:

                            1.  The marketing plan (written document)

                            2.  The project poster

                            3.  The presentation at the poster session

                            4.   The recruitment of at least one professional visitor to the

                                          poster session

Grades:

              Final grades are based on these elements:

                            1.  Class discussion, participation, and leadership:              25%

                            2.  Homework Assignments/Analysis:                                   15%

                            3.  Book Report/Class Lecture:                                                   10%

                            4.  Final Project:                                                                         50%

READINGS

Gladwell, Malcolm, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big

              Difference, Little Brown and Company, 2000

Coursepack

Assigned Reading (TBA)

CONTACT

Al  Tedesco

Medianex:  215-576-8123       Home:    215-885-8278           al@medianex.com

Topic Schedule: Spring 2007