Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Marketing I: Marketing Foundations
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish
Teaching staff
Students may visit the course instructor during the following office hours: Mondays from 10:00 to 14:00 and Thursdays from 13:00 to 15:00. To ensure the instructor’s availability, students are advised to send an email in advance.
Introduction
The course provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts, processes, and tools of marketing. It offers a comprehensive overview of the marketing process, enabling students to understand, analyse, and implement basic marketing strategies in a variety of business contexts.
Through a combination of marketing theory based on the core literature and in-class exercises focused on real-world case studies, students will develop a solid theoretical foundation, as well as a practical understanding of how marketing is used and applied by companies around the world.
Pre-course requirements
No.
Objectives
- To acquire a clear understanding of the marketing process and the ability to apply the basic concepts, tools, and elements of marketing practice.
- To develop a basic but coherent, strategically clear, and actionable marketing plan aligned with the strategies and objectives established by the company.
- To understand the role of marketing within a broader business structure.
- To develop the ability to identify and analyse the underlying marketing strategies used by companies.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CN05 - Recognise the principal artificial intelligence tools with applications in advertising, marketing and public relations.
- CN06 - Identify the main models and strategies used in institutional and crisis communication management within the field of public relations.
- CN07 - Identify emerging trends in digital communication, social media and interactive environments for planning advertising and public relations activities in digital and multi-platform contexts.
- CP03 - Apply ethical and professional standards in advertising and public relations practice, respecting the fundamental right to equality between women and men, promoting human rights, a culture of peace and democratic values, including the use of inclusive, non-discriminatory and stereotype-free language.
- CP04 - Manage creative communication projects in advertising and public relations, optimising technical, material and time-related resources.
- CP05 - Manage relationships between advertisers and agencies effectively, applying media planning and buying strategies in multi-channel advertising and public relations environments.
- CP06 - Manage an organisation's corporate image strategically within advertising and public relations, implementing actions to enhance and protect its intangible assets.
- CP07 - Produce audiovisual advertising projects using core techniques in storytelling, recording, editing and post-production for a range of formats and media channels, taking economic viability into account.
- CP08 - Manage corporate communication budgets and advertising and public relations campaigns, optimising resources and drawing on a broad understanding of the economic context and the advertising and public relations industry.
- CP10 - Create graphic and visual elements by applying principles of design and visual communication to advertising and public relations campaigns.
- HB01 - Analyse relevant data obtained from multiple sources using a range of research and documentation methods.
- HB04 - Design strategic communication and public relations plans that respond to the needs of organisations across different sectors.
- HB05 - Use advertising language and narrative techniques to develop persuasive messages for advertising and public relations campaigns.
- HB06 - Apply the stages of audiovisual production to the development of advertising and public relations campaigns across different media.
- HB08 - Develop creative advertising messages, adapting language and style to different contexts and formats.
- HB09 - Critically examine information derived from advertising and public relations messages across a range of media formats and platforms in order to assess their market viability.
- HB12 - Use specialised English terminology in advertising and public relations.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Students will be able to:
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Recognise photographic aesthetics and their application through persuasive resources in the field of advertising.
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Understand the relationships involved in sales processes, from the business idea to the distribution and promotion of products and services.
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Master verbal language to create advertising messages aimed at different audiences and adapted to various media.
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Define the main concepts and areas in which advertising communication takes place, including direct and promotional marketing, points of sale, sales teams, etc.
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Define a brand graphically using image-editing applications, including artificial intelligence.
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Define a brand’s sonic identity using audio libraries and music-editing software.
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Use graphic and web design software proficiently, including artificial intelligence tools.
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Master graphic design techniques aimed at persuasive media.
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Predict the reach and return of advertising communications in order to adapt the investment made.
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Develop multichannel marketing strategies, including the use of artificial intelligence tools.
Syllabus
Topic 1: Introduction to Marketing
1.1 What is marketing? Definition, key concepts, and scope.
1.2 The elements and actors of marketing.
1.3 Introduction to and overview of the «marketing process».
1.4 Introduction to and overview of the «Marketing Mix».
1.5 The role of marketing within a company’s overall strategy.
Topic 2: Marketing Research – Market and Consumer
2.1 Understanding and navigating the market.
2.2 Marketing research: the use of data and analytics.
2.3 Consumer research: who is the customer, where are they, and how do they behave?
2.4 Consumer behaviour: the buying process, consumer motivations, and qualitative vs. quantitative research.
Topic 3: Segmentation, Target Group, and Market Positioning
3.1 Segmentation: criteria and strategies.
3.2 Targeting: Target Group.
3.3 Positioning: image and types of positioning.
3.4 Linking STP (Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning) to the company’s overall objectives and values.
Topic 4: Marketing Mix 1 – Products and Services
4.1 What is a «product» and what is a «service»?
4.2 Branding: values, identity, Brand Equity, and hard vs. soft branding.
4.3 Branding: the brand within a broader sociocultural context.
4.4 Product line and product mix strategies.
4.5 Product development and the product life cycle.
Topic 5: Marketing Mix 2 – Price
5.1 What is «price»?
5.2 Customer perceptions of value.
5.3 Pricing strategies.
5.4 The relationship between product, brand image, and price.
Topic 6: Marketing Mix 3 – Promotion
6.1 Advertising.
6.2 Public relations (PR).
6.3 Sales promotion.
6.4 Direct marketing.
6.5 Direct selling: online and offline.
Topic 7: Marketing Mix 4 – «Place» and Distribution
7.1 Marketing channels.
7.2 Supply Chain.
7.3 Retail and wholesale.
Topic 8: Marketing, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
8.1 Evolution, opportunities, and challenges for the future of marketing.
8.2 Why are companies expected to be socially responsible?
8.3 Ethics and social responsibility as defining elements of brand identity.
8.4 Communication and management of customer relationships during a public relations crisis.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Individual assessment is based on class participation (50%) and examination performance (50%).
Students are assessed on their participation in class and their ability to understand and formulate the basic stages of the marketing process, as well as the different elements that make up the Marketing Mix. In addition, students are assessed on their ability to critically analyse and apply different marketing elements and tools within the context of a coherent and strategically clear marketing plan.
Bibliography and resources
Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., & Brennan, R. (2019). Marketing: An introduction (4th ed.). Pearson.