Business Administration: Marketing Communications

Emphasizes the coordination of advertising and sales promotion into cohesive promotional programs. Stresses the need to integrate promotional activity into the overall marketing strategy. Prerequisites: BUS 2500; Business Administration major or minor; minimum Junior standing.

Prereqs enforced by the system: BUS 2500; BSAD majors or BSAD minors only; Minimum junior standing; Open to Degree and PACE students

This course is designed primarily for students whose career plans may at some point involve making marketing communication decisions, although it is also appropriate for students who basically just seek a better understanding of how marketing communications “work.” Its basic objectives are: 1) to increase understanding of the important issues in planning and evaluating marketing communication campaigns, and 2) to provide the appropriate theories, models, and other tools to make better marketing communication decisions. Consistent with how companies approach advertising and promotions, the course adopts an integrated marketing perspective which involves understanding the role of the different promotional mix elements and coordinating them to develop effective marketing communication programs. Strong emphasis is placed on understanding the psychological principles in consumer behavior which facilitate the development of such programs. Overall, this course is intended to help you appreciate the variety of options you have as a decision-maker when you are making communication decisions. Moreover, this course will help you ask the right questions and speak the language of various agencies you will interface with in the future. The class is also designed to enhance your communication skills, both written and oral, and to build up your understanding of the dynamics of working with others. These are skills marketing managers need to succeed in the workplace. Additional Course Information: BUS 3555 is organized around the marketing communication decisions which must be made in the following areas: 1) Communication Objectives; 2) Target Market Definition; 3) Message Strategies; 4) Creative Strategies; 5) Media Strategies; 6) Promotion Strategies; and 7) Research Strategies. The first few sessions are intended to provide the “big picture” for the course. The next several sessions deal with marketing communication decisions by addressing “who, what, when, where, how, and why” types of questions. Who are the targets of the communication program? What are the objectives of the communication program? What is to be communicated? How should it be communicated? How much communication will be necessary? Which means of communication are to be used? What are the roles of sales promotion, publicity, digital and social media, and direct marketing? What is the impact of the communications program? The last few sessions deal with the broader implications of these marketing communication principles. Its purpose is to pull together all of these different strategies and tactics and consider social, legal, and global issues, as well as the future of marketing communications. Case readings and discussions provide application of course concepts, including cases and examples that take place in a global setting.

This course combines lecture and discussion formats. Readings include material from the text and a required case packet.

Grades for this course will be based on the following: two exams, two individual case analyses assignments, one group assignment, case contribution, and class participation.