LP909-30 Marketing and Markets

Department: SCAPVC - Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies
Level: Taught Postgraduate Level
Credit value: 30
Module duration: 10 weeks
Assessment: 100% coursework
Study location: University of Warwick main campus, Coventry

Introductory description

The aim of the module is to revisit and rethink the fundamentals of marketing theory and practice in relation to industry structure, consumer behaviour and content in the creative and media industries. The module starts from the assumption that production and consumption in the cultural industries is distinctive, and that marketing models and tools will need to be adapted accordingly. A second framing context for the module is the impact of digital distribution and of new intermediaries, and the resulting structural changes in the commercial creative and media industries which have changed the scope of marketing, especially for smaller creative enterprises.

Module web page

Module aims

In this module you will address the challenges of marketing and the changing structure of markets in the creative sector. The module covers some of the basics of marketing but also invites you to consider the challenge of selling unprecedented experiences and intangible products to an unpredictable audience. You will examine the changing value chain of the creative and media industries and the emergence of new business models, especially online. You will also have the opportunity to apply what you have learned in a practical group project.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The module begins by reviewing the application of marketing to the creative and media industries and some of the difficulties this raises for traditional marketers. The second part of the module considers the structural characteristics of markets in the creative and media industries, in terms of value chains and consumer behaviour. During the course you will also work in teams on a marketing proposal for launching a new product – this will be presented at the end of the module and presentations will be assessed as part of the module. An indicative week-by-week structure is as follows: Week 1: What is marketing? - Week 2 Analysing Markets; - Week 3 Product Life Cycle; - Week 4 From Products to brands; - Week 5 Marketing: Planning and Strategy; - Week 6 Tutorials on group project; - Week 7 Rethinking the Value Chain; - Week 8 From Segments to Subcultures; - Week 9 Customisation and Individualism; Week 10 Group Presentations

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of marketing theory and practice in the creative and media industries and the impacts of political, economic, technological and socio-cultural changes upon these structures
Gather, interpret and present evidence, with which to analyse the creative and media industries
Question assumptions behind marketing theory and practice in the creative and media industries
Reason critically and debate interpretations
Present an argument or case convincingly to a group of people
Communicate what they have learnt, both orally and in writing
Solve problems, arising from seminar presentations and written assignments
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of different modes of analysing the creative and media industries

Indicative reading list

Anderson, Chris (2009): The Longer Long Tail: how endless choice is creating unlimited demand (London: Random House Business)
Bilton, C (2017): The Disappearing Product: marketing and markets in the creative industries. (Edward Elgar 2017)
Björkegren, Dag (1993): ‘Arts management’ in Journal of Socio-Economics, Vol. 22 Issue 4 (Winter 1993), pp. 379 – 395 (online link via website)
Colbert, Francois (1994): ‘Cultural Enterprise and Marketing’ in Marketing Culture and the Arts (Morin), pp. 1 – 24
Cova, Bernard (1996): ‘The Postmodern Explained to Managers: Implications For Marketing’ in Business Horizons November – December 1996, pp. 15 - 23
Cova, B and V Cova (2002): Tribal marketing: The tribalisation of society and its impact on the conduct of marketing. European Journal of Marketing 35:5/6. 595-620
Doyle, P and Stern P (2006): Marketing Management and Strategy (London: Prentice Hall Europe)
Firat, A, Dholakia, Nikhilesh and Venkatesh, Alladi (1995): ‘Marketing in a postmodern world’ in European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 29 no. 1, pp. 40-56
Kotler, Philip et al. (2009): Marketing Management (Harlow: Pearson)
Lee, H-K (2005). When Arts Met Marketing: arts marketing theory embedded in Romanticism. International Journal of Cultural Policy 11.3, pp. 289-305
Levitt, Theodore (1960): ‘Marketing Myopia’ in Harvard Business Review (July / August 1960) pp. 45 – 46
McDonald, Malcolm (1999): Marketing Plans: how to prepare them, how to use them (Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann) – mainly chapters 1 and 3
Rifkin, Jeremy (2000): ‘The Age of Access (London: Penguin)
Troilo, G (2015): Marketing in Creative Industries: value, experience and creativity (London: Palgrave Macmillan)

Subject specific skills

Understanding of marketing theory and practice in the creative and media industries, and of the structures of the entertainment and media industries and the impacts of political, economic, technological and socio-cultural changes upon these structures. Gather, interpret and present evidence, with which to analyse the creative and media industries

Transferable skills

Question assumptions behind marketing theory and practice in the creative and media industries.
Reason critically and debate interpretations. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of different modes of analysing the creative and media industries.
Present an argument or case convincingly to a group of people. Work collaboratively and solve problems
Enhance the student's ability to understand and situate existing policy, government agency research, advocates and consultancy research, and scholarly research, enhancing skills in the processes and challenges of researching for media organisations (for strategy building, implementation, agenda-creation and communications, management and initiative-taking or enterprise initiatives).

Study time

Type	Required
Seminars	10 sessions of 3 hours (10%)
Tutorials	1 session of 1 hour (0%)
Project supervision	3 sessions of 45 minutes (1%)
Private study	266 hours 45 minutes (89%)
Total	300 hours

Private study description

Private study is structured and organised according to (a) the weekly seminar structure, which is a de fact syllabus; and (b) according to the schedule submission demands (Group Presentation, Research paper and so forth). This features:
1: A Moodle interface linked to Tallis, with a study guide and reading for each seminar, in which students are assigned tasks and play an active if non-assessed role in the seminar learning. This often involves viewing and presenting visual materials, like documentary video.
2: In-person Tutor input is weekly in the second half of the module, guiding the group work and presentation submission.
3: The group work is in-person as well as online, but for purposes of recording and group availability, students are required to schedule a series of independent group meetings online in which they make critical decisions for their projects.

While individual study behaviour is impossible to quantify, we estimate that the actual time spent in individual study (alone, self-managed or without guidance) is less than half the time specified here.

Students are given guidance on academic study, time management, and research methods, in other sessions ‘around’ the option module, and within the common core module Research Design [LP935]. Adding to which is the Personal Tutor system, meaning that their private study always takes place within a framework of guidance, clear schedules and support.

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A

	Weighting	Eligible for self-certification
Assessment component
Group Presentation	50%	Yes (extension)
A visual research presentation (delivered accompanied by all members of the research team) produced in group collaboration – as a managed and organised research team – on a specific challenge internal to the module and published in the module Outline.
Reassessment component is the same
Assessment component
3000 word Essay	50%	Yes (extension)
A standard theoretically-informed research essay on a range of topics and questions provide in the module Outline and relevant to each specific seminar topic.
Reassessment component is the same

Feedback on assessment

The marker writes around one A4 page of written feedback, and does so under specified categories (each of which identify the published criteria of marking – published in both the student Handbook, the module Moodle form and the Module Outline or Handbook document). These categories are knowledge and understanding, argument and analysis, research, and presentation.

Marking is supported by a moderator, who surveys the distribution of all marks, and samples written work along with feedback in advance of publication. Publication is a PDF of the markers feedback, with mark, and delivered automatically via Tabula to the student's University email account 20 days after the date of submission.

Courses

This module is Optional for:

Year 1 of TLPS-W4PQ Postgraduate Taught Arts, Enterprise and Development
Year 1 of TTHS-W4PQ Postgraduate Taught Arts, Enterprise and Development
Year 1 of TLPS-W4P4 Postgraduate Taught Creative and Media Enterprises
Year 1 of TTHS-W4P4 Postgraduate Taught Creative and Media Enterprises
Year 1 of TLPS-W4PG Postgraduate Taught Global Media and Communication
Year 1 of TTHS-W4PG Postgraduate Taught Global Media and Communication
Year 1 of TLPS-W4PM Postgraduate Taught International Cultural Policy and Management
Year 1 of TTHS-W4PM Postgraduate Taught International Cultural Policy and Management