WM954-15 Digital Marketing Strategy and Management
Introductory description
Digital Marketing is central to organisational competitiveness and digital marketers now operate in conditions of accelerating technological change and widening skills gaps. Moreover, employers consistently report shortages in digital strategy, analytics, and cross‑channel integration capabilities. While digital tools evolve rapidly, the most persistent deficit lies in marketers’ ability to integrate digital activity into coherent, data‑driven strategies aligned with customer value and organisational objectives.
A key feature of the module is the integration of an enterprise‑level e‑commerce simulation, which enables students to operationalise theoretical models in a dynamic, competitive environment. This ensures that learning extends beyond conceptual understanding towards strategic judgement and reflective practice.
Module aims
This module directly addresses industrial skills-gaps by developing graduates who are capable of critically analysing markets and designing, justifying, and managing digital marketing strategies in complex and evolving contexts. The module moves beyond tactical execution to focus on critical evaluation, synthesis, and strategic decision‑making across digital channels and platforms. The module requires students to engage with contemporary academic debates, emerging digital practices, and strategic challenges, ensuring their knowledge is informed by current research and professional practice in digital marketing. By combining academic rigour, experiential simulation, and strategic synthesis, this module prepares graduates to operate as strategic digital marketing leaders capable of managing complexity, uncertainty, and value creation in contemporary markets.
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.
This module is centred on four themes:
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Digital Market Analysis and Segmentation
Students critically examine contemporary digital market segmentation tools and techniques, including behavioural, data‑driven/AI-Driven, and customer‑centric approaches. The focus is on evaluating the appropriateness and limitations of segmentation methods within digital contexts and applying them to inform strategic decisions. -
Digital Marketing Strategy Development
This theme focusses on the synthesis of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. Students will integrate market analysis, strategic objectives, positioning, performance measurement, and ethical considerations to produce academically rigorous and managerially relevant strategies. -
Digital Channels, Content, and Value Co‑creation
In this theme, students will explore digital channels and content strategies as mechanisms for engagement and value co‑creation with customers. Emphasis is placed on strategic coherence across platforms, customer participation, and the management of digital relationships rather than isolated channel tactics. -
Digital Marketing Mix and Multi‑segment Strategy
As part of this theme, students design and evaluate marketing mixes tailored to distinct customer segments. This includes consideration of both online and offline channels, personalisation, automation, paid and owned media, and the management of trade‑offs between reach, engagement, and value creation.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Critically analyse and apply market segmentation tools and techniques in the context of Digital Marketing
- Synthesize a comprehensive and academically justified Digital Marketing Strategy
- Develop digital channel and content strategies in order to facilitate value co-creation with customers
- Identify and develop a digital marketing mix for a range of distinct audiences
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
Specific reading list for the module
Interdisciplinary
The module contains a mixture of Strategy/Marketing elements from Business Management disciplines and digital technology elements from Computing/IT disciplines.
International
Topics are of high international demand. The module will include international examples and will develop international cultural awareness.
Subject specific skills
Customer/Market Analysis; Digital Strategy Synthesis (analysis, integration, and justification); Segmentation Techniques; digital channel strategies; performance measurement approaches; Handling Complexity, Uncertainty, and Partial Information
Transferable skills
Communication, Critical Thinking, Digital Literacy, Ethical Values, Information Literacy, Intercultural Awareness, Organisational Awareness, Problem Solving, Professionalism, Self Awareness, Sustainability, Teamwork
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 28 sessions of 1 hour (19%) |
| Online learning (scheduled sessions) | 2 sessions of 1 hour (1%) |
| Online learning (independent) | 30 sessions of 1 hour (20%) |
| Private study | 30 hours (20%) |
| Assessment | 60 hours (40%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
Private study includes reading academic literature and engagement with industrial examples in preparation for the seminars.
Independent learning includes applied group learning via simulation; individual reflection and other activities provided through the Virtual Learning Environment.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A7
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Digital Marketing Strategy Report | 70% | 42 hours | Yes (extension) |
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Using real-world data, students will produce a comprehensive and academically justified digital marketing strategy for a digital/hybrid business. |
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Reassessment component |
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| Digital Marketing Strategy Report Reassessment | No | ||
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This is a functionally similar report to the previous assignment; However students will be provided with a new company/data to use in a different city. |
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Assessment component |
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| Strategic Digital Marketing Mix Presentation | 30% | 18 hours | No |
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Groups will give a presentation where they critically analyse and justify a Strategic Digital Marketing Mix designed to appeal to a range of audiences |
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Reassessment component |
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| Strategic Digital Marketing Mix Reassessment | No | ||
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Students will be presented with a digital/hybrid company and asked to critically review the current digital marketing mix and propose a new mix for a different audience |
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Assessment group S1
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Written Assessment | 70% | Yes (extension) | |
Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Group Report | 30% | No | |
Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
All students work will contain feedback via the official system, plus students may obtain further verbal feedback from either their marker/ module owner/ module tutors/ personal tutors.
The presentation assignment will also include verbal feedback which will contain formative elements.
Courses
This module is Core optional for:
- Year 1 of TWMS-H1S4 Postgraduate Taught e-Business Management (Full-time)