Course Syllabus
MGMT E-6650: Digital Marketing Strategy
Syllabus: Fall 2015
Overview
The course examines digital marketing strategy, implementation and executional considerations for BtoB and BtoC brands and provides a detailed understanding of all digital channels and platforms. Participants will complete the course with a comprehensive knowledge of and experience with how to develop an integrated digital marketing strategy, from formulation to implementation.
Objectives
- Understand how and why to use digital marketing for multiple goals within a larger marketing and/or media strategy
- Understand the major digital marketing channels - online advertising: Digital display, video, mobile, search engine, and social media
- Learn to develop, evaluate, and execute a comprehensive digital marketing strategy and plan
- Learn how to measure digital marketing efforts and calculate ROI
- Explore the latest digital ad technologies
Instructors
Charles Breckling, MBA. Managing Director, Content and Digital Marketing Strategy, Boathouse Group, Inc.
Britt Teravainen, Director, Digital Engagement Strategy, Boathouse Group, Inc.
Contact Info
Charlie Breckling
cbreckling@boathouseinc.com
Phone: 617-821-5342
Britt Teravainen
bteravainen@boathouseinc.com
Phone: 617-571-6554
Both will make every effort to get back to you within 48 hours.
Class Time and Location
Wednesdays 7:40-9:40 pm Eastern Time via live web conference. Class discussions are an important aspect of the learning and students are expected to attend the live sessions. The link to the web conference will be published on the course website (see below).
If attending class during the scheduled class time is a hardship, please drop this class and enroll in a different course that better fits your needs. The Extension School has other courses where lectures can be viewed on your own schedule.
The course website will be an important resource for students throughout the course. Lecture slides, articles, and links to helpful resources will be posted to the website. Students are encouraged to respond to discussion questions posted to the website each week. Please note that you will be required to log in view course content and submit assignments and no exceptions will be made to this policy.
Required Textbooks
There are no required textbooks, however a list of assigned readings will be shared in class and will be sourced from leading industry publications and websites such as:
http://www.convinceandconvert.com
And more...
Each week, students are required to complete the assigned readings as well as the corresponding discussion questions BEFORE each corresponding class. Required readings/questions will be posted on Canvas the day after each class for the follow session. Your question responses will be factored into your class participation grade.
Social media is an important marketing tool and students interested in the marketing field should be comfortable using social media. Therefore, we will use Twitter to post some course-related material. Students may view this information by following @brittybap and @cbreckling on Twitter. We will tag course-related posts with the hashtag, “#mgmt6650.” Students are strongly encouraged to create a Twitter account and add to the discussion by tagging their posts with “#mgmt6650.”
Additionally, during the course of the class, we will conduct Twitter chats using our class hashtag, the class instructors will conduct biweekly Twitter chats based on the materials discussed in class. Tweet chats will be part of the class participation grade.
Grading
25% Class Participation (discussion questions, verbal comments, chat activity, Twitter Chats)
15% Quizzes (3 in class pop-quizzes - 10 question/10 minute limit)
30% Written Research Assignment
30% Final Project (Group paper and presentation)
This is a graduate-level course and students should expect a graduate-level workload. The ability to express oneself effectively in verbal and written communication is essential for success in marketing and management careers. As such, active participation in class discussions and high-quality written work is expected.
Written work should be clear, logical, grammatically correct, and free of spelling errors. Data and sources should be appropriately cited using Chicago or MLA format.
Prior to the beginning of the first class session on September 2, you will be given instructions on how to post a short bio on the course website. For the bio, please include your name, where you are from, what the local time is for you when attending our web conference class, schools you have attended, and professional experience, including where you currently work. This will count toward the class participation grade for the first class.
Class Participation and Attendance
This course moves at a fast pace and much of the learning will take place during in-class exercises and discussion. Students are expected to attend all class sessions, complete all assigned readings prior to class and be prepared to participate. Attendance will be taken and participation will be evaluated at each class session. You may miss two class sessions without penalty, but all other absences will result in deductions from your class participation Students are expected to arrive to the web conference on time and to stay for the duration of the class. Participation in bi-weekly Twitter chats will be factored into the class participation grade. See calendar for exact dates and times of the Twitter chats.
Written Assignments
The written assignments are designed to help students delve into specific topic areas. Each assignment is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete. Students should not expect to complete the assignment at the last minute and receive a good grade.
Assignments should fall within the page length specified, be double-spaced, in 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. Assignments should be turned in to the electronic dropbox on the course website prior to the beginning of class. Written assignments turned in late will receive a zero.
Quizzes
Sometime during the course 3 short “pop” quiz will be given in class covering the assigned readings and course material. The quiz will be timed (10 minutes) and the date of the quiz will not be disclosed in advance. The quizzes are worth 15% of the final grade and students who are absent will not be given a make-up quiz.
Final Project: Group Paper and Presentation
Students will work in instructor-selected groups of four to complete a 15-20 page digital marketing plan utilizing the concepts and frameworks covered in the course. Papers should be double-spaced using 12-point font and 1-inch margins, and submitted via Canvas by midnight EST on December 6th. All groups will be required to give a presentation in class highlighting the important points of their plan and submit their presentation slides for review. Presentations will take place in class via web conference on December 9th and December 16th. Students will need to ensure their audio is working well in order to present. All students will be required to complete evaluations of the group presentations given in class. Students will also submit evaluations assessing each of their group members’ contributions to the final project. 25% will be deducted per day for late papers and slides.
Please note that because the final project is a group project, it is critical that students are considerate with regard to withdrawing from the class in a timely manner and communicating that information to the instructor and teammates.
Questions Regarding Grades
The instructors will make every effort to provide detailed feedback on written assignments and the final project. If you question or request a higher grade for your written assignments or class participation, please know that your paper and participation will be re-graded with close detail and there is a possibility that your grade for the assignment will go down, not up.
Academic Integrity and Professional Conduct
Academic integrity and ethical behavior are fundamental requirements of this course. Students are expected to adhere to the school’s policies regarding academic integrity, which can be found at: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/exams-grades-policies/student-responsibilities. Please take time to become familiar with these policies as ignorance of the academic standards will not be considered an excuse for violating them.
All instances of cheating and plagiarism will be forwarded to the Extension School Administrative Board which can issue a number of sanctions including academic suspension. The penalty can be the same if you intentionally or unintentionally plagiarize, if it is your first offense, or if it was a final paper, short assignment, or group project. Writing with Sources: A Guide for Harvard Students and Writing with Internet Sources, may both be downloaded from the above Extension School link. We strongly encourage students to complete the online tutorials regarding plagiarism: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources/career-academic-resource-center/plagiarism-proper-use-sources#tutorial
Professional conduct and communication is expected throughout the class. Students are expected to treat each other and the instructor with respect. Please turn off all cell phones prior to class and refrain from texting, emailing or surfing the web during class.
Course Outline and Schedule
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Please note: The instructors reserve the right to change weekly readings and assignments based on students’ level of understanding of key concepts and/or to accommodate guest speakers. |
Course Summary:
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