Overview
This introductory course examines marketing as a value-creation, exchange, and relationship-building discipline within organizations and society. Students develop a foundation in the marketing concept, customer needs and wants, value propositions, market orientation, and the strategic role of marketing.
Topics include marketing environments; consumer and organizational buying behaviour; market research and intelligence; segmentation, targeting, and positioning; branding; product and service strategy; new product development; pricing; distribution channels and supply-chain relationships; integrated marketing communications; advertising; public relations; sales promotion; personal selling; direct, social media, and digital marketing; customer experience; relationship marketing; marketing metrics; and ethical, social, and global considerations.
Learning activities apply introductory marketing concepts through market analysis, customer-persona development, competitor reviews, brand audits, campaign planning, and interpretation of basic marketing data. Students learn to support marketing decisions with research, analytics, and critical evaluation.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain core marketing concepts, processes, and the role of marketing within organizations and society.
- Analyze internal and external environmental factors affecting marketing decisions.
- Evaluate consumer and organizational buying behaviour using established marketing frameworks.
- Identify and assess target markets through segmentation, targeting, and positioning analysis.
- Construct a basic positioning strategy and recommend an appropriate marketing mix.
- Apply introductory market research and marketing analytics methods to support marketing decisions.
- Assess branding, product, service, pricing, distribution, and promotional alternatives.
- Develop an integrated marketing communication plan using appropriate traditional and digital channels.
- Interpret basic marketing metrics and use findings to recommend performance improvements.
- Evaluate the ethical, social, cultural, and global implications of marketing practices.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Quiz | Online quizzes (5 × 2%) | 10.00% |
| Assignment | Market and competitor analysis | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Customer persona and segmentation analysis | 15.00% |
| Deliverable | Brand audit and positioning recommendation | 15.00% |
| Assignment | Integrated marketing communication plan | 15.00% |
| Test | Mid-semester test | 10.00% |
| Exam | Final examination | 15.00% |
Prerequisites
- Requirement 14 NCEA Level 2 English credits, externally assessed
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
