Digital Marketing – MSc

The aim of this module is for learners to explore the digital marketing landscape, through detailed analysis of the fundamental differences between traditional and digital marketing. Learners will critically evaluate key factors which play a pivotal role in digital marketing strategy, such as the digital marketing environment, digital consumers and the digital marketing mix in order to develop an understanding of the role and importance of digital marketing for modern day businesses.

In addition to this, learners will develop the necessary critical thinking and understanding skills aswell as an ability to plan and implement a successful digital marketing strategy for a live company, conducting market and situation analysis, setting strategic objectives, identifying where these objectives fit within the overall marketing plan and ensuring their successful implementation as part of the firm’s overall marketing activities.

This module will equip the learner with an awareness and understanding of the legal and regulatory issues involved in any digital marketing strategy and in the formation of online contracts. This recognition of regulation as a key and central tool of business should enable informed decision making in digital marketing matters and therefore promote and develop more effective business relationships with clients.

Students will learn how to use data to drive their marketing activity and measure the effectiveness of their website, including how to set appropriate KPI’s for digital channels in order to measure effectiveness. Students will have a clear understanding of how to measure and monitor their online audience. Learners will explore and evaluate how businesses may make use (or better use) of big (and not so big) data to improve business decision making and overall performance, including how data may be better used to understand customers, enhance customer loyalty and gain new customers through improved profiling and segmentation.

Digital marketers and advertisers engage customers personally, across devices and through a multi-channel approach. This practical module explores contemporary issues in digital marketing communications and the management of social media and digital advertising activities. The purpose of the module is to provide students with necessary skills, frameworks and experiences that are required for developing and managing creative and integrated social media marketing and digital advertising campaigns, that are well targeted, implemented efficiently and within budget.

Students will learn how to target new and existing customers via social media marketing and advertising and develop a critical understanding of the channels which are most effective for their target audience and client’s needs.

Students will critically evaluate how social media marketing and digital advertising fit into an overall digital marketing strategy and conduct analysis in order to establish how they can be integrated with offline communications for a seamless customer experience.

This module will provide the learner with the knowledge, competencies and skills to understand, develop and implement search marketing activity in an organisation. The learner will be given the skills to drive targeted, high converting traffic to an organisations website through search engine optimization (SEO) tactics and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.

The aim of this module is for learners to critically evaluate the relevant combination of digital channels to engage with a consumer throughout their relationship with a brand. They will draw complex information together across various owned media technologies in a live company environment, systematically identifying, designing and developing technology solutions including website and email, as well as video and content creation.

This module will also familiarise learners with the key aspects of mobile apps including the mobile app development process and life cycle, the app submission and publication process across various platforms, mobile advertising and mobile payments. Current and emerging app trends will also be explored including gamification as a marketing tool.

This is a capstone module which draws from modules delivered throughout the programme. The aim of the module is to encourage learners to develop integrative learning and critical reflection as they bring together a range of concepts, theories, frameworks and practices within a research setting.

The module focuses on the preparation of a large-scale research proposal; analysis and synthesis of extant literature at the forefront of the candidates research interest; application of the findings from literature review to the design; testing and execution of an in-depth; primary research study; interpretation and reporting of findings to supervisor, and the application of both secondary and primary findings to the preparation of clear, well justified conclusions which address the original aims and objectives of the research.

This is a capstone module which draws from modules delivered throughout the programme. The aim of the module is to encourage learners to develop integrative learning, independent thought and critical reflection skills as they bring together a range of concepts, theories, frameworks and practices within a live business setting.

The module focuses on the identification of a live industry partner with a specific and identifiable requirement in the area of digital marketing which encompasses several of the technical and theoretical elements covered in course content. Specialism is encouraged at this point in the programme. The initial stage includes a meeting with potential client organisations and the preparation of an agreed consultancy proposal with the chosen client organization. Following this is an in-depth analysis and synthesis of relevant extant literature, the current array of suitable technical options and other industry-specific information. This analysis is then applied to the design, testing and execution of specific client-approved digital marketing solutions within the work environment. Interpretation and reporting of findings from this stage to supervisor and/or relevant clients is then provided with recommendations for changes along with clear, well justified conclusions which address the original aims and objectives of the initial proposal.