Fundamentals of Marketing Communications addresses some of the central themes in marketing. The purpose of marketing communications is to influence and encourage customers to accept or adopt goods, services or ideas. This is achieved through promotional activities in a variety of forms including advertising, selling, sales promotion, public relations and direct marketing. This module introduces these communication tools alongside the range of media options.

Introduction to Digital Marketing recognises that the ubiquity of the internet has changed much of our consumption and has also affected marketing substantially. The module introduces a broad range of topics in the area of digital marketing including website marketing, social media marketing, e-commerce and digital advertising. You will examine how organisations can best use digital marketing to influence consumers and customers, discuss theoretical concepts and apply them to the development of digital marketing strategy, and identify issues related to the planning, design and implementation of digital marketing.

Principles of Marketing introduces you to the central philosophies of marketing thinking and practice. Topics covered include the marketing concept, the marketing mix and the theories of segmentation, targeting and positioning. This is because attracting customers and successfully meeting their needs are at the heart of any successful business organisation. The module will introduce you to a number of the basic building blocks of marketing.

Understanding Consumer Markets encourages you to develop an awareness of the need for market intelligence and a knowledge of the mechanisms by which market intelligence is gathered. This module focuses on the nature of information required to make informed marketing decisions, the methods used to gather such information, the ways of interpreting and applying the resulting data and the means by which the information is stored and retrieved.

Business Economics covers the basic principles of micro- and macro-economics. The micro element will provide a theoretical base, and thus allow for the study of organisational behaviour in the marketplace. The macro element will equip you with an understanding of the broader national and international environment in which business operates.

Business Start-Up is a review of entrepreneurial skills and small business development through theoretical concepts of enterprise, self-employment and small business management, evaluating differing environments within which enterprise operates. This includes the rise of the digital economy. The module will provide you with an awareness of emergent business types and their markets and the factors behind small business start-ups, entry routes, funding and barriers.

Communicating Through Design provides you with an overall knowledge, from a practical point of view, of the fundamentals of creative design and visual communication. The module recognises that effective design is the vehicle to communicate companies’ values, personality and unique selling points, helping them to stand out from the crowd. Design helps companies to stay relevant and desirable in an ever-changing climate and to make a real difference. Whether internal or external, every business has an element of visual communication created through design. On this module you will gain expert insight into how marketers and advertisers use creative design and visual communication to develop corporate brand identities, inform design choices and shape promotional materials.

Creative Thinking in Business equips you with the creative thinking theory, tools and techniques to enhance creativity and solve business problems utilising ‘out of the box’ and innovative approaches. According to LinkedIn Learning, creative thinking is one of the most sought after skills in every company so you will have a competitive advantage if you develop the ability to come up with new ideas. Creative thinking in business is a way of thinking that inspires, challenges and helps people to find innovative solutions and create opportunities out of problems. It’s the source of innovation and inspiration. Creativity is a complex subject to evaluate and assess, however, so this module is designed to examine both the process of creative thinking and the application of creative thinking techniques, thereby developing your ability to create new ideas as a response to a business-based problem.

History of Advertising reveals the history of advertising from ancient Egypt and Rome to the current day. The module focuses on cultural shifts, technological breakthroughs, ground breaking adverts, and how advertising reflects the society of the day and the mood of an era. takes a critical look at the history of advertising. From the earliest known adverts through to medieval trademarks, printing, mass media and the digital age, you will explore the interplay between society and advertising, discover how one influences the other, and examine some of the most famous adverts which have been produced.

Marketing Research is a hands-on project where you will work as part of a small group to design and undertake a small scale practical research project. Marketing research is a crucial means of enhancing marketing decisions by providing relevant, timely and accurate information. Such information allows organisations to identify and define marketing opportunities and marketing problems, while also initiating appropriate marketing responses. The module provides you with the opportunity to conduct a real life marketing research project from conception to analysis, enhancing both your practical skills and understanding of the research process.

TLC1010 Language 1 is ideal if you want to learn a new language, or further develop your current language skills, as an integrated element of your degree. You can study French, German, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish (subject to minimum numbers for your preferred language). Delivered at the Edge Hill Language Centre, the module will be taught in an interactive, communicative manner, using authentic materials in the target language. Emphasis will be placed on all four areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will play an active role in the weekly two-hour classes, engaging in role-plays, short conversations, videos, authentic texts and listening materials. You will also be encouraged to reflect on your own learning needs. On enrolment to the module, you will complete a language induction form and be placed into a language level group appropriate for your prior knowledge of your chosen language. Please note, while we will endeavour to accommodate varying language levels per module, this is not always possible. While you can join the module with some prior experience of your target language, you will not be able to study a language you are already fluent or proficient in.

Branding: Integrated Digital Campaigns is designed to link brand strategy and positioning to the creative aspects of branding, thus preparing you for the marketing, marketing communications and branding industry by building a clear bridge between creative solutions and formulating strategy. The module requires you to examine the elements required to build successful brands and specifically the use of traditional and contemporary media.

Research Methods for Business are crucial to personal, academic and vocational development. Employers are increasingly looking for graduates who have specific skills, including those significantly developed through learning about methods of research. This module introduces these methods and considers how they are required to undertake specific academic projects, enhance knowledge and understanding, and address specific business issues and practical managerial problems.

Retail Marketing Planning recognises that effective marketing planning is essential for all organisations. This module offers you the opportunity to place tactical marketing activities in the context of the marketing planning process. Specifically, this module provides you with the opportunity to examine the complex nature of marketing planning for organisations in the retail sector which constitutes a dynamic and vital element of the British economy.

Employability encourages you to contextualise and evaluate theoretical perspectives in a practical setting while at the same time providing an alternative learning environment which informs your future learning processes and outcomes. Workplace experience is increasingly seen as essential in contributing to graduate employability. It is an opportunity to hone employability skills, relate theory to practice and gain experience in a working environment. The module is designed to enhance your understanding, skill-base, personal development, aptitude for self-promotion and ability to reflect upon your experience in the workplace. It will also help familiarise you with professional business etiquette.

Graduate Enterprise enables you to experience running your own company with a number of your colleagues. You can create your own product or service, launch it into the marketplace and experience at first hand the issues faced by small business owners. You will be supported by your own business consultant who is on secondment from industry and the full resources of the Graduate Enterprise Company.

Analysing Audiences provides you with a range of approaches to the understanding of audiences and methods of researching and theorising those audiences. You will experience a range of texts in a variety of media. Consideration will be given to the role of the media producer in audience creation and evolution, including the role of new media and new technology in the creation of contemporary audience practices.

Brand Activation recognises that modern brands require groundbreaking marketing techniques to keep attracting consumers’ attention. A brand activation campaign goes through conventional marketing techniques and brings novelty and innovation to attract more customers. With this type of campaign, brands are perceived as modern and groundbreaking in their approach and scope. This module explores the methods used by advertising and marketing agencies to activate brands and reach consumers directly in a non-traditional way.

Consumer Behaviour considers the factors that influence what, where and when consumers buy and what they buy. Understanding the factors that affect buying behaviour enables marketers to predict the response of customers to marketing strategies. This knowledge can then be fed into the design and innovation process for new products and marketing campaigns. In addition, you will examine the issues of increasing consumerism and addictive shopping behaviours.

Loyalty Generation and CRM centres on how Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is about building relationships with customers in order to develop and build loyalty and so keep customers for longer. This drives higher profits and keeps competitors out. The module introduces CRM, its impact on business strategy, users’ activity, and firm process and functionality. You will also examine CRM commercial packages.

Media and PR in the Digital Age introduces you to current debates on the role of digital media and explores the various uses that digital media has in PR in maintaining personal or organisational reputation and in professional advancements in the creative industries. You will master the practical and theoretical aspects of PR in a multimedia landscape and, if you wish to specialise in digital multimedia, will learn how to avoid the pitfalls of digital communication and how to use blogs and networking platforms effectively. The module will also develop your writing and communication skills tailored for digital platforms.

Social Media Monitoring and Analytics equips you with an appreciation of the need for analytics in the market place. As companies are collecting large amounts of data, marketing decisions made by them have become more data-oriented. More and more companies are now heavily investing in marketing analytics. Therefore, analysing the ‘digital footprints’ in a meaningful manner is essential. Due to the unstructured nature of data, understanding behavioural patterns is complex. This module will provide a background understanding of analytics in relation to marketing strategy and communication.

The Marketing Pitch develops your understanding of the marketing process with particular reference to the launch of a consumer related product. The module will develop your ability to successfully design a pitch strategy that can be used to promote a product to a group of marketing industry professionals. The ability of any marketing professional to present a product to industry professionals is a fundamental skill required by all marketing personnel. Understanding the market and the needs of your customer in terms of product design and the ability to promote the product correctly is key, including designing a pitch that will successfully achieve customer awareness.

TLC2000 Language 2 enables you to build on and develop your previous language knowledge in French, German, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish. You must have either studied the prior language module in the previous year of your degree or be able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge of your target language (though you will not be able to study a language you are already fluent or proficient in). The language levels available will be determined by the continuation of corresponding groups from module TLC1010 Language 1. You will gain the language skills necessary to become a more proficient user of the language. Classes will be taught in an interactive and communicative manner using authentic materials to promote meaningful communication. They will be conducted in the target language as much as possible. Emphasis will be on speaking and listening, with appropriate attention also being paid to other communication skills. Other work will include a variety of tasks which may be completed in the Language Centre.

Marketing Simulation is designed to provide an understanding of marketing management and planning and to engage you in the marketing decision-making process via the use of a marketing simulation package. Working in a group, you will analyse the marketing environment, undertake competitor analysis, manage the marketing mix, and decide the positioning of your product portfolio.

Dissertation enables you to produce a key piece of evidence that shows your development over the degree and how you are now equipped to apply graduate level skills. The module requires the design and implementation of a research project in an area of interest agreed with your supervisor via a research proposal and meeting. Support during the dissertation is given by a specified tutor although you will have overall responsibility for managing the process.

Extended Business Project provides an opportunity for you to undertake an in-depth research project for a sponsoring organisation on a topic of common interest. The nature of the project will be negotiated between you, your supervisor and the sponsoring company.

Advertising Critical Debates explores critical debates in advertising that involve the relationship between consumerism, identity and lifestyle. You will engage with a range of complex and challenging questions around consumerism, lifestyle and identity, linking these concepts to sociocultural, economic and regulatory changes. This will equip you with an understanding of how consumerism has changed, particularly in relation to the growth of green and ethical consumerism. The module will also encourage you to make the critical connections between consumer practice and lifestyle.

Advertising in Marketing Communications enables you to study the role of advertising in online and offline integrated marketing communications strategies. You will drill into the elements that comprise individual adverts and consider how the range of online and offline media vehicles available to deliver them have blurred the boundaries between advertising and other elements of the promotional mix. It is important that you understand the strategic role of advertising and the rationale that underpins the design and development of individual adverts. In addition, you need to understand the place of advertising within the marketing communications techniques available to marketers, whilst understanding the effects advertising has on the consumer and the debates that emanate from those effects.

Business Strategy and Digital Goods examines the implications of the internet and the rise of ubiquitous mobile devices that are changing business and society. Specifically, the module will explain how a new economy of creativity, opportunity, connectivity and content has been created. You will consider this ‘digital economy’, the key concepts underpinning commercial activities and investigate how the application of existing theories of competitive advantage and added value can be applied to, or are changed by, digital goods and services that have no physical form.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation considers how to turn a good idea into a successful market-leading product. Entrepreneurship and innovation go hand in hand and involve the development and release of a new product/service or the repacking of an existing one to provide competitive advantage or even create new markets. This module explores a variety of concepts around strategic entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. We will examine the difference between an idea, an invention and an innovation and provide you with a case-led understanding of the process in action, from creation to implementation. Moreover, it provides you with a number of tools and techniques to critically evaluate success and build on your previous experiences of work-based learning or enterprise education.

Global Marketing Management encourages you to develop an informed appreciation of international marketing in the context of emerging world markets and increasing globalisation. The module provides you with the means to integrate aspects of operational marketing within a strategic and international perspective. In particular, you will study how and why companies choose to operate internationally, the entry strategies available to them, globalisation and the international marketing environment.

Marketing and Society will help you to define and understand how marketing in society is utilised as a tool for public services such as charities, government and the health service. This will involve the study of the business and social environments in terms of their target audiences, resources, planning, education and current changes. The module will familiarise you with key models of behaviour change and the role of stakeholders, values, beliefs, emotions and lifestyles in influencing such change, with emphasis on environmentally sustainable behaviour. You will also be introduced to a practical and reflective campaign process that supports the use of social marketing to achieve behaviour change.

Media Futures involves the study of contemporary media practices, the impact of technology on creative industries, developments in global and local media, and changing paradigms of media production and audience consumption. You will develop a critical awareness of a number of key themes including social experience and shaping of media forms, access, participation and engagement, and the relationship between public and private spheres. By considering these themes through a range of different theories and research, you will discover a variety of approaches to gaining understanding of what is a rapidly expanding frontier of creative and cultural practice and media knowledge.

TLC3000 Language 3 further enhances your language skills in French, German, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish and introduces you to a new culture and way of life. It is suitable if you have studied the prior language module in the previous year of your degree or if you can demonstrate equivalent knowledge of your target language (though you will not be able to study a language you are already fluent or proficient in). The language levels available will be determined by the continuation of corresponding groups from module TLC2000 Language 2. You will develop language skills to a level of proficiency that will enable you to spend time living or working abroad. Classes will be conducted as much as possible in the target language. They will be taught in an interactive, communicative manner, using authentic materials in the target language. Emphasis will be on speaking and listening, with appropriate attention also being paid to other skills. Other work will include a variety of tasks which may be completed in the Language Centre.

BUS2200 The Marketing Pitch (20 credits) replaces BUS2034 Services and Experiential Marketing (20 credits) as an optional module in Year 2.

Example offers updated to include the Digital Production, Design and Development T Level with an overall grade of Merit.

BUS1032 Communicating Through Design (20 credits) and BUS1033 Creative Thinking in Business (20 credits) added as optional modules in Year 1.

BUS2041 Brand Activation (20 credits) replaces MED2055 Convergent Media (20 credits) as an optional module in Year 2.

BUS3047 Advertising Critical Debates (20 credits) added as an optional module in Year 3.

MED2289 Crisis Management (20 credits) removed as an optional module in Year 2.

MED3058 Media Policy and Political Communications (20 credits) and MED3059 PR for Charities and Non-Governmental Organisations (20 credits) removed as optional modules in Year 3.