BUSI4X160: Influencer and Content Marketing: Theory and Practice

• None.

• BUSI4Q415 Digital Marketing

• BUSI4X060 Research Methods and Dissertation in Marketing AND Research Methods and Dissertation (International) (BUSI4O060)

• The module aims to:
• Consolidate knowledge developed across the programme by engaging in a critical analysis of the influencer marketing and content creation sectors, together with their disruptive impact upon the traditional marketing landscape
• Equip students with the applied research skills needed to identify and scope a viable business concept, engage in detailed market and customer analysis of that concept, and pursue their own specialist interests in the broad field of influencer and content marketing
• Provide exposure to a range of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods employed in the research and development of digital artefacts
• Equip students with the skills needed to extract and analyse social media usage data from a range of common commercial platforms, to include pattern analyses of audience reach, source, engagement levels and geodemographic distribution
• Provide students with the opportunity to undertake a major digital project designed to enhance and apply influencer and content marketing skills and knowledge through the development, curation and production of a prototype digital marketing channel that is theoretically underpinned, research-led, content rich and launch-ready.

• The module adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating theoretical concepts introduced throughout the programme in the construction of a robust framework for understanding the disruptive nature of influencer and content marketing and developing a new and sustainable commercial venture in the digital marketing space
• In addition to engaging with the latest academic and practitioner research on influence and persuasion, students will also undertake critical analyses of different content forms across the sector, together with presentational styles and approaches to influence and persuasion
• Market and customer analysis will be integral to the module, with broad exposure to industry developments and trends, developments in disruptive innovation, and key strategies for commercialization and monetarization
• The module engages at an advanced level with a range of primary and secondary market research methods and data-analytic techniques., both those are used to scope and develop a digital project and to evaluate audience engagement and reach in the live product itself. These include both traditional methods (interviews, surveys, etc.) and emergent methods (e.g. social media data analytics, artificial intelligence, etc.), as well as covering both primary and secondary data sources
• Reflective practice will be encouraged throughout, students exploring and developing both the hard and soft skills needed to succeed in digital solopreneurship and creativity
• Instruction if a range of creative technologies, platforms and packages will provided to enable students to both design and create their own effective digital marketing content and, through the major project undertaken, to curate a digital channel that may serve as a portfolio of skills that enhances employability
• The module includes research field visits designed to inform students understanding of the work of digital agencies, influencers, content creators and other relevant stakeholders
• The acquisition of key research skills will also be embedded throughout each stage of the module, including via a focus on information retrieval, writing a formative research proposal, constructing a business plan, professional writing production of a summative content strategy report, crafting a content creation schedule, and working with digital content in a variety of forms.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• An advanced understanding of key theories of persuasion, influence, influencers and opinion leadership as pertinent to the creator economy
• A comprehensive critical awareness of the key types of influencers, their content forms, the marketing domains they occupy, and the primary creative strategies they employ
• An advanced understanding of emergent and disruptive business models and their impact upon both commercial and not-for-profit marketing practices
• A critical appreciation of how applied research is conducted within a digital marketing context and the data required to underpin a disruptive new business start-up and the associated commercial decisions
• An extensive critical understanding of the most appropriate techniques for research and analysis in relation to the proposed business concept, including methodological issues inherent in designing and undertaking relevant and rigorous quantitative and qualitative research.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to engage in a critical selection and application of key theories of influence and persuasion through analysis of a wide range of digital content forms
• Ability to select and utilize appropriate data collection and analysis techniques, both primary and secondary
• Ability to demonstrate advanced understanding and usage of appropriate research methods employed in industrial market research, both traditional (e.g. surveys, interviews) and emergent (e.g. data analytics, AI-enabled solutions) in format
• Ability to obtain, interpret and explain different digital marketing metrics
• Ability to plan and execute a digital media channel launch
• Ability to select, research and create digital content in a variety of audio and visual formats.

Key Skills:

• Creativity and problem-solving (e.g. by thinking laterally and innovatively)
• Active and reflective learning
• Presenting in written and oral and digital forms
• Group work/teamwork and leadership skills
• Development of independent research and project management skills
• Competence in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis
• Competence and confidence in handling a variety of different digital media, content formats and creative technologies.

• This is a capstone project-based module, aimed at integrating theoretical knowledge with instruction in research and content creation techniques, and oriented around the development of a digital business venture. In Term Two of the programme, the lecture series cover provides the key theoretical input required, exploring the changing marketing landscape, the growth of the influencer and creator economy, and key theoretical perspectives on persuasion, influence, opinion leadership and digital marketing. The lectures are supported by whole-cohort practical workshops, providing comprehensive instruction in data collection and analysis techniques, use of creative styles and technologies, and relevant software packages. In Terms Three and Four during the subsequent research period, students begin work on their major digital projects, supported by small-group Tutorials.
• In keeping with the module theme and content, the primary mode of assessment is by means of a digital project portfolio. Students undertake an initial scoping exercise in the first term, undertaking a desktop sector analysis and developing a primary research proposal. Early in the second term, students undertake primary research and pitch a business concept to a panel of industry and academic experts, beginning work on their channel and content production. Finally, the launch-ready prototype is submitted for assessment at the programme close, reflective documents and business projections being submitted as integral components of that overall portfolio. Summative assessment combines a traditional written marketing research report with the production of a digital product based on that research, mirroring the industry research and development process in this field. Specifically, students undertake a significant piece of primary market research during Term Three to establish the viability of the proposed channel, its audience characteristics/scope and the type of content required. During the subsequent research period, students then build that channel and create content for it under supervision.

Formative Assessment: The formative assessment of this module is in two parts. Students undertake a series of group activities during the workshop series, designed to inform the design and creation of their own influencer channel that is the main summative component of the module; continuous feedback will also be provided through the tutorial system in place on the module. At the end of Term Two, students give also perform an individual presentation for the Digital Project to be undertaken in Term Three.

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