Digital Marketing BSc (Hons)

The BSc (Hons) Digital Marketing course has been designed to focus on real challenges, developments and issues in the Digital Marketing environment.

The flexible delivery of online learning resources and activities facilitated by digital marketing specialists and practitioners fits perfectly around a full-time job, wherever you are based. You'll frequently be required to put your skills and knowledge into practice throughout the course, with live and practical applications "on the job" as you progress. Our new Learning Management System (LMS) offers plenty of interactive online learning activities and resources to foster a collaborative and supportive programme, augmented by online discussions, student blog writing, and critical reflection and analysis under the guidance of experienced tutors.

Students who successfully complete the Degree gain accreditation with the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM). The IDM is a world-renowned Institute offering relevant, practical learning, and professional qualifications, helping businesses build the skillsets to succeed in a constantly evolving industry landscape. Accreditation of this course recognises that the syllabus is approved by the Institute and offers its students the opportunity to take an IDM Certificate qualification to enhance their employability.

The degree is also recognised on the Chartered Institute of Marketing's (CIM) Graduate Gateway, which offers additional membership pathways beyond graduation.

Modules

Understanding Work-Based Learning

Provides skills essential for success on this course, being both preparatory and supportive, to build a strong foundation for the development of academic and professional skills.

Principles of Marketing

A foundation in the core theories and models of marketing, from a bottom-up perspective, including how marketing operates as a key functional area within business and how it critically interacts with other areas such as accountancy, human resource management and business management, as well as how to analyse and evaluate alternative approaches in the use of the marketing mix.

Marketing Communications

This module is designed to provide an overall understanding of marketing communications and the tools and techniques used, including internet Marketing and E-commerce, advertising, sales promotions, Public Relations, publicity, personal selling, sponsorship, packaging, merchandising and exhibitions. How and why is each tool used?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?  How do the tools interact with the other elements of the marketing mix and how they must all integrate to achieve eventual synergy?

Introduction to Digital Marketing & Campaign Planning

This module introduces you to the importance of the ever-evolving, dynamic digital landscape, and understanding how to develop skills to improve digital marketing effectiveness. You will develop an awareness of the nature of the challenges and opportunities within the digital environment, the skills and tools required to support and enhance marketing activities, and the importance of effective digital monitoring and measurement techniques that enable organisations to improve digital marketing effectiveness performance. You will then be equipped to look at integrated campaign planning (online and offline), strategy and creativity, and promotional media in a digital age within a framework of appropriate ethical considerations and regulations.

Introduction to Organisations & Management

Management in practice comes down to support people to work effectively in different organisational contexts. This module aims to develop ability to analyse the human side of management and diagnose problems affecting performance and organisational effectiveness.

Understanding Consumers and the Customer Journey

Understanding what people need and want and ensuring it is available at the right price, the right time and through the right channel is the core principle of marketing. This module examines consumer behaviour theory within a contemporary perspective, looking at the psychological and sociological drivers that influence behaviour and how this affects integrated marketing communications (both online and offline).  Managing customer relationships, improving customer service, and understanding the barriers to purchase through the customer journey will also be explored.

Data and Analytics for the Digital Marketer

Digital marketing offers the opportunity for more precise setting of goals and objectives and a greater ability to track, measure, improve and control campaign activity, as part of an iterative cycle of reflection and learning. This module examines the importance of managing digital marketing data for effective decision-making. It provides an understanding of how a range of measurement techniques, data sources and analytical tools can provide insight and value to the marketing team.

B2B Marketing

In recognition that a greater percentage of businesses sell to other businesses than sell to consumers, this module is designed to give the student an insight into the specific issues involved in strategic business-to-business (B2B) marketing, whilst also complimenting any studies into small business issues.

International Marketing

The increased access to new markets across the world means that both opportunities and threats face marketers in the global context. Overcoming cultural issues remains a key challenge, along with the ability to communicate effectively to perhaps a very different target audience. The module examines a range of case examples and international market entry strategies, beginning with an assessment of the impact of culture on international marketing.

Developing Content for Campaigns

The success or failure of a digital campaign is not solely reliant on understanding the principles of campaign planning, the tools with which to measure associated metrics, or the attitudes and likely behaviours of the targeted customer: content is king. Here, the principles of content curation, creation, atomisation and planning will be covered providing both a theoretical and a practical, applied understanding of this critical element of digital marketing.

Project Management

Project management is a key skill for a Digital Marketer. Building on the planning skills developed in the previous module 'Introduction to Campaign Planning', this module focuses on developing your skills in managing marketing projects.

Strategic Brand Management

Brands are very important to consumers and firms. In this module students will learn about how to manage these valuable assets, as well as the naming of new products and brand extensions. The concept of brand equity will be developed and explored using the work of leading marketing theorists and practitioners. Keller's consumer based brand equity model will be used as a foundation for understanding how brands are built, what their role is and how their equity can be measured.

Creating Impact through Compelling and Visual Content

By understanding consumer behaviour, the art and science of creating memorable and impactful visual advertising becomes clearer. This module looks at the history and development of effective creative in advertising and how this relates to digital marketing. The principles of how advertisers can engage with increasingly empowered and vocal customers on multiple channels, globally and locally, are explored to establish how digital marketers can create or commission successful campaigns, or visual content for their content management plans.

Retailer and Shopper Marketing

The module develops specialist knowledge of the retail industry from a marketing perspective and explores the emerging use of "shopper marketing" which applies a range of research techniques to understand the behaviour of shoppers at point-of-purchase.

Financial and Professional Services Marketing

The global financial crisis highlighted the importance of the financial services sector. It demonstrated that the way in which financial products are designed and marketed can have implications for the stability of the global financial system and for social well-being. This module explores the principles and practice of marketing in a financial and professional services context.

International Intercultural Management

In an increasingly global business environment, those involved in international business and marketing must develop the insights and skills to interact with customers and stakeholders in a culturally sensitive way. The module explores the application of these theories to decision making at the level of the individual, the team and the organisation.

Campaign Showcase

The principles and skills of planning a digital campaign have developed throughout the course, from campaign planning principles, to content development. Now you will demonstrate the campaign implementation skills, and your assessment of its impact. In this 30-credit major project module, you will demonstrate your knowledge and skills developed throughout the course to create a live campaign. You will agree the campaign with your tutor and employer before going live.

Please note the modules may change from time to time as the curriculum is refreshed for relevancy and new content is added.

Assessment

Throughout the course, we'll assess your progress to make sure you're meeting the intended learning outcomes and engaging fully with each module. These formative assessments help you to monitor and improve your initial-level performance as you advance through the course. They might include self-completion questionnaires, group exercises (discussion forums), and practical digital marketing-related tasks and activities.

The summative assessment, at the end of each module, lets you demonstrate that you've fulfilled the learning outcomes at each level and to the standard expected. These will include written reports, portfolios, presentations, and practical work-based projects.

Annie Dawson, Course Leader

Annie has a significant breadth and depth of knowledge across food and non food retail and FMCG, including 4 years running international teams before moving on to own and direct her own consultancy company.

Annie is an energetic, creative and supportive leader with a track record of achievements in integrated omni-channel marketing campaigns, brand building, change management and category management.

Annie has strong international experience operating across businesses and geographical boundaries, with particular strengths in operational excellence and cultural sensitivity. Annie is an experienced profit orientated leader of high performing teams that are globally dispersed.

Natalie Goodchild

Since graduating, Natalie has built a career combining her passions for marketing, health and education. She is currently a freelance marketing consultant specialising in the health and fitness industry, dedicating the majority of her time to her role as Chief Marketing Officer of Pactster, a health tech startup. She has also worked with hundreds of brands, from Nike to Technogym, as a health and fitness writer.

Prior to this, Natalie gained a wealth of experience working for M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment - part of the world-renowned M&C Saatchi Group. During her time with the agency, she worked on Samsung's Olympic partnership including their multi-award-winning activity around Rio 2016, Samsung's rugby partnership, NatWest's England Cricket sponsorship, and has worked across multiple projects with Reebok Global.

Natalie is passionate about self-development and is a huge advocate of portfolio-building and networking. She believes that the key to success is curiosity.

"I'm excited to share the insights that I've acquired by working in the fast-paced marketing industry. But more than that, I'm keen to help foster students' curiosity so that they can explore the field of digital marketing themselves. By keeping up with the latest in digital technology during their studies, students will graduate with an incredible opportunity to innovate and progress the field of marketing."

Natalie Goodchild, ARU

Jo Bartlett, MA

Jo has been a lecturer for over twenty years, focusing for the last eight years on online and distance education, and holds a Masters degree in this specialism.

Jo has worked with Anglia Ruskin University for the last six years, teaching across a range of modules and degree programmes, most notably for the Management pathways and degree apprenticeships.

In addition to this, Jo has a wealth of experience in using digital and social media for the creation, distribution and marketing of e-books, and is currently one of the directors of a cooperative digital-first publishing house, alongside her teaching commitments.

Jo has worked with a number of large organisations in the development of their sales and customer service workforce, developing bespoke training materials in relation to customer service and financial services.

Katie-Louise Leggett, AFHEA, MA

Katie-Louise has been a tutor at Anglia Ruskin for the last two years, teaching across a range of modules and degree programmes, most notably for Marketing and Business Research Methods.

In addition to this, Katie-Louise has a wealth of experience and currently works for two organisations; SeedPack GmbH, a future-orientated packing company developing marketing strategies for their new product range and Palmers Homestore.  Katie-Louise has major responsibilities within Palmers, such as the maintaining the stores financial affairs and warehouse operations.

Katie-Louise's research has focused on cause-related marketing (CRM) in particular the framing and communications with regards to the variables of donation frame, message frame and message source. The research project as to date has been presented at three university research student conferences and has won both first (2015) and third place (2016) in the research poster category and has won first prize (2016) and second place (2017) as an oral presentation.

Our Digital Marketing BSc (Hons) degree is studied 100% online.

You’ll study through Canvas, our world-class online Learning Management System (LMS), which can be accessed from your phone, pc or tablet at home or on the move. Canvas provides instant access to study materials, forums, and support from tutors and classmates, as well as enabling easy submission of your assignments.

On successful completion of your studies you’ll be invited to attend a graduation ceremony on campus. If attending the ceremony in person is not possible then we’ll arrange to have your certificate sent to you.

To help you land your dream job, our Employability Service will work with you throughout your time at ARU and after you graduate.

We offer:

• careers advice, including one-to-one online and telephone appointments with our experienced advisers
• help with your CV, job searches, applications and interview preparation
• an online portal packed with useful careers resources
• our Employability Programme, which helps you hone the skills employers say they want in graduates.

Fees

The full tuition fee for this course is £14,100.

The tuition fees you pay each year for the Digital Marketing BSc (Hons) will be £3,525.  The course is studied over 4 years.

Accredited Prior Learning may reduce the tuition fees. This will be confirmed once your application has been submitted.

Funding

Government-backed part time student loans are available to cover the cost of studying this course. These are subject to eligibility and terms and conditions.

We offer payment by instalments, so you can spread the cost of studying with us.

For military students: You can use your ELCs towards this course. ARU is a recognised ELCAS provider (number 1007). Please contact your Learning Centre for details of ELC, eligibility and how to apply.

For more information on how you fund your studies please see our funding page.