Program Overview

MKTG202 - Marketing Communications: Engaging Stakeholders

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

This unit explores marketing communications as a vital element of the marketing mix, emphasizing its central role in raising awareness of organizations, goods, and services among potential customers and other stakeholders. It builds on foundational marketing knowledge developed in earlier units and supports further study in areas such as digital marketing and brand management.

The aim of the unit is to provide students with an understanding of how marketers engage stakeholders, including customers, through effective communication strategies and elements of the communications mix.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to:

1. Explain the issues pertaining to the common good in the design and implementation of marketing communications.
2. Analyze the role of integrated marketing communications in the design and implementation of marketing strategy.
3. Apply marketing communication theory and practice to the development of an integrated marketing communications campaign.
4. Examine the practical and ethical challenges in implementing marketing communications in business and non-business organizations.
5. Analyse the elements of the marketing communications mix of organizations in both local and global contexts.

Content

Topics will include:

• Marketing communications and the IMC concept
• Context of marketing communications
• The communications process and persuasion in marketing communications
• Marketing communications campaign development
• One-way marketing communications
• Interactive marketing communications
• Assessing marketing communications effectiveness
• Marketing communications and its social and societal impact

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

In order to pass this unit, students must demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes and obtain an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Each assessment task is marked using a rubric designed to evaluate performance against specific learning outcomes.

The assessment strategy is designed to scaffold learning progressively across the semester. Students begin by demonstrating their understanding of integrated marketing communication theories through the critical analysis of a campaign. This foundation supports the development of more complex skills, culminating in the creation of an integrated marketing communications campaign.

Overview of Assessments

1. Assessment 1: Current Campaign Analysis - This assessment requires students to critically analyze a contemporary marketing communication campaign in a timed setting.
2. Assessment 2: Live Case Study - This assessment task consists of a report analyzing a case study of a marketing communication campaign.
3. Assessment 3: Campaign Plan - This assessment task consists of an oral presentation of a marketing communication campaign for a specific brand.

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit adopts an active and collaborative learning approach, engaging students through workshops, discussions, and practical activities that build progressively on key concepts throughout the semester. Learning activities are explicitly aligned with the unit learning outcomes and support the development of theoretical understanding and practical application in integrated marketing communications.

Representative Texts and References

• Belch, G. Belch, M. Kerr, G. Powell, I. Waller, D. 2020 Advertising: An integrated marketing communications perspective, 4th edn, McGraw Hill, Australia, Sydney.
• Chitty, W, Luck, E, Barker, N, Sassenberg, AM, M & Shimp, T, Andrews, J 2018, Integrated marketing communications, 5th edn, Cengage Learning, Melbourne.
• Rossiter, J. Percy, L. Bergkvist, L. 2018 Marketing communications: objectives, strategy, tactics, Sage Publications, United Kingdom, London.

Locations

• Melbourne
• North Sydney
• Online

Credit Points

10

Year

2026