Overview

Social media has the potential to transform almost every aspect of marketing management and marketing operations. These innovations have radically changed markets, consumer expectations, and how marketing is organised and implemented.

Many aspects of conventional marketing may already be redundant because of developments associated social media/user-generated content but they also open up many new exciting possibilities and opportunities to achieve the potential of marketing. The transformative impact of social media is most evident in the area of marketing communications and promotional strategy.

Assignment question

Evaluate the marketing opportunities and challenges arising from innovations in social media to achieve marketing communications objectives. Critically discuss how social media is transforming marketing communications, promotion and advertising.

Objectives

• Your assignment needs to provide a critical review of the academic literature on marketing communications and social media. Avoid being overly descriptive. Work on a clear and consistent argument.

• Draw on relevant examples and case-studies to illustrate and demonstrate your arguments. These can be published cases and examples or your own professional experiences.

• You are expected to draw on academic literature and research papers as well as textbooks to develop your discussion and arguments.

• Consider broadening your arguments and discussions to include a wider range of marketing contexts and issues.

Some useful readings in the University e-library

• Agresta, S, Bough, B. B. and Miletsky, J. I. (2010) Perspectives on Social Media Marketing. Cengage Learning

• Berthon, P. R., Leyland, R., Pitt, F., Plangger, K. and Shapiro, D. (2012) ‘Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy', Business Horizons 55(3): 261-271.

• Evans, D. and McKee, J. (2010) Social Media Marketing: The next generation of business engagement. Wiley

• Kimmel A. J. and Kitchen, P. (2014) ‘Word of mouth and social media', Journal of Marketing Communications 20(1): 5-20.

• Khare, P. (2012) Social Media Marketing. John Wiley & Sons

• Heinonen, K. (2011) ‘Consumer activity in social media: Managerial approaches to consumers' social media behavior', Journal of Consumer Behaviour 10: 356-364.

• Mangold, W. G. and Faulds, D. J. (2009) ‘Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix', Business Horizons 52(4): 357-365.

• Motameni, R. and Nordstrom, R. (2014) ‘Correlating the Social Media Functionalities to Marketing Goals and Strategies', Journal of Marketing Management 2(3/4): 27-48.

• Okazaki, S. and Taylor, C. R. (2013) ‘Social media and international advertising: theoretical challenges and future directions', International Marketing Review 30(1): 56-71.

• Peck, D. (2011) Think Before You Engage: 100 questions to ask before starting a social media marketing campaign. John Wiley & Sons.

• Powell, G., Groves, S. and Dimos, J. (2011) ROI of $ocial media: how to improve the return on your social marketing investment. John Wiley & Sons.

Assessment Criteria

• Outline the main types of social media and describe how these impact on marketing communications objectives.

• Critically discuss the way that consumer behaviour is changing as a result of social media and how this might have implications for communications.

Critically evaluate different arguments and opinions on how marketers should manage so social media opportunities and challenges

Show evidence of independent reading and research of relevant, up to date literature in social media and marketing communications.