The course aims to teach students the criticalities and opportunities of the customer-centric approach to digital marketing in businesses, especially with reference to communication policy. In particular, the first part of the course aims to analyze the digital revolution's impact on marketing processes, focusing on the centrality of the customer experience. The second part of the course examines how digitization affects the understanding of the external environment and the company, and the formulation of marketing strategies and operational policies. The third part aims to deepen the new communication mix in the digital age and the definition of the content strategy. The fourth is dedicated to analyzing the new marketing approach driven by data produced in increasing quantities (big data) and whose real-time analysis represents a competitive advantage in decision-making processes.

First part: The impact of the digital revolution on marketing

- The socio-cultural and technological drivers of change and the implications for marketing

- A strategic approach to digital marketing: the centrality of the customer experience

- The components of a strategic approach to digital marketing

Second part: analysis and digital marketing strategy

- The analysis of the external environment and the internal environment in the digital age

- The segmentation and positioning of the brand in the digital age

- The digital marketing strategy

- The impact of digital on operational marketing policies

Third part: content marketing and new communication models

- The strategy, techniques and tools of content marketing

- Centrality and characteristics of the corporate website

- Social Media Marketing

- Online advertising

- The integrated communication plan

Part Four: A New Data-Driven Marketing Approach

- Culture and characteristics of a data-driven marketing approach

- From databases to marketing automation

- Methodologies and metrics to measure performance (Digital Marketing Analytics)

- Knowledge and understanding: students will acquire knowledge to understand the impacts of the web on marketing processes in particular to manage all aspects of corporate communication, from the strategic choice to the operational phase to the control of results. In particular, they must know and be able to understand the needs of companies (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) in terms of web communication and to propose appropriate solutions to improve this communication.
- Applied knowledge and understanding: students will acquire the methodological tools and the necessary skills to develop web projects and to effectively define their implementation in different business contexts. They will be able to appropriately apply the acquired knowledge to analyze, understand and solve specific situations and problems of management of corporate communication and Internet marketing policies. These objectives will be pursued through testimonials from entrepreneurs and professionals, analysis and discussion of business cases, and group work.
- Autonomy of judgment: students will develop business evaluation methods and create flexible connections between the acquired knowledge. This objective will be pursued through testimonies, analysis, and discussion of business cases, group work, seminars, and short reports.
- Communication skills: learners will be able to develop a clear communication of the acquired skills and identify solutions through specific and appropriate languages coherent with the themes developed during the course. This will be pursued through the discussion of case studies and the presentation of the written group work.
- Ability to learn: students must develop good learning skills, which allow them to deepen the knowledge acquired during the course in subsequent learning paths (masters) or in future paths of insertion within companies or other organizations. This will be pursued through lectures, testimonies, analysis and discussions of business cases, group work, seminars, and report writing.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

The course involves the use of different teaching methods:

- frontal lessons;
- testimonials from entrepreneurs;
- group work and drafting of reports;
- oral presentation;
- participated lessons in which the presented work will be discussed.

Innovative teaching methods

The face-to-face teaching modality will be enriched with individual and group exercises and in-depth studies that students will carry out using the University's Moodel platform.

Course books

Gregori G., Pascucci (a cura di) (2018), Il digital marketing come fattore competitivo. Verso un approccio integrato “strumenti” e “strategia”, Franco Angeli.

Further material is provided bu the Professor.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through an oral test, supplemented by group work (optional). The oral exam includes open questions, which are worth a total of 30 points. The evaluation criteria are: the level of mastery of the knowledge acquired, the ability to express oneself with language properties, the degree of articulation of the response and the adequacy of the explanation, and the ability to connect basic concepts.

Group work (optional) consists in facing a concrete marketing challenge proposed by a company and requires the carrying out of an analysis phase (of the demand, of the competitors, etc.) and a phase of formulation of the marketing strategy communication of related operational activities. A written report is required. Group work allows the application of concepts illustrated during the course and will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria: 1. correct application of concepts, methodologies, and tools, 2. adoption of a specific technical language, 3. creativity, 4. feasibility, 5. completeness of the work (in the parts of analysis and proposal). Group work is evaluated out of thirty. During the final assessment, the grade of the oral exam will be assigned a weight of 60% while the grade of the written exam will be assigned a weight of 40%.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

Gregori G., Pascucci (a cura di) (2018), Il digital marketing come fattore competitivo. Verso un approccio integrato “strumenti” e “strategia”, Franco Angeli

Cantamesse M., Ferrero G. (2022), Digital Marketing Strategy. Analisi, strategia e comunicazione sui media digitali, Pearson.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through a written exam. The written exam includes closed questions and open questions, which are worth a total of 30 points. The evaluation criteria are: the level of mastery of the acquired knowledge, the ability to express oneself with language properties, the degree of articulation of the response, the ability to connect basic concepts. The mark of the written test is expressed out of thirty. 

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.