The course aims to teach the critical issues and opportunities of the customer-centric strategic approach to digital marketing in companies, especially concerning communication activity. In particular, the course's first part focuses on analyzing the digital revolution's impact on marketing processes, emphasizing the centrality of the customer experience. The second part examines how digitization affects the understanding of the company's internal and external environment, the formulation of marketing strategies, and the definition of operational marketing policies. The third part aims to deepen the strategic and operational choices related to marketing communication in the digital age, with a focus on content strategy. The fourth and final part of the course is dedicated to the analysis of new marketing approaches based on emerging digital technologies, such as data-driven marketing, which relies on real-time data analysis to guide 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
• The centrality of the customer experience in digital marketing
• The components of a strategic approach to digital marketing

Second part: Informational, strategic, and operational marketing in the digital era

• The analysis of the internal and external environment of the firm
• Market segmentation and brand positioning
• The impact of the digital revolution on operational marketing policies

Third part: Communication strategies and policies in the digital era

• Content marketing strategy, techniques, and tools 
• The corporate website's key role in the digital context and characteristics
• Social Media Marketing
• Online advertising
• The integrated communication plan

Part Four: New Marketing approaches based on emerging digital technologies

• CRM in the digital era
• Characteristics of a data-driven marketing approach
• Approaches to predictive, contextual and agile marketing

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

• Testimonials from entrepreneurs and professionals
• Discussion of business cases

Teaching

The course involves the use of different teaching methods:

• Frontal lessons;
• Testimonials from entrepreneurs;
• Group work and report writing;
• Oral presentations;
• Interactive lessons in which the group work will be discussed.

Innovative teaching methods

The in-person teaching methods will be enriched with group exercises based on problem-solving, aimed at effectively and creatively addressing real communication and marketing challenges posed by companies and organizations. Additionally, the university's Moodle platform will support these activities.

Course books

• Gregori G. and Pascucci F. (a cura di) (2019), Il digital marketing come fattore competitivo. Verso un approccio integrato “strumenti” e “strategia”, Franco Angeli.
• Cantamesse M. and Ferrero G. (2022), Digital Marketing Strategy. Analisi, strategia e comunicazione sui media digitali, Pearson.
• Further material is provided by the Professor through the university's Moodle platform.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be evaluated through an oral exam based on open questions. The student is asked to answer the questions in an articulated and in-depth manner, to demonstrate:

• to have acquired a high command of the knowledge about the topic covered;
• to be able to rigorously present one's arguments, identifying the fundamental elements to be presented, connecting the basic concepts and demonstrating language properties.

During the course, group work will be proposed. Participation by attending students in the proposed activity is optional. The activity will be evaluated by the Professor and the students will be awarded, depending on the evaluation, a bonus of up to 3 points to be added to the exam score. Additionally, for participants, the study material for the exam will be reduced, excluding the second textbook and other material provided by the Professor.

The group work consists of a communication project for a company that includes an analysis phase of the internal and external environment of the company in the digital era and a phase of elaboration of a communication plan, starting from the formulation of the digital communication strategy. The project concludes with the preparation of a written report. Further, the project could be related to national marketing competitions. Group work allows the application of concepts, methodologies, and tools illustrated during the course for the purposes of analysis, critical evaluation, and the proposal of solutions to improve the communication and digital marketing strategy of the company operating in the business-to-consumer context.

The group work will be evaluated based on three criteria:

Effectiveness in applying studied concepts, research methodologies, and tools;

Level of knowledge of the subject and the degree of articulation of the proposal;

Level of creativity and feasibility of the project.

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. and Pascucci F. (a cura di) (2019), Il digital marketing come fattore competitivo. Verso un approccio integrato “strumenti” e “strategia”, Franco Angeli.
• Cantamesse M. and Ferrero G. (2022), Digital Marketing Strategy. Analisi, strategia e comunicazione sui media digitali, Pearson.
• The Professor will provide further material through the university's Moodle platform.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be evaluated through an oral exam based on open questions. The student is asked to answer the questions in an articulated and in-depth manner, to demonstrate:

• to have acquired a high command of the knowledge about the topic covered;
• to be able to rigorously present one's arguments, identifying the fundamental elements to be presented, connecting the basic concepts and demonstrating language properties.

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.

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