Advanced Marketing Management

Contenu du cours

Marketing is increasingly shaped by digital technologies, data, changing customer behaviours, and rapidly evolving competitive environments. This course provides students with both a strategic perspective and a practical understanding of how organizations can develop, implement, and evaluate effective marketing strategies in this context.

The course begins by examining the role and scope of digital marketing in contemporary business and the environment in which organizations operate. Students learn to conduct a rigorous situational analysis, including the analysis of markets, customers, competitors and internal capabilities, and to translate these insights into clear and measurable marketing objectives.

Building on this analysis, students explore how to design effective marketing strategies that create customer value and competitive advantage. As part of this strategic process, the course introduces the S.A.V.E.D. framework as a way of challenging and enriching traditional marketing choices: shifting the focus from Products to Solutions, Place to Access, Price to Value, Promotion to Emotions and Experience, while considering the role of Digital across the marketing strategy. The framework is therefore approached as a strategic design tool applicable to both digital and broader marketing contexts, rather than as a standalone marketing model.

Students subsequently examine how strategy can be translated into an integrated set of digital marketing tactics, including content marketing, search engine marketing, interactive display advertising, e-mail and mobile marketing, social media marketing, digital partnerships and affiliate marketing, and digital public relations and influencer marketing.

Particular attention throughout the course is given to marketing research and evidence-based decision making. Students learn how data can be collected, analysed and interpreted to understand marketing problems, generate insights, support strategic choices and formulate actionable recommendations.

Finally, students examine the implementation and evaluation of marketing strategies through campaign planning, content workflows, budgeting, digital metrics and performance measurement.

Throughout the course, theories and frameworks are connected to real-world business situations through cases, exercises, guest lectures and an extensive field project. The objective is not only to understand marketing concepts, but to develop the ability to turn real-world data into insights and translate those insights into relevant, evidence-based and implementable marketing decisions.

Objectifs (et/ou acquis d'apprentissages spécifiques)

GESTS489 is one of the core marketing courses in the Master program at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management. It is designed to serve as a review and in-depth study to the theory and practice of marketing (LO 2.1.). We will explore the theory and applications of marketing concepts through a mix of cases, discussions, lectures, guest speakers and a final assignment and applied field work. We will draw materials from a variety of sources and settings including services, consumer- and business-to-business products. The goal of this course is to help students develop a comprehensive understanding of how marketing strategies can be developed and executed in dynamic and competitive global and digital environments. It is an integrative course that brings together the marketing activities of creating, capturing, and sustaining customer value in a variety of marketing contexts. Students will be exposed to the most recent theories, methods, tools and analytical techniques, as well as current best practices for developing marketing strategies (LO 2.1.). At the end of the course, students will be able to (see Graduate Profile: LO = Learning Objectives https://www.ulb.be/servlet/search?q=&l=0&beanKey=beanKeyRechercheFormation&RH=15716250360 18525&s=CATEGORIE_ASC&natureFormation=ulb&anneePostbac=CFR6):

Master and apply key economic and management concepts, frameworks, and theories in a professional context to identify a business opportunity and create a relevant innovative solution for it (LO 1.2)
Translate a strategy into an actionable plan including the financial implications of the project (LO 1.4)
Apply quantitative and qualitative techniques to support data analysis using standard office and statistical software (LO 3.1)
Adopt a scientific approach to data collection, research and analysis and communicate results using clear, structured, and sophisticated arguments (LO 2.1.)
Work and communicate effectively as part of a team in an international and multicultural environment (LO 4.1)
Display critical thinking and develop autonomous learning strategies and techniques (LO 2.2.)

By the end of this course, you will be able to develop a broader scope of marketing, gaining insights that go beyond theoretical knowledge to touch on the real-world application of marketing principles. You will understand both the positive and destructive power of influencers, enabling you to navigate and leverage their impact effectively. You'll learn to identify the Unfair Advantage of any company and create a Marketing Zoonotic, a strategy that spreads ideas like a virus. Additionally, you will gain a deeper understanding of why certain businesses go viral and become more confident in the practical field of marketing, equipped with the skills and knowledge to excel in a dynamic and competitive landscape.

Pré-requis et Co-requis

Connaissances et compétences pré-requises ou co-requises

This course is delivered in English. Students are expected to demonstrate clear, professional written English and confident oral/presentation skills.
They should also master Marketing & Strategy fundamentals (segmentation–targeting–positioning, positioning/value proposition, 4/7Ps, competitive/industry analysis) and Research Methods (descriptive & inferential statistics, basic regression, survey/experimental design, sampling, reliability/validity). These will be applied throughout the course.

Méthodes d'enseignement et activités d'apprentissages

The course will be delivered in person and combines a variety of engaging and practice-oriented teaching methods. These include theoretical lectures, the application of concepts through exercises, worksheets and case studies, as well as guest lectures from industry professionals.
Sessions are designed to connect theory with managerial practice: real-life business situations are used to introduce and analyse marketing problems, before relevant theoretical frameworks, analytical methods and strategic tools are discussed and applied.
A major component of the course is an evidence-based group field project. Students work as a marketing consulting team for a real company or organization and address a specific strategic marketing problem. They are expected to collect and analyse primary data, generate insights and translate these insights into actionable and evidence-based recommendations.
A mid-semester working session provides formative feedback on the strategic problem and research design before the final recommendations are developed.
Guest lectures complement the academic content by exposing students to current industry practices and managerial perspectives.

Références, bibliographie et lectures recommandées

Course materials
Articles, cases and other selected readings are an integral part of the course and may be included in the final assessment. Required readings will be announced during the course and made available through the Université Virtuelle (UV).
Lecture slides and supporting materials will also be made available on the Université Virtuelle.

Recommended readings

Chaffey, D., & Smith, P. (2022). Digital Marketing Excellence: Planning, Optimizing and Integrating Online Marketing. Taylor & Francis.
Chaffey, D., Ellis-Chadwick, F., & Abed-Rabbo, M. (2025). Digital Marketing. Pearson.
Knaflic, C. N. (2015). Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals. John Wiley & Sons.
Sarstedt, M., & Mooi, E. (2014). A Concise Guide to Market Research: The Process, Data, and Methods Using IBM SPSS Statistics. Springer.

Support(s) de cours

Syllabus
Université virtuelle

Contribution au profil d'enseignement

This course contributes to the following program learning outcomes:

Integrate sustainable development in problem analysis
Master and apply key economic and management concepts, frameworks and theories in a professional context to identify a business opportunity and build a relevant innovative solution to it
Embed scientific and technological processes to formulate a business issue into a well-defined problem and propose a solution
Adopt a scientific approach to data collection, research and analysis and communicate results with clear, structured and sophisticated arguments.
Display critical thinking and develop a life-long learning approach
Apply quantitative and qualitative techniques to support analysis using data with standard office and statistical software
Demonstrate a strong work ethic to foster a socially responsible behaviour in the workplace

Autres renseignements

Contacts

SEE THE PROFESSOR ONLY AFTER THE LECTURE
SEE ASSISTANT SIMON DUPONT - Simon.Dupont@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Méthode(s) d'évaluation

Examen écrit
Projet
Examen oral
Présentation orale

Examen écrit

Question ouverte à réponse courte
Question ouverte à développement long
Question à point négatif
Question fermée Vrai ou Faux (V/F)
Question fermée à Réponses Multiples (QRM)

Projet

Examen oral

Présentation orale

Final individual exam (60%)

End project and oral presentation (40%)

Langue(s) d'évaluation

anglais

Recherche