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Darren Dahl and Paul Cubbon

Marketing is a crucial function in all businesses and organizations, and is becoming increasingly crucial to success in our modern global economy. This course, regardless of your industry background, will teach you core concepts and tools to help you better understand and excel in marketing. Key topics include Market Research and its importance to strategy, brand strategy, pricing, integrated marketing communication, social media strategy, and more.

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Marketing is a crucial function in all businesses and organizations, and is becoming increasingly crucial to success in our modern global economy. This course, regardless of your industry background, will teach you core concepts and tools to help you better understand and excel in marketing. Key topics include Market Research and its importance to strategy, brand strategy, pricing, integrated marketing communication, social media strategy, and more.

Learn through award-winning teaching approaches of the Sauder School of Business’s marketing faculty. This course will bring a marketing lens to complex business and organization challenges and aid in holistic decision-making that aligns with customer and company goals.

This course is for anyone interested in marketing.

What you'll learn

  • Develop a basic customer segmentation system
  • Begin to understand the psychology of consumer decision making
  • Develop pricing strategies that maximize profitability
  • Define appropriate channel systems that go-to-market efforts
  • Understand how marketing metrics can benefit your business

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Develop a basic customer segmentation system
  • Begin to understand the psychology of consumer decision making
  • Develop pricing strategies that maximize profitability
  • Define appropriate channel systems that go-to-market efforts
  • Understand how marketing metrics can benefit your business

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Builds a strong foundation for beginners who aim to master the fundamentals of marketing
Offers a comprehensive study of core marketing concepts and tools, preparing learners for success in various industries
Taught by award-winning faculty from the Sauder School of Business, recognized for their expertise in marketing
Examines complex business challenges through a marketing lens, enhancing holistic decision-making skills
Suitable for learners with diverse backgrounds, providing accessible insights into marketing principles

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Reviews summary

Marketing fundamentals for beginners

Learners say this course is a splendid introduction to marketing fundamentals, especially for those new to business or marketing. Instructors Dahl and Cubbon present clear basic information in a friendly and accessible way, often using case studies and real-world examples to illustrate concepts. While some learners wish the topics were covered in more depth, overall students largely enjoyed the course, especially the engaging way the material was presented.
Uses stories and examples to illustrate concepts.
"they use stories to boot out their topics, and this made the course more exciting!"
"With simple, accessible language and real examples, instructors Dahl and Cubbon introduce the student in a friendly way to the world of Marketing, its main concepts, tools and mental models."
Excellent for beginners.
"Very good for beginners."
"Very good for those, who are not quite familiar with business education and marketing."
Topics could be covered in more depth.
"Though the topics were not very in depth, I totally enjoyed it."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Introduction to Marketing with these activities:
Review basic marketing concepts and frameworks
Strengthen your understanding of foundational marketing principles. This activity helps you refresh your memory on important concepts and frameworks, ensuring you have a solid base on which to build throughout the course.
Browse courses on Marketing Concepts
Show steps
  • Go through lecture notes and textbooks to revisit key concepts
  • Review online resources and articles to supplement your understanding
  • Attend office hours or consult with the instructor to clarify any doubts
Review 'Marketing Management' by Philip Kotler
Get a comprehensive overview of marketing principles and best practices. This book by Philip Kotler, a renowned marketing expert, provides a solid foundation in core marketing concepts, strategies, and frameworks.
Show steps
  • Read the book and take notes on key concepts
  • Summarize the main ideas and theories presented in the book
  • Identify and analyze real-world examples of marketing practices
Join a study group and discuss marketing concepts
Enhance your understanding of the course material through peer collaboration. Participating in a study group provides opportunities to engage with fellow students, share perspectives, and deepen your knowledge.
Show steps
  • Find or form a study group with classmates
  • Establish meeting times and schedules
  • Actively participate in discussions and ask thought-provoking questions
  • Review and summarize key concepts together
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Practice pricing strategies using case studies
Apply pricing theories and concepts to real-world scenarios. This activity strengthens your decision-making skills and helps you develop a nuanced understanding of how pricing impacts marketing outcomes.
Browse courses on Pricing
Show steps
  • Review pricing strategies and frameworks
  • Analyze case studies and identify key pricing considerations
  • Develop and evaluate pricing recommendations
Design a marketing collateral piece
Create a marketing collateral piece that showcases your understanding of branding, messaging, and design principles. This activity allows you to apply your knowledge in a practical way and produce a tangible deliverable.
Show steps
  • Define the purpose and target audience of the collateral
  • Develop a concept and design that aligns with the marketing strategy
  • Create visually appealing and engaging content that resonates with the audience
  • Proofread and finalize the collateral piece
Run a marketing campaign simulation
Develop a holistic marketing plan and implement it in a simulated environment. It'll hone your skills in market research, communication, and campaign management, allowing you to integrate the various aspects of marketing.
Show steps
  • Identify the marketing objectives and target audience
  • Conduct market research to gather insights and analyze trends
  • Develop a marketing strategy that aligns with the objectives
  • Create and execute a marketing campaign using various channels
  • Monitor and evaluate the campaign's effectiveness and make necessary adjustments
Attend industry events and connect with marketing professionals
Expand your network and gain insights from industry experts. Attending industry events allows you to learn about the latest trends, engage with professionals, and potentially find job or collaboration opportunities.
Show steps
  • Research and identify relevant industry events
  • Prepare your elevator pitch and networking materials
  • Attend events, actively participate in discussions, and connect with professionals
  • Follow up with connections made at the events

Career center

Learners who complete Introduction to Marketing will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Marketing Manager
The course describes crucial functions of marketing and how necessary it is for modern global economies. A Marketing Manager could use the knowledge to improve marketing strategies within their company, as well as better understand the mindset of consumers to connect with them more effectively. It will also aid in understanding the psychology of consumer decision making, which will help with marketing campaigns. As there are multiple marketing strategies that a Marketing Manager can use, understanding and knowing how to use them can give them an edge over the competition.
Brand Manager
This course goes over branding strategy. A Brand Manager will need to have a strong understanding and knowledge of branding to implement strategies for products and services. This course can provide them with the necessary tools and knowledge to be better at their role. In addition, the course covers defining appropriate channel systems that go-to-market efforts, which is crucial for a Brand Manager to understand how products and services enter the market.
Product Manager
Among the crucial functions of marketing is the role of a Product Manager. This course will provide necessary concepts and tools to better understand marketing and excel in the field, thus sharpening the skill set of a Product Manager. The course also covers pricing strategies that maximize profitability, which would be important for a Product Manager to implement and understand for the product or service they are managing.
Market Researcher
As this course goes over market research and its importance to strategy, it may be useful for a Market Researcher to take this course to build a foundation for performing market research. Learning how to understand and excel in marketing will help a Market Researcher understand the field they are conducting research on and gather the necessary data to complete their research.
Marketing Analyst
This course provides an understanding of marketing metrics and how they can benefit a business. A Marketing Analyst will be able to utilize their knowledge of marketing metrics with the skills they learn in this course to have a greater impact on the business.
Digital Marketing Specialist
As this course touches on social media strategy, it will aid a Digital Marketing Specialist with their social media strategies for clients or their own business and how to maximize profitability and engagement.
Advertising Manager
This course discusses integrated marketing communication and pricing strategies that maximize profitability. An Advertising Manager will find this course useful to create effective integrated marketing communication campaigns and implement pricing strategies that align with the company's goals.
Public relations manager
This course will provide a Public Relations Manager with a better understanding of how marketing plays a crucial function in organizations, as well as how to develop a basic customer segmentation system, which may be useful for successful public relations campaigns and initiatives.
Sales Manager
Understanding the psychology of consumer decision making, which is something covered in this course, may be useful for a Sales Manager to understand the best way to approach and close sales.
Business Development Manager
This course can be useful for a Business Development Manager to have a better understanding of market research and how it pertains to business development to create effective strategies for development.
Entrepreneur
Regardless of industry, this course will teach core concepts and tools to help you better understand and excel in marketing. Entrepreneurs can use the knowledge and skills they learn in this course to build a successful business and avoid marketing pitfalls.
Marketing Consultant
This course will help build a foundation for a Marketing Consultant. Learning crucial functions of marketing and how to understand and excel in the field will help build a foundation in marketing for someone interested in becoming a consultant.
Social Media Manager
This course covers social media strategy, which is crucial for a Social Media Manager. The course will teach core concepts of social media strategy, as well as tools to better understand and excel in social media marketing.
UX Designer
This course may be useful for a UX Designer to better understand how to define appropriate channel systems that go-to-market efforts. Understanding these concepts will help them create effective user experiences.
Data Analyst
This course may be useful for a Data Analyst to learn more about marketing metrics. Understanding these metrics and how they can benefit a business can aid a Data Analyst in their data analysis.

Reading list

We've selected 11 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Introduction to Marketing.
This classic text provides comprehensive coverage of marketing management concepts and practices, making it a valuable resource for students and professionals alike.
This introductory textbook provides a clear and concise overview of marketing principles, making it a great starting point for students new to the field.
This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of consumer behavior. It is especially helpful for understanding the psychology of consumer decision making.
Provides a comprehensive overview of social media marketing. It is especially helpful for understanding how to use social media to build relationships with customers and promote products and services.
Provides a concise overview of the 22 immutable laws of marketing. It is especially helpful for understanding the fundamental principles of marketing that never change.
Provides a concise overview of the concept of positioning. It is especially helpful for understanding how to position your products and services in the minds of customers.
Provides a concise overview of the concept of permission marketing. It is especially helpful for understanding how to build relationships with customers and get them to give you permission to market to them.
Provides a concise overview of the field of neuromarketing. It is especially helpful for understanding how to use brain imaging techniques to understand consumer behavior.
Provides a comprehensive overview of marketing analytics. It is especially helpful for understanding how to use data to measure and manage marketing performance.
Provides a comprehensive overview of content marketing. It is especially helpful for understanding how to create and distribute valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and drive profitable customer action.
Provides a comprehensive overview of inbound marketing. It is especially helpful for understanding how to attract, engage, and delight customers online.

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