Marketing Strategy and Planning Course

Lesson 1 • Core Marketing Concepts and Vocabulary

Introduces essential terms: value proposition, target market, positioning, and the marketing mix. Shared vocabulary enables precise communication throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • The Strategic Marketing Planning Cycle

Maps the end-to-end planning cycle from analysis through execution and review. Students see how each course chapter fits within this iterative framework.

Lesson 3 • Aligning Marketing with Business Goals

Connects marketing objectives to broader organizational goals and financial outcomes. Students practice translating business priorities into marketing direction.

Lesson 1 • Competitive and Market Intelligence

Teaches systematic methods for monitoring competitors, market trends, and industry dynamics. Intelligence gathered here feeds directly into SWOT and positioning work.

Lesson 2 • Translating Data into Strategic Insight

Bridges raw data and strategic decisions through frameworks for synthesis and storytelling. Students practice converting research findings into clear strategic recommendations.

Lesson 3 • Understanding Customer Needs and Behavior

Examines how customers make decisions, what drives purchase behavior, and how to uncover unmet needs. Insight here shapes targeting and positioning choices.

Lesson 1 • Internal Capability Assessment

Evaluates organizational strengths and weaknesses across resources, capabilities, and brand assets. Internal analysis reveals what the organization can credibly pursue.

Lesson 2 • SWOT Synthesis and Strategic Implications

Integrates external and internal analyses into a prioritized SWOT and derives strategic implications. Students move from diagnosis to directional strategic choices.

Lesson 3 • Industry and Competitive Forces

Applies Porter's Five Forces to assess industry attractiveness and competitive intensity. Students evaluate how structural forces shape strategic options.

Lesson 1 • Evaluating and Selecting Target Segments

Provides frameworks for scoring and selecting segments based on attractiveness and fit with organizational capabilities. Targeting decisions directly determine resource allocation.

Lesson 2 • Developing a Positioning Strategy

Teaches how to craft a differentiated, credible, and relevant position for each target segment. Positioning guides all downstream messaging and mix decisions.

Lesson 3 • Market Segmentation Principles and Methods

Introduces segmentation variables—demographic, psychographic, behavioral, and geographic—and criteria for effective segments. Segmentation is the foundation of focused strategy.

Lesson 1 • Growth Strategy Frameworks

Introduces Ansoff's Matrix and other growth frameworks to identify strategic growth paths. Students evaluate risk and resource requirements for each growth option.

Lesson 2 • Setting SMART Marketing Objectives

Applies the SMART framework to convert business goals into measurable marketing objectives. Well-formed objectives make strategy evaluation possible and credible.

Lesson 3 • Competitive Strategy and Advantage

Examines Porter's generic strategies and how to build sustainable competitive advantage. Students identify the strategic posture best suited to their brand's position.

Lesson 1 • Product and Service Strategy

Covers product lifecycle management, portfolio decisions, and service design principles. Product decisions must reinforce the positioning established in earlier chapters.

Lesson 2 • Mix Integration and Consistency Audit

Teaches students to audit the full mix for internal consistency and alignment with positioning. Inconsistencies in the mix dilute brand perception and reduce effectiveness.

Lesson 3 • Pricing Strategy and Value Capture

Examines pricing models, value-based pricing, and competitive pricing dynamics. Price signals value and directly affects brand perception and margin.

Lesson 4 • Integrated Marketing Communications Planning

Introduces IMC principles, message hierarchy, and channel selection for consistent brand communication. IMC ensures all touchpoints reinforce the same positioning.

Lesson 1 • Building the Annual Marketing Plan

Structures the annual plan document including situation summary, objectives, strategy, tactics, and budget. A well-structured plan aligns teams and enables progress tracking.

Lesson 2 • Marketing Budget Allocation

Covers budgeting methods, resource allocation frameworks, and the logic of investment prioritization. Budget decisions reflect strategic priorities and must be defensible.

Lesson 3 • Execution Management and Accountability

Establishes project management practices, RACI frameworks, and performance check-in cadences. Execution discipline separates plans that succeed from plans that stall.

Lesson 1 • Reporting Marketing ROI to Leadership

Teaches how to frame marketing performance in financial and business terms for executive audiences. ROI reporting builds organizational confidence in marketing investment.

Lesson 2 • Performance Review and Strategy Optimization

Establishes a structured review process for interpreting results and adjusting strategy and tactics. Optimization closes the loop between planning and execution.

Lesson 3 • Marketing Analytics Fundamentals

Introduces descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics applied to marketing data. Analytics capability transforms data into decisions rather than reports.

Lesson 4 • Building a Marketing Dashboard

Guides students in designing a dashboard that surfaces the right data for strategic and tactical decisions. Dashboards must serve different audiences with different information needs.