Hints on report writing
Consider that there is no one right answer or approach. You have the freedom to focus on specific aspects of Digital Marketing, in order to avoid presenting a shallow answer. So, for example you may wish to focus on:
In this coursework, you are asked to write a 3000-word report addressing the following: 1. Select a branded Digital Marketing campaign of your choice. 2. Then, undertake a critical analysis of the campaign’s: brand Identity, Image, Personality, Social Media footprint, and Engagement, using: – Secondary data, tables, charts, and diagrams – More than one academic theory and model – applied specifically to this case – A selection of references to academic journals, books, trade press, and websites 3. Finally, propose a new strategic Digital Marketing approach to improving and enhancing their existing marketing activities.
Guidance: Remember to dedicate your discussions and analysis to the brand and Digital Marketing tools – rather than just describing the functionality and design of the product or service. Consider:
Who are the desired target audiences and what emotional and social relationship do they have with the brand? You will be expected to define and focus on two consumer segments. There needs to be a clear definition of several unique attributes of each consumer segment. Beyond this, also offer an appreciation of how they think, feel and do – mapped specifically to the brand.
What are the key facts and pieces of information communicated by the branded product or service explicitly, implicitly, and tacitly – that give messages and meaning to the offering and that are transferred and acquired by the consumer?
What kind of digital tools were effectively or ineffectively utilized to create the brand awareness?
What is the creative approach? Consider for example the use of semiotics, colours, typography, humour, celebrity endorsement etc.
Where does the branded offering communicate these elements? What are the integrated marketing channels and social media platforms and where are the touch-points and moments of truth? What are the respective strengths and weaknesses of each of these?
Why do you feel that these audiences have been worth targeting? How is effectiveness judged?
Social media advertising reinforcing top-of-the-mind brand awareness and preference Native influencer and celebrity rich content to enrich the brand personality through association Digital cause-related marketing and events sponsorship using immersive Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) Natural language processing, digital personal assistants, in-store analytics, AI, SEO, behaviour analysis, data visualization, text analytics, facial expression analysis, and blockchain techniques
…etc are to name a few – but think bigger and wider.
A key element of this report is to present a novel approach, whilst capturing the essence of a strategic imperative spearheaded by Digital Marketing – using stepwise and layered narratives. A clear case, rationale and story should be presented, which is grounded in evidence and strong conceptual arguments – but you do not need to present a detailed marketing campaign plan.
Furthermore, you should make use of technical terms appropriate for a marketing professional, and at every stage link findings to relevant theory, academic thinking and current news stories.
The report should be well structured, grammatically correct and fluent. To convey your ideas clearly, you can use suitable images, diagrams, tables, etc [but not directly copied from elsewhere] in moderation. When you use external resources, you should quote and reference them properly. The 3000-word limit is strict [excluding the references].
You should aim to provide the big picture about the topic and communicate your views clearly. The report should not be solely based on the content referenced externally. In the report, all the relevant Digital Marketing tools supporting your arguments should be linked and described in sufficient detail. While elaborating on these, you can develop your ideas in more detail and explore future trends and applications related to the topic.
