Learning Outcomes

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The content, assignments, and assessments for Principles of Marketing are aligned to the following learning outcomes. A full list of course learning outcomes can be viewed here: Principles of Marketing Learning Outcomes.

Module 1: What Is Marketing?

Explain what marketing is and how it’s used

  • Define marketing
  • Identify evidence of marketing in everyday life
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of the marketing concept
  • Describe the role of marketing in building and managing customer relationships
  • Describe how different types of organizations, such as nonprofits, consumer product (B2C) firms and business-to-business (B2B) organizations, use marketing
  • Explain how marketing creates value for the consumer, the company, and society

Module 2: Marketing Function

Identify the primary marketing activities of an organization

  • Explain why the customer is the cornerstone of marketing
  • Briefly explain the concepts of segmentation and targeting
  • Describe the marketing mix
  • Explain how organizations use the marketing mix (often called the four Ps) to market to their target customers
  • Explain the role of a marketing plan as a guiding document for marketing activities

Module 3: Segmentation and Targeting

Determine market segments and target customers

  • Explain the purpose of segmentation and targeting in marketing
  • Describe common segmentation approaches
  • Explain the process of selecting an appropriate segmentation approach and deciding which customer segments to target for marketing activities
  • Explain how targeting influences each element of the marketing mix

Module 4: Marketing Strategy

Determine market segments and target customers

  • Evaluate how marketing strategies align with corporate strategies
  • Explain the inputs and components of a marketing strategy
  • Show how common analytic tools are used to inform the organization’s strategy
  • Give examples of corporate strategies
  • Explain how the development and maintenance of customer relationships are an essential part of an organization’s marketing strategy

Module 5: Ethics and Social Responsibility

Apply principles of ethics and social responsibility in marketing

  • Describe the types of ethical and social responsibility issues that marketing must address
  • Explain the laws that regulate marketing
  • Explain how ethical dilemmas in business-to-business marketing differ from those in consumer marketing
  • Outline measures companies take to encourage ethical behavior
  • Explain how demonstrating corporate social responsibility can impact marketing

Module 6: Marketing Information and Research

Use marketing information and research to develop marketing strategies for organizations

  • Explain the role of marketing information in helping firms understand and reach consumers
  • Describe the key types of marketing information including internal data, competitive intelligence and marketing research
  • Outline a standard process for using marketing research to address an organization’s strategic questions
  • Recognize alternative methods for conducting marketing research, including primary and secondary research methods
  • Identify major sources of available market data
  • Explain how Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can help organizations manage and gain customer insights from marketing information
  • Use marketing information to inform the marketing strategy

Module 7: Consumer Behavior

Use information about consumer behavior to inform marketing strategy and tactics

  • Describe the stages of the consumer buying process
  • Explain the different buying processes for low-involvement and high-involvement decisions
  • Describe the major factors that influence consumer purchasing decisions
  • Explain the B2B buying process and key factors influencing B2B purchasing decisions

Module 8: Positioning

Create a product or service positioning statement that aligns with a value proposition and a target segment

  • Define positioning and differentiation, and why they are important to marketing a product or service
  • Explain the process of selecting a positioning and differentiation strategy
  • Develop and evaluate positioning statements based on defined criteria
  • Explain repositioning and the associated risks and complexities of repositioning a product or service
  • Describe the process of implementing a positioning strategy

Module 9: Branding

Analyze elements of a brand and explain how the brand-building process contributes to the success of products or services

  • Describe the elements of brand and how brands add value to an organization’s products and services
  • Define brand equity and its role in measuring brand strength
  • Explain the how marketers use brand positioning to align marketing activities and build successful brands
  • Explain the importance of name selection in the success of a brand
  • Discuss the role of packaging in the brand-building process
  • Explain key strategies for developing brands including brand ownership, brand and line extensions, co-branding and licensing

Module 10: Product Marketing

Make product marketing decisions based on product life cycle and product portfolio structure

  • Explain what a product is and the importance of products in the marketing mix
  • Discuss the product life cycle and its implications for marketing
  • Explain product portfolio management and how it relates to the organization’s marketing strategy and tactics
  • Define the process for creating new products
  • Identify the challenges associated with creating a successful new product

Module 11: Pricing Strategies

Use pricing strategies to enhance marketing of products and services

  • Discuss how price affects the value of the organization’s products or services
  • Explain the primary factors to consider in pricing
  • Compare common pricing strategies
  • Explain price elasticity and how it can be used to set price
  • Explain the use of competitive bidding for B2B pricing

Module 12: Place: Distribution Channels

Evaluate how to use distribution channels to market an organization’s products and services effectively

  • Explain what channels of distribution are and why organizations use them
  • Explain how channels affect the marketing of products and services
  • Describe types of retailers and explain how they are used as a channel of distribution
  • Explain how integrated supply chain management supports an effective distribution strategy

Module 13: Promotion: Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

Demonstrate how organizations use integrated marketing communication (IMC) to support their marketing strategies

  • Explain integrated marketing communication (IMC) and its connection to the organization’s marketing strategy
  • Discuss how to develop effective messaging for marketing communications
  • Explain factors to consider when selecting marketing communication methods to execute the strategy
  • Describe common methods of marketing communication, their advantages and disadvantages
  • Explain how IMC tools support the sales process
  • Describe the uses of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems for marketing communication purposes
  • Explain common tools and approaches used to measure marketing communication effectiveness
  • Create a marketing campaign and budget using multiple IMC tools to execute a marketing strategy

Module 14: Marketing Globally

Identify issues that organizations face and approaches they use when marketing to different countries and cultures

  • Describe globalization and the major benefits and challenges it poses for multinational organizations penetrating global markets
  • Describe common approaches used by organizations to compete successfully on a global scale
  • Explain the importance of understanding how demographic, cultural and institutional factors shape the global marketing environment

Module 15: Marketing Plan

Develop a marketing plan

  • Identify the key elements of the marketing plan
  • Present a marketing plan
  • Explain how the marketing plan is used by marketing and the overall organization