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2019/2020  KAN-CBCMO1801U  Social Media From A Branding Perspective

English Title
Social Media From A Branding Perspective

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Erik Braun - Department of Marketing (Marketing)
Main academic disciplines
  • Marketing
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 31-01-2020

Relevant links
Learning objectives
  • Explain what a social media marketing strategy is from a branding perspective
  • What can be pros and cons of a social media strategy for companies
  • Discuss the different social media business models
  • Create social media-focused marketing solutions to various brand issues as part of a social media strategy
  • Analyze and evaluate various social media marketing efforts and omni-channels
  • Evaluate various social audiences and engagement opportunities in a digital environment
  • Indicate the audience behavior by platform and the connection to brand audience goals
  • Develop the expertise to establish a voice, tone, and social presence for a brand (Content management)
  • Indicate the tools available for use in social media and social media sites and how they can be used for both communication, marketing and branding purposes
  • Indicate the KPI's in social media: Web Analytics: Google Analytics; Scorecards for social media campaigns, etc
  • Discuss the profitability consequences of social media
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved: 1
Compulsory home assignments
Approval of 1 out of 2 assignments/activities.

The student must get 1 out of 2 assignments/activities approved in order to attend the ordinary exam.

1. Group presentations with peer-to-peer discussion and feedback: In an extended classroom-teaching situation, groups will prepare for dedicated lecture presentations. Presentations will be discussed during class and general feedback from faculty is given in the plenary lecture following the presentation and discussion session.

2. Seminar: Individual students write an open-ended assignment of max. 3 pages for a seminar session. The assignments are assessed by faculty and peer reviewed by students. During the seminar students provide each other with personal feedback and receive feedback from faculty.

Students will not have extra opportunities to get the required number of compulsory activities approved prior to the ordinary exam. If a student has not received approval of the required number of compulsory activities or has been ill, the student cannot participate in the ordinary exam.
If a student prior to the retake is still missing approval for the required number of compulsory activities and meets the pre-conditions set out in the program regulations, an extra assignment is possible.

The extra assignment is a 10 page home assignment that will cover the required number of compulsory activities. If approved, the student will be able to attend retake.
Examination
Social Media From A Branding Perspective:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Group exam
Please note the rules in the Programme Regulations about identification of individual contributions.
Number of people in the group 3-4
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 2 weeks to prepare
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Spring
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Aim of the course
The purpose of this course is to give the students the skills and abilities needed to develop an effective and innovative social media marketing strategy, to improve the user experience and the image and reputation of the brand and the company. Grounded in social media marketing from a digital branding perspective, the students will learn how to build a social media marketing strategy, and understand what elements are necessary for a strong social media engagement strategy for a brand or organization.

 

The course touches upon the establishment of social media communities, the theories behind digital engagement and actions. Moreover, the students will learn how to produce a social media audit and use it to understand the social media skills of evaluation, social listening, and audience-specific engagement drivers.

 

Content

As companies and customers increasingly interact on social media, the social media channel becomes highly important seen from a branding perspective. The social media presence of a brand both reflects the brand image and influences the brand associations made by consumers. Deciding on the appropriate social media platforms to use for brand communications and how, becomes critical for companies when struggling to appeal to the online audience with the purpose to increase their brand awareness and brand attitude, but also improve the brand’s image. The course will include a range of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google +, Pinterest etc.

 

The relationship between social media and branding is also prominent for customers. With the emerging customer-centric mindset, it becomes important to familiarize with the customers’ online behavior, and understand how they regard social media and what appeals to them in terms of content created for branding purposes. Creating appealing content on the social media channel to attract the customers’ attention represents the future of a company’s brand innovation with almost limitless opportunities for higher brand performance. Thus, understanding how customers perceive the role and value of social media is vital for companies and their brands striving for success in the online environment.
Description of the teaching methods
This course is delivered in a blended learning format. That is, we combine online material and lectures with in-class discussions and workshops. Blended learning (the mix of online and offline platforms) creates a powerful learning environment for students, which we intend to use to its fullest potential. The course consists of online lectures and materials, online activities (e.g. online discussion forum, and/or peer graded assignments), and on-campus group work and in-class discussion. The class is highly interactive both online and offline with a corresponding expectation that students engage in these interactions.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback will provided in various forms during the semester (e.g., in discussions and through collegial feedback).
Student workload
Lectures 33 hours
Readings and preparation for the exam 173 hours
Expected literature

Text collection and research papers (Indicative literature - more literature will be announced upon enrollment):

  • Ashley, C., & Tuten, T. (2015). Creative strategies in social media marketing: An exploratory study of branded social content and consumer engagement. Psychology & Marketing, 32(1), 15-27.
  • Borah, A., & Tellis, G. J. (2016). Halo (spillover) effects in social media: do product recalls of one brand hurt or help rival brands? Journal of Marketing Research, 53(2), 143-160.
  • Deloitte Insights (2018) Digital media survey
  • Edelman, D. C. (2010). Branding in the digital age. Harvard business review, 88(12), 62-69.
  • Holt, D. (2016). Branding in the age of social media. Harvard business review, 94(3), 40-50.
  • Jamid Ul Islam, Zillur Rahman, Linda D. Hollebeek, (2018) "Consumer engagement in online brand communities: a solicitation of congruity theory", Internet Research, Vol. 28 Issue: 1, pp.23-45
  • John, L. K., Mochon, D. A. N. I. E. L., Emrich, O. L. I. V. E. R., & Schwartz, J. A. N. E. T. (2017). What’s the Value of a Like? Harvard Business Review, 95, 108-15 
  • Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business horizons, 54(3), 241-251.
  • Kohli, C., Suri, R., & Kapoor, A. (2015). Will social media kill branding? Business Horizons, 58(1), 35-44
  • McKinsey Report (2018) Luxury. The age of digital Darwinism
  • Michaelidou, N., Siamagka, N. T., & Christodoulides, G. (2011). Usage, barriers and measurement of social media marketing: An exploratory investigation of small and medium B2B brands. Industrial marketing management, 40(7), 1153-1159.
  • The NewsCred Top 50 Awards Best Content Marketing Brands 2018
  • Weiger, W. H., Hammerschmidt, M., & Wetzel, H. A. (2018). Don’t You Dare Push Me: How PersuasiveSocial Media Tactics Shape Customer Engagement. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 3(3), 364-378.  
  • Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2017). Social media marketing. Sage.
Last updated on 31-01-2020