COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA 267-11

COURSE TITLE: Topics in Marketing: Marketing Research, Consumer Behavior, Advertising

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 Units

INSTRUCTOR: Michele Madansky, Ph.D., Allen Olivo, Lynn Upshaw

E-MAIL ADDRESS: Michele Madansky, Ph.D. (Customer Research Module), 650-804-2687, madansky@haas.berkeley.edu; Allen Olivo (Customer Behavior), allenolivo@comcast.net; Lynn Upshaw (Advertising), 415 785 8735, upshaw@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION (HTTP URL): bspace

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Saturdays 1-4pm

PREREQUISITE(S): EWMBA Core Curriculum

CLASS FORMAT: Interactive discussions, cases, presentations, guest speakers/evaluators

REQUIRED READINGS:See syllabus, to be posted on bSpace by August 6, 2010

FINAL GRADE: Based on class participation (20%); course module assignments (50%); Group project and presentation 30%.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
This course is designed to guide students in the building of useful customer research, the integration of pertinent customer behavior and attitudes, and the subsequent use of that input in the development of advertising programs.

Customer insights and consumer behavior are building blocks for all marketing programs, and particularly for marketing communications campaigns. Customer Research is used to drive business decisions across product, marketing, corporate development, PR and sales. Managers (and entrepreneurs) need to understand when and how to best initiate and leverage market research to support their organization.

The results of that research enable marketers to then develop a critical understanding of the current and prospective customer behavior in order to engage that audience. The insights and actions that lead from that understanding help marketers determine the sustainable competitive advantage they can gain in the perceptions of potential purchasers.

Finally, the cumulative knowledge that stems from sound marketing research and insightful customer behavior patterns can be employed to create breakthrough marketing communications, most visibly seen in brand advertising. You will walk away from this course understanding how these three critical disciplines are inextricably linked, and how to integrate them into a powerful marketing communications program that will help achieve your company’s goals.

Students who take this course will:

Learn how to prepare a full research project for an important brand that is currently seeking some solutions to real-time challenges. Self-selected teams will work together to use secondary research and conduct qualitative and quantitative research to help frame the marketing question.

Gain a working knowledge of proven consumer and customer behavior/attitude frameworks and techniques. They will learn how to identify key prospect/customer groups and predict which behavior will most influence purchase of the brand in question.

Obtain an opportunity to apply what they have learned in the research and behavior phases of the course directly to specific challenges faced by real brands in today’s marketplace. Their teams will then be asked to develop high-impact advertising recommendations and present them to client marketing executives who will assess them at the conclusion of the course.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:See faculty pages at Haas site.