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Course Outline

MKG220 Marketing Communication

Course Coordinator:Michelle Smytheman (MSmythem@usc.edu.au) School:School of Business and Creative Industries

2025Semester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

 Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Online

 Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

Marketing communication is the vital strategic and tactical process where an entity persuasively communicates with their customers and other stakeholders. Marketing communication goes beyond advertising and includes all traditional and digital communication methods. This course provides students with a theoretical and applied understanding of persuasive marketing communication. You will develop your communication and research skills, so that you have the opportunity to successfully create a practical, ethical and creative marketing communication plan for a chosen client brand.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled face to face workshops. 2hrs Week 1 11 times
Online
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled online workshops 2hrs Week 1 11 times

Course Topics

  • Overview of IMC
  • IMC, the target market and brand positioning
  • The communication process and IMC objectives and budgeting
  • The IMC message strategy
  • Persuasion in IMC
  • Broadcast, print and support media
  • Digital, social media and hybrid media
  • Marketing public relations and sponsorship
  • Direct marketing and sales promotion
  • Personal selling and relationship marketing
  • Evaluating the IMC campaign

What level is this course?

200 Level (Developing)

Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
1 Based on relevant marketing communications theory and concepts, gather, analyse and interpret relevant data for creatively arriving at innovative and feasible marketing solutions. Creative and critical thinker 
PC3
2 Demonstrate advanced communication skills to investigate markets and marketing problems in a business context. Empowered
Engaged 
PC1
3 Demonstrate the capacity to work effectively as part of a team. Empowered
Engaged 
PC2, PC2.1
4 Demonstrate disciplinary knowledge and skills, which develop high personal and professional standards. Knowledgeable
Empowered 
PC6

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
PC1 Communication
PC2 Collaboration
PC2.1 Teamwork
PC3 Creative and Critical Thinking
PC6 Career-ready

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

BUS105

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Task 1 provides early summative feedback to students of their understanding of theoretical concepts. It also encourages tutorial attendance, which enables the student to be involved in formative assessment within the tutorial.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Report Individual 25% 
18 slides (excluding reference list and title slide)
 Week 4 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Group 30% 
10 minutes
 Week 8 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Report Individual 45% 
2,500 words
 Week 13 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Situational Analysis
Goal: 
Provide a background and situational analysis of the organisation for whom you will develop a marketing communication plan.
Product: Report
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
This is an individual assessment to be undertaken independently. The report will be presented as a PowerPoint presentation that is 18 slides long (excluding reference list and title slide). Further details are provided in the assessment area on Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Evaluation of the organisation’s background and macroenvironment situation.
 1 2
2 
Description and analysis of the organisation’s target market.
 1 2
3 
Assessment and analysis of the organisation’s competitive situation and positioning.
 1 2
4 
Effective communication and presentation skills including the organisation, flow and
visual appeal of the content.
 4
Generic Skills: 
Communication
All - Assessment Task 2:Digital Presentation
Goal: 
To work as an individual and in a team to research and analyse an integrated marketing communication campaign.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
This is a group assessment task with an individual reflection component. Groups of 3-4 will select and analyse an integrated marketing communication campaign. The analysis will be presented as a digital presentation approximately ten minutes long. Each student will also submit an individual reflection. Further details are provided in the assessment area on Canvas. 

This task is being used for measuring assurance of learning towards Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. The following Program Learning Objective will be assessed: Program Competency 2.1 Demonstrate effective management and collaboration in teams in a business context.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Description of the campaign and its outcomes and challenges
 2
2 
Demonstrate knowledge and application of relevant marketing theory and concepts
reflected in the chosen campaign.
 1 2
3 
Effective digital communication and presentation skills.
 4
4 
Use of interpersonal skills when engaging with team members
 3
5 
Knowledge and application of effective group processes
 3
6 
Acknowledgement and facilitation of strengths and skills of team members
 3
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Collaboration
All - Assessment Task 3:Marketing Communication Campaign Plan
Goal: 
To develop a creative, competitive and feasible marketing communication campaign for a chosen organisation.
Product: Report
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
This is an individual assessment task. This task builds on Task 1. You are to create a comprehensive integrated marketing communications campaign for an organisation. Further details are provided in the assessment area on Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Identification of proposed marketing communication objectives and channels.
 1 2 4
2 
Application of marketing communications theory to articulate a creative marketing
communication message.
 1 2 4
3 
Justification of an action plan (including a budget) and evaluation method
 1 2 4
4 
Accuracy and presentation of written work.
 4
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Edwina Luck,Nigel Barker,Anne-Marie Sassenberg,Bill Chitty,Terence A. Shimp,J. Craig Andrews 2021 Integrated Marketing Communications 6th ed. Cengage AU

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au
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