CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing

Digital Strategy (2203)

April 2017

Assignment

The assignment comprises THREE compulsory tasks

Task 1 is worth 25 marks

Task 2 is worth 40 marks

Task 3 is worth 35 marks

Total marks available 100

Candidate guidance:

Answer all tasks

The available marks are shown alongside each part of the task
Read all tasks carefully before attempting them

The Chartered Institute of Marketing 2016

VERSION 1 05.09.16
 Digital Strategy (2203) April 2017

Scenario: Integrating Digital Marketing

There are significant opportunities for organisations, and more specifically brands that can
effectively integrate digital marketing with traditional marketing activities. Having digital
marketing functioning as a separate entity may lead to a lack of consistency across
marketing activities and have a negative impact on the customer experience.

In your role as an experienced marketer of your own organisation, or a suitable

organisation of your choice, you have been asked to consider how to integrate the
marketing mix with digital marketing, in order to deliver a more consistent and effective
customer experience through digital marketing activities.

Guidance notes:

The assignment comprises of THREE separate tasks, which are parts of the process to
identify, and then respond strategically, to changes in the organisations digital marketing
environments.

Whilst it is helpful to include an introduction and a summary for each task, these should
be brief, with the main focus being on the content outlined in the Tasks provided. FIVE
marks will be awarded for the organisation summary, which will form part of Task 1, using
the headings provided in the Assignment Guidance Section.

It is good practice to acknowledge all sources/methodologies/applications using the

Harvard referencing system.

Good Practice Guidelines for Assignment Production

The recommended page count limit for this assignment has been set by the
examiners as being suitable for candidates to produce a concise, professional document
that covers all of the assessment criteria covered by the brief. Submissions that exceed
the recommended page count limit are likely to contain irrelevant material that
can restrict the emphasis on key points relevant to the brief/task. Equally, submissions
that are below the recommended page count limit are unlikely to contain sufficient detail.

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 Digital Strategy (2203) April 2017

TASK 1 REPORT

Assessment criteria covered in Task 1:

AC1.1, AC1.2, AC1.3, AC2.1, AC2.2

Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details.

You have been asked to produce a report for the Senior Management Team of your
chosen organisation that considers key areas of the external marketing environment.
These key areas include the analysis of digital challenges and opportunities specific to the
organisation and customers digital behaviour.

Required:

(a) Using the organisation summary guidelines, provide a background to

your chosen organisation. (5 marks)

(b) Assess the external marketing environment for your chosen

organisation focusing on identifying the key challenges and
opportunities for digital strategy and tactics during the next 12
months. (10 marks)

(c) Analyse ONE key customer segment for your chosen organisation
with a focus on determining the online and offline behaviour of that
segment. (10 marks)

(Total 25 marks)

(Organisation summary recommended page count limit one side of A4 paper)

(Tasks 1 (b) to 1 (c) recommended page count limit four sides of A4 paper)

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 Digital Strategy (2203) April 2017

TASK 1 REPORT

Recommended page count limit:

Task 1 (a) one side of A4 paper

Tasks 1 (b) to 1 (c) four sides of A4 paper

ORGANISATION SUMMARY GUIDELINES

Contents will contribute to the FIVE marks available in Part (a) of Task 1.

The following headings must be included:

Organisation name

Type of organisation, for example, profit or not-for-profit, local,

national, global, and type of legal entity

Size of organisation in terms of turnover and/or number of employees

Range of products and services provided

Customer base, for example, B2B/B2C

Guidance
notes: Main competitors

Other information relevant to the assignment may be included, within the

recommended page count limit, to assist the examiner in understanding the
organisation.

When approaching Task 1 (b), it is important for candidates to be aware of

the complex and dynamic nature of the digital marketing environment. The
monitoring of the external digital marketing environment is important in
order for organisations to stay current and not fall behind contemporary
practice. Using suitable tools and frameworks, the candidate is required to
conduct an assessment of both the opportunities and challenges presented
by key findings within the external environment, through credible and
relevant research. The impact and influence of each challenge and
opportunity identified should be considered. The key findings should have
significance to the chosen organisation with a timeframe of 12 months.

Continued

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 Digital Strategy (2203) April 2017

Task 1 continued

For Task 1 (c) the candidate will need to conduct research into a key
customer segment in order to develop a profile in the form of a customer
persona. As well as a geo-demographic classification of the key segment,
psychographic analysis is required to identify and profile the key segments
online and offline behaviour. There are numerous sources of credible data
available online from sites such as ComScore, Ofcom, YouGov and ONS
(ComScore and Nielsen are useful for international audiences, as well as any
country specific data sources) that can be consulted to develop this persona,
as well as any internal data available. Candidates should present the findings
in the form of a customer or buyer persona. It may be possible that more
than one persona can be developed from the research conducted into a key
segment, but only one persona is needed in response to the subtask.

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 Digital Strategy (2203) April 2017

TASK 2 REPORT

Assessment criteria covered in Task 2:

AC2.1, AC2.2, AC2.3, AC4.1

Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details.

Integrating digital marketing with the offline marketing mix has become increasingly
important as the fragmentation of media increases and the customers desire a more
consistent and convenient set of experiences.

In your role as an experienced marketer you have been asked to prepare a report for your
chosen organisation that evaluates how digital marketing currently integrates with the
marketing mix.

Required:

(a) Evaluate the effectiveness of your chosen organisations current

digital marketing activities and their integration within the marketing
mix. (20 marks)

(b) Analyse the key areas of the digital marketing environment using a
TOWS matrix that identifies key digital strategic options for the
chosen organisation. (10 marks)

(c) Recommend how your chosen organisation could monitor emerging

digital marketing trends to develop valuable insight for future
decision-making. (10 marks)

(Total 40 marks)

(Tasks 2 (a) to 2 (c) recommended page count limit eight sides of A4 paper)

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 Digital Strategy (2203) April 2017

TASK 2 REPORT

Recommended page count limit: eight sides of A4 paper

In preparing answers to this task it is important that the candidate

understands the concept of integration, and how digital marketing activities
need to be integrated with the marketing mix of an organisation.

For Task 2 (a) the candidate is expected to conduct research into the chosen
organisations current digital marketing mix, in order to support an
evaluation of the mix activities. The evaluation will be used to determine the
value of these activities in context. The current digital marketing mix may
include activities such as social media, digital PR, corporate websites, e-mail
and mobile marketing. In the evaluation the candidate is expected to not
only evaluate the effectiveness and value of these activities, but also to
evaluate the degree to which the digital marketing mix integrates with the
marketing mix of the chosen organisation.

To support the development of an effective digital marketing strategy, in

Guidance order to answer subtask b candidates will need to complete a TOWS
notes: analysis. Findings can be drawn from findings drawn from the research
conducted to answer subtasks 1 (b), 1 (c) and 2 (a). The outcome of the
TOWS analysis should provide clear strategic options, linked to relevant
findings, to support the successful integration of digital marketing activities
within the marketing mix of the chosen organisation.

In order to answer Task 2 (c) the candidate needs to consider what methods
could be used to monitor emerging digital trends within the external
marketing environment. Recommendations, in the context of the chosen
organisation, should be made considering how monitoring can be
undertaken, what sources can be used and what processes are needed to
successfully monitor them. There also needs to be consideration as to how
this monitoring can support future decision-making within the organisation,
so a consideration as to how the data and information could be used should
be included in the response to this subtask.

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 Digital Strategy (2203) April 2017

TASK 3 REPORT

Assessment criteria covered in Task 3:

AC3.1, AC4.2, AC5.1, AC5.2, AC5.3, AC5.4, AC6.1, AC6.2, AC6.3, AC6.4

Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details.

There is a need to develop digital marketing objectives, strategy and tactics.

In your role as an experienced marketer you have been asked to produce these elements,
as well as a consideration of control, to be presented in report format and developed for
the Senior Management Team.

Required:

(a) Develop TWO justified digital marketing objectives focused on

supporting the integration of digital marketing with the wider
marketing activities of your chosen organisation. (10 marks)

(b) Recommend an appropriate digital marketing strategy and integrated

tactical mix for your chosen organisation, designed to deliver on the
two digital marketing objectives set. (15 marks)

(c) Illustrate how the recommended digital tactics in sub-task (b) could
be measured, detailing how the measurements could be
implemented. (10 marks)

(Total 35 marks)

(Tasks 3 (a) to 3 (c) recommended page count limit seven sides of A4 paper)

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 Digital Strategy (2203) April 2017

TASK 3 REPORT

Recommended page count limit: seven sides of A4 paper

In order to successfully answer this task it is important that the candidate

provides reference to the key findings considered and strategic options
developed in previous tasks.

In order to complete Task 3 (a) the candidate is required to develop TWO

digital marketing objectives that support the integration of digital marketing
activities with the organisations wider marketing activities. This should be in
the context of the chosen organisation and utilising a relevant theoretical
framework. The objectives should be justified using relevant theory and
evidence drawn from previous tasks in the assignment.

Task 3 (b) requires the candidate to develop both a digital marketing

strategy and a digital marketing mix of tactical activities that can be
implemented to achieve the strategy. Both the strategic and tactical
recommendations need to focus on supporting the successful integration of
digital marketing activities with the marketing mix of the chosen
organisation. There should also be clear links as to how these strategic and
Guidance tactical recommendations will deliver on the TWO objectives set previously.
notes: The digital marketing strategy and tactics should be justified using relevant
theory and evidence drawn from previous tasks in the assignment.

Finally, Task 3 (c) requires the candidate to illustrate how the performance
of the recommended digital marketing mix in Task 3 (b) could be measured.
This requires a clear focus on what has been recommended, linked to the
objectives set for Task 3 (a), and from that determining what elements of
the mix could be measured and then showing how, using relevant examples.
The steps required to implement the measurement of the mix, such as
determining metrics, the selection and use of different platforms and tools
linked to digital marketing need to be described.

Focus on the integration of digital marketing activities with the marketing

mix of the chosen organisation throughout the relevant recommendations is
vital. All recommendations across objectives, strategy and tactics should be
justified and there should be clear synergy between the objectives, strategy
and the supporting digital marketing (tactical) mix.

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