You are the Head of Digital Marketing for Visit Cambridge and Beyond, tasked with creating a 2018-2019 strategic integrated marketing communications plan for the organisation and its product(s)/service(s) to encourage tourist visitation. Your objectives are two-fold:
1. To expand the network and hits to the social networks and official Visit Cambridge and Beyond website.
2. Using the expansion of domestic and global social networks, develop a ‘bookable product’ offering around a particular tourism theme to stimulate prospective visitors to purchase prior to visitation.
Rationale for assessment design:
The construction of the report will test both your knowledge and application of key theoretical marketing concepts and practical initiatives. The assessment will test your ability to work autonomously, and individually design a bespoke communication plan based on independent research, and learning gained throughout the module. However, to guide your thinking, the assessment criteria and outline of key compulsory elements to include within the report are shown below:
Key assessment criteria Mark Learning Outcome
1. Brief but well-researched introduction and background:
(1) Explore and discuss the tourism industry Visit Cambridge and Beyond operates and competes within
(2) Analyse the current market position of their product/service
(3) Identify current marketing activities being conducted by the organisation. 10% 1, 2, 3, 4
2. Execution of a SWOT analysis – an analysis of:
(1) Internal ‘strengths’ and ‘weaknesses’ of the organisation,
(2) And current market ‘opportunities’ and ‘threats’ 20% 3, 4
3. Development of a strategic integrated marketing communications plan – ensure you:
• Reflect on key elements of marketing as discussed throughout the module
• Are creative, novel and innovative in your design (e.g. review not just traditional, standard marketing formats but also embrace new technologies)
• The specificity of your plan and initiatives proposed
• Reflect on the industry, positioning and SWOT analysis to justify proposed actions
• Provide SMART recommendations for future action (for example, potential ways to exploit company strengths, and/or strengthen areas of organisational weakness).
30% 1,2, 3, 4
4. Strong theoretical underpinning and credibility – strong reflection and detail provided with respect to the theoretical underpinning required to support all decisions made within the report.
Ensure you draw up on:
• An eclectic range of academic and practical sources to underpin your discussions (e.g. journals, books, industry reports etc)
• Reliable evidence to support your points (please note: reflections based solely on anecdotal evidence will be heavily penalised)
• Link back to the key theoretical models discussed throughout the module. 20% 1, 2, 3, 4
5. Full adherence to fundamental components of report construction:
(1) Adhere to report structure provided;
(2) Harvard Referencing practice;
(3) Degree of innovation showcased throughout, and
(4) Language used and grammar. 20% 1, 2, 3
TOTAL MARKS: 100%