Executive Master in Digital Marketing and Communication

Module objective and content

In this first module, you will (re)discover the fundamentals of marketing and reinforce your skills to maximize value.

Building on simple methods and concepts, you will boost your strategic and creative talent, to stand out and delight both your clients and your organization.

Leveraging segmentation, targeting and positioning, you will explore how to develop innovative value propositions.

Teaching method

The module is based on interactive lectures, pre-readings and case studies. 

Topics covered

DAY 1

• Principles of Value-Focused Marketing
• The 4 V’s Methodology to build a Profitable Ecosystem
• Market Intelligence (External / Internal Environments)
• Customer Centricity – Customer Insights – Needs’ Discovery
• Segmentation – Targeting

DAY 2

• Customer Experience
• Management Innovative Value Propositions
• Positioning – USP
• Brand Equity – Branding - Brand Architecture
• Communication – Media – Promotion

KEY BENEFITS

• reinforce your strategic leadership skills
• identify how to develop agile customer centricity in your organization
• understand how to better create and capture value across client segments

Marketing and new technologies: Understanding medium and long term trends. How to distinguish the "hype" from the structural change? Concrete examples of artificial intelligence and the metaverse.

Module objective and content

Technology development and marketing: what does the future hold? This module provides a forward look at the influence of technology evolution, and the issues and opportunities for society, industry and marketing.

According to the Drift leadership report, 79 percent said AI is one of the technologies that will impact marketing in the future. The mutation of marketing has had far-reaching effects over the last 20 years. Digitalisation combined with personalisation, born from the control of data, has totally transformed the marketing approach.

Additionaly, Estimates say that by 2026, 25% of people will spend an hour or more in the metaverse each day. As far as the activities performed in the metaverse, predictions say they will mostly relate to work, shopping, education, socializing, and entertainment. This will, in turn, contribute toward the virtual economy powered by digital currencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs).

In the first part of this module, Hugues Bersini will give us his vision on the influence of technology development in the next ten years. Issues which could be addressed include the following : When will a robot become a living being or capable of conscious thought? Will neuron transplants be possible one day and will they affect our subjective experience? Can we give software the ultimate decision to start a nuclear war? Will we ever see the day when permission to smoke in a restaurant will be negotiated between people on the principle of polluter-payer? What do experimental economic experiences that economics students engage in, tell us about human nature?

In the second part of this module, Hugues Rey will put this development in perspective. He will outline the successes and failures of the profession, and look at the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow...

Teaching method

The course will comprise theory, cases, sharing of bestpractices and an external speaker.

Topics covered

• Major developments in Marketing and Perception of AI
• Computing AI
• AI & SAVEEE - How AI upsets the 4P’s / A.I. and the new consumer journey/ What will be my next Job in Marketing?
• AI and Media Consumption

KEY BENEFITS

• learn through a methodology to estimate the essential changes and the technological hype
• understand the fundamentals of artificial intelligence
• challenge the marketing mix via emerging technologies - Illustrated by numerous real-life cases

DAY 1: Make your organization evolve

Module objective and content

This module, rapidly evolving environment, it is not sufficient to produce standardized products for an entire group of customers anymore. Nowadays, consumers are not looking for normalized products but are in a constant quest to find solutions to the daily problems they face. Consumers are more and more demanding and ask for personalized solutions to their daily issues. Across the entire customer journey, marketeers need to understand the different needs and habits of their customers and non-customers. What are their consumption habits? What are the problems they face in their day-to-day life? Businesses need to rethink their entire business models and develop their offerings by the needs they meet, rather than their product features. Modern marketeers should find a way to solve their consumers’ problems. In this module, participants will learn how to act to serve their customers and build solutions adapted to their different consumer segments.

Teaching method

The format is based on interactive and active learning. Participants will have the opportunity to interact and participate to fun and collective exercises that will help them in designing an optimal solution for their clients.

Topics covered

• The evolution of marketing from product to solution
• The transformation of consumer habits and expectations
• Understanding the new consumers across the entire customer journey (how to offer an optimal solution at each stage?)
• Design thinking (AGILE vs waterfall)
• Value (co-)creation

DAY 2: An immersion day in the CX using Design Thinking

Module objective and content
During this module, you will experience practical digital Service Design. More concretely, you will use Design Thinking to delve into the hearts and minds of your target audience and ideate and prototype a new digital.

What does the Covid crisis teach us about Design Thinking?
That the need for design of new digital services has never been so great. There are more and more opportunities in the market in this field: so here is a great opportunity to open up yourself to these methods.

Teaching method
You will be immersed into the world of a Customer Experience. During this one-day module, you will learn how to run a 1-day Design Sprint that solve complex problems with a user centric approach.

A design sprint is a straightforward a highly effective method used for innovation and for optimizing common digital user experiences, no matter the size or scope

Topics covered

• PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN THINKING
  A strategic process with a focus on human behavior that uses tools from the design world.
  
  HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN
  - Desirability: What do people desire?
  - Viability: What can be financially viable and scalable?
  - Feasibility: What is technically and organizationally feasible?

          DIVERGENCE AND CONVERGENCE
         - « Double Diamond » approach
         - Trust the « Messy Process »

• STEPS & PROCESS
  INTRODUCTION
  - Introduction to the challenge, describing the why, what, how.
  INSPIRATION
  - Lighting Demo’s of best practices and great ideas that solve similar problems.
  IDEATION
  - Sketching a concept, illustrate the idea.
  - Vote for the best concept.
  FINALISATION
  - Define the user test flow, the sequence of all important steps.

KEY BENEFITS

• Understand the evolution of consumer habits in a digital world
• Methodology to identify strategic insights for your business and communication
• How to sort insights and define key project to setup for your communication
• A practical approach to setup ambitious digital and marketing projects

From Place to Access: How to successfully convert your (potential) customers into buyers?

Module objective and content

With the digitalization and the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, consumers’ purchasing habits have evolved and marketers need to rethink their distribution strategies. Many brands with no online presence were forced to build a digital retailing strategy to survive. The digitalization of retail has accelerated.

Day 1: Omni-channel strategies
Consumers are now, more than ever, “Omni-channel” in their outlook and behaviour – they use both online and offline channels for shopping. Across their purchasing journey, consumers are in touch with many different channels and communication forms, both online and offline. Managers need to provide a seamless experience across all channels to attract and retain consumers. Physical retail will never go back to how it was before. Retailers must rethink their stores and offer the most possible value across all channels and touchpoints. Performance through all channels needs to be optimized. 

Day 2: E-commerce, IT & Marketing
E-commerce is growing impressively.  Retailers and brands have no other choice than selling online through their own website or marketplaces.  To be successful online, it is decisive to have a performant e-commerce strategy.  Brands and retailers should build a website that maximizes customer experience and make sure they are relevant enough in their choices with marketplaces.  To reach out to modern customers, traditional websites are no longer sufficient.  New technologies are used to provide customers with great experiences.  IT is required to succeed with actual marketing strategies. 

Teaching method

The format is based on active learning. In order to put the theory into practice, managerial experts will be invited.  Moreover, students will have the opportunity to develop their own omni-channel & e-commerce strategy and be coached on their project.

KEY BENEFITS

• Understand e-commerce and the different (distribution) channels
• Understand shopper behaviour across channels
• Know how to build a successful e-commerce strategy
• Know how to build a seamless experience to their customers by developing an effective Omni-channel strategy and using new technologies

Module objective and content

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get’ (Warren Buffet)

But how do you set the right price in Marketing 4.0*? By stating the benefits relative to the price (value tag) rather than placing the emphasis on the link between price and production costs, profit margins or price of the competition (price tag). Therefore understanding the value pricing thermometer is key: how to increase your target customer’s willingness to pay by optimizing your margin without losing market share. This module gives you a clear vision and approach of how to monetize value. You will learn how to apply and implement your pricing strategy in the “S.A.V.E.D.” strategy and in the context of “value”. S.A.V.E.D. is the centerpiece of a new solution-price-sale strategy in Marketing 4.0.

Teaching method

The course is built on action learning methods. Besides reading assignments, the course is based on case studies illustrating the complexities of real pricing issues and invites students to apply their ideas in practical problem solving, as well as attending lectures by guest speakers.

Topics covered

DAY 1
Rethinking (not re-inventing) the fundamentals of Marketing, and Pricing Strategy in particular (pricing concepts): we will first set the stage for pricing, look at the different perspectives and approaches in pricing, will do an analysis of the pricing process and understand the importance of value in price. Is the pricing process one of your core competencies?

DAY 2
How to price the product around the price and how to price the price around the product (pricing tool box): next to existing pricing strategies and tactics there is a plethora of other kore innovative pricing strategies and tactics. We will discuss and reflect on them in order to understand that pricing innovation can become your next competitive alternative!

KEY BENEFITS

• Think strategically about pricing through Case Study approach
• Being able to capture, (co-)create and sustain customer value in a pricing context
• Use key frameworks and tools to analyze situations and make decisions
• Understand how to develop and execute “outside the box” pricing strategies

Digital Communication From Promotion to Education, Entertainment & Engagement - Communication Strategy and Tactical Tools

Module objective and content
Exploitation of digital opportunities for brands to communicate their values and offers has substantially changed the formats and content made available to customers. The distinction between online and offline communication channels definitely belongs to a bygone era. So, let’s value the convergence and the active role of the customer.

In this module, you will better understand how to provide information relevant to customers’ specific needs at each point in the purchase cycle. Should marketingcommunication strategies still rely on PR, advertising, and personal sales to cover the field? This module shows you how to set up a communication strategy. We cover planning the Paid, Shared, Owned and Earned concept. You will also deepen your knowledge of different aspects of trading, performance and searches. Be prepared to learn a lot about Programmatic and Native Advertising, DM & CRM, Social – Adressable – Shoppable Media, etc.

In this module we will consider the following in the context of a digital world:

- How to build a communication strategy and organize the communications channels (model: Owned  
  Shared Earned Paid).
- How to make the consumer central and prepare his or her pathway to acquisition and use of
   products and brands (Consumer Decision Journey)

And we will cover other points such as:
- Trading and programmatic buying - new business models for media investment
- The use of performance channels (SEA, SEO, Affiliate, etc.) - The use of mobile networks/devices  
  and geolocation
- Social networks - Native and content advertising
- The establishment of goals, a Key Performance Index and the associated benchmarks, and ways to
   measure performance
- The complementarity between the different communication channels
- Traditional Media digitalization: TV, Radio & Out-of-Home
- Shoppable Media & Market Places

Teaching method
Participants can expect to meet a wide range of high-quality practitioners from the world of communications. The module will include many examples and case studies.

Topics covered

DAY 1: Communication : basic and Challenge

Hugues Rey (Havas Media Group Belgium)

• Meaningful Communication 
• OSEP and savEEE
• Media Experience
• Currencies - on vs off / KPI in funnel 
• Introduction to SOSTAC methodology

Danny Devriendt (IPG Dynamic)

• Digital Communication, storytelling and techno innovation

DAY 2: Programmatic & Performance infused by data

Nicolas Béguin (LiLiCast)

• Performance and Market Place: Google, Amazon and much more

Jonathan Lannoy (Havas Media Belgium)

• Programmatic & Data

DAY 3: Social Media and Influencer

Mathias Beke & Véronique Deconinck (Pepsico Benelux)

• Introduction to social média / Landscape
• Social mediaplanning / targetting opportunities / kpi + exercice
• Créative cases
• Introduction to social commerce 

Boris Kaisin (BeInfluence)

• Influencer marketing

DAY 4: Customer Centric Communication: CRM & CDP, Direct Marketing, Precision Marketing.

Kevin Kielbaey (LiveRamp)

• Marketing automation/Precision Marketing

Florent Diverchy (ProduPress)

• Direct Marketing,CRM & CDP

DAY 5: Media Digitalization, Adressability, Marketplaces and Shoppable Media

Valérie Janssens (RMB)

• From TV to OLV, From Radio to OLA, Adressable TV – infused by Data

Philippe Buyle (JcDecaux)

• D(OOH) – Adressable / Programmatic / Data

Carla Mouchbahani (Havas Market)

• Market Places & Shoppable Media

DAY 6: Communication in Practice / use SOSTAC model *

Hugues Rey (Havas Media Group Belgium)
Digital communication strategy integration in action

• Briefing
• Objectives / Growth drivers / KPIs
• Strategic canvas (CDJ in OSEP + Blueprint) and Big Idea
• Methods/Selection grids of the channels
• Optimization > Creative items for attention

SOSTAC is planning model, originally developed in the 1990s by PR Smith

KEY BENEFITS

• Discover, understand and use a duplicable methodology for all communication issues
• cover all aspects of digital communication through the sharing of specialists active in the specific sector
• be enlightened by more than 30 detailed and documented cases
• Validate the understanding through a one-day real-life exercise

Module objective and content
These last months of pandemics have shown us the importance of data and their interpretation. In marketing and for a long time, the amount of data produced by prospects and customers engaging with marketing channels provides new opportunities for marketers to leverage more effective, targeted and personalized campaigns, track customer journeys, improve customer segmentation and predict their behavior.

The Data Science for Marketing module will teach participants about the fundamental concepts and tools in data science that equip marketers to make use of these new opportunities effectively. This module presents a set of fundamental principles for extracting useful knowledge from data. These fundamental principles are the foundation for many algorithms and techniques for marketing data science, but also underlie the processes and methods for approaching marketing problems data-analytically, evaluating particular marketing data science solutions, and evaluating general marketing plans.

Teaching method
The class meetings will be a combination of lectures on the fundamental material, discussions of marketing applications of the ideas and techniques, case discussions, and participant exercises.

Topics covered
• Data Analytical thinking
  This morning session will introduce the basic concepts of data science, data mining, the importance of understanding data science,
   as well as data engineering and processing, big data, data-driven decision-making and data maturity. It will also help to familiarize
   the participants with various marketing applications and uses of data science.
• From Marketing Problems to Data Science Solutions
   This afternoon session will help the participants to view marketing problems from a data-analytic perspective. This will include
   data terminology, data mining tasks, models and process. Each topic will be supported by a balance between theoretical concepts
   and practical exercises.

KEY BENEFITS
At the end of this module, the participants will be able to:
• Approach Marketing problems data-analytically
  - Think carefully & systematically about whether & how data can improve business performance (strategic & tactical)
• Be able to interact competently on the topic of data sciences for marketing purposes
  - Discuss marketing data science intelligently with data scientists and other stakeholders,
• Participate effectively in marketing data science projects

Module objective and content

Marketing Research constitutes one of the most important and fascinating facets of marketing.  Providing value and understanding consumers is key. Marketing research is the predominant tool to learn in depth about what your consumers think and value. It allows managers to know which consumers they want to target, and where and how they can reach them.  Conducting proper research will lower business risks and help managers to set better goals for their business. In these turbulent COVID times, purchase behaviour has changed rapidly, and consumers’ attitudes have evolved. Companies need to keep contact with their consumers and monitor the evolution their attitudes. The objective of this module is to provide a better understanding of how marketing research works.  More precisely, students will learn how to design a marketing research strategy, considering the new constraints due the COVID-19 pandemic, and translate the results into useful insights for their marketing plan. 

Teaching method

The format is based on active learning. In order to put the theory into practice, students will have the opportunity to develop their own marketing research plan and be coached through their project.

KEY BENEFITS

• Be able to build an accurate research plan.
• Have learned how to implement qualitative research & common business practices in qualitative marketing research.
• Have learned to design effective quantitative research & how to make a survey targeted to their audience.
• Be competent in understanding marketing research results, synthesising findings and proposing insights.

Make your organization evolve

Module objective and content

Marketeers are facing new challenges every day, but employer branding is certainly one of the main important ones these last months. Marketing department receives more and more request from human resources to help them in the recruitment process. But unfortunately, recruitment is a more complicated process than launching a digital campaign with open vacations.

During these last months of troubles, professional expectations have evolved. They are looking for companies with a real purpose, contributing to the society and proposing a challenging and friendly environment. Therefore, companies need to make their communication evolve.

Teaching method

During this session, we kindly invite human resource professionals to participate, and enrich the debate. It will be a mix between human resources communication best practices and experts who are proposing innovative solutions to address these new challenges.

Topics covered

> What is the actual situation of recruitment actually
> What is employer branding
> How to develop a real digital employer branding strategy
> What are the best practices and cases
> What are the actual solutions to implement it for my company

KEY BENEFITS

1. Understand the evolution in human ressources communication
2. Discover and explore the candidates digital journey
3. How to develop a pertinent employer branding communication online
4. Discover practical best practices for your employer branding

Module objective and content

How to develop a global marketing strategy in a digital world

You only get only 48 hours, but for doing what?

You will have to develop a global marketing strategy in a digital world.

A ‘serious’ game will challenge you to present a comprehensive digital marketing strategy based on the teaching indeed 8 modules.

When you leave us, after these two intensive days, you will be able to imagine, create, activate and test a full force communication campaign based on an effective digital marketing strategy. Digital marketing and communication in today’s world will hold no more secrets from you, because you will be a powerhouse of digital marketing knowledge from the moment you finish this module.

That is our pledge.

Teaching method

This module is based on active learning. You will develop your own global marketing strategy in a digital world.

Topics covered

• Conceiving your marketing and communication strategy
• Creating and activating your communication campaign
• Testing your marketing and communication strategy

KEY BENEFITS

• Use the concepts taught during the 18-day course on a real case
• Move from theory to practice while being coached and challenged
• Conclude this education program in a committed and friendly manner
• Receive feedback from a jury of professionals