DRAFT SYLLABUS WILL BE UPDATED PRIOR TO START OF CLASS

MGMT E-6650: Emerging Trends and Techniques in Marketing

Syllabus: Spring 2012
Instructor: Carol Stuckey, MBA, Assistant Dean for Communications and Marketing, Division of
Continuing Education, Harvard University
Contact Info:
Email: carolmstuckey@gmail.com. Please use this email address for course-related communications,
rather than my Harvard email address.
Office Phone: 617-998-8533
Office hours: by appointment
Class Time and Location: Mondays beginning January 23, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Northwest Science Building
B108 (subject to change). Class will not meet on February 20 (Presidents Day) and March 12 (Spring
Break).
Course Website: http://isites.harvard.edu/k84612
The course website will be an important resource for students throughout the course. Lecture slides,
articles, and links to helpful resources will be posted to the website. Students are encouraged to respond
to discussion questions posted to the website each week. Please note that you will need to log in using
your Harvard ID number and PIN to view course content.
About the Course
This course addresses new trends and best practices in marketing with an emphasis on business-toconsumer (B2C) marketing within the US. What do changing US demographics, including the aging of
baby boomers and the increase in the Hispanic population, mean for marketers? How have marketers
adapted to meet the unique characteristics of the millennial generation? We explore the relevance of
traditional marketing methods such as television and print advertising in today's digital society and how
the dynamics of buyer-seller relationships have changed in the age of information. We discuss the power
of web analytics and the debate over privacy. Current examples and case studies in areas such as social
networking, online advertising, mobile marketing, website optimization, and viral marketing are used.
Prerequisite: an introductory marketing course is recommended. (4 credits)
Students will learn:
How the consumer buying process has changed
Why shifting US demographics are important to marketers and the considerations that come into
play when marketing to age gropus and ethnic groups
The value and calculation of word-of-mouth marketing
How social media can be used to create business impact
How traditional marketing organizations are adapting to the changing landscape
How listening to social media can be used as an important input to marketing
How traditional methods of marketing such as television, print advertising, direct mail, email and
public relations are (or are not) changing
The role of paid and natural search, display advertising, and mobile marketing
Course Materials
Required Texts: Copies of the following texts should be available at the COOP or through online
websites such as amazon.com or half.com. Copies will also be place on reserve at Grossman Library.

Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies, by Charlene Li and Josh

Bernoff. Expanded and revised edition: Harvard Business Review Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-14221-6198-2. Make sure you purchase the correct edition, published 2011.

DRAFT SYLLABUS WILL BE UPDATED PRIOR TO START OF CLASS

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell. First Back Bay, 2002. ISBN: 0-316-34662-4. This was a
very popular book several years ago and inexpensive used copies should be in abundance on the
internet. We will only be reading two chapters of this book.

Cases and Articles: There will be a number of cases and articles required. Those can be purchased at a
discount via Harvard Business Publishings online site and are noted in the readings with an HBP
preceding the title. The link to HBPs website for this course is TBD.
To support copyright policies, articles and cases will not be placed on reserve.
Social Media Accounts: In order to complete assignments, students will need to have accounts set up
on a variety of social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. Students may use either their
personal accounts for those platforms or set up accounts specifically for use during the course.
Grading
15%
30%
25%
30%

Class Participation
Short Assignments (Two assigned)
Midterm Exam
Final Project (Group paper and presentation)

This is a graduate-level course and students should expect a graduate-level workload. The ability to
express oneself effectively in verbal and written communication is essential for success in marketing and
management careers. As such, active participation in class discussions and high-quality written work is
expected. Written work should be clear, logical, grammatically correct, and free of spelling errors.
Class Participation and Attendance
This course moves at a fast pace and much of the learning will take place during in-class exercises and
discussion. Students are expected to attend all class sessions, complete all assigned readings prior to
class, and to come prepared to participate. Attendance will be taken and participation will be evaluated at
each class session. You may miss two class sessions without penalty, but all other absences will result in
significant deductions from your class participation. Students are expected to arrive on time and to stay
for the duration of the class. Late arrivals will result in a deduction in class participation points for the day.
Please notify the instructor, preferably by email, prior to the start of class if you will not be in attendance or
if you will need to leave early.
As indicated below, there will be a number of occasions where students will be required to bring examples
of certain aspects of marketing to class for discussion. Students may earn partial class participation
credit by posting relevant articles and examples to the course website, although credit for course website
postings will not weigh as much as in class participation.
Short Assignments
Short assignments are designed to ensure students have completed the readings and are prepared to
make valuable contributions to the class discussion. These assignments provide the opportunity to
demonstrate understanding of the material and to practice structuring a logical argument using concepts
covered in class and reading material. Students will be assigned two short assignments. Make-up
assignments will not be given. Assignments should fall within the specified page length and be doublespaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. If you will be absent on the day an assignment is due, prior to
5:30 pm, you must submit your assignment via the course website dropbox. Short assignments turned
in late will receive a zero. An assignment is late if it is submitted after 5:30 pm on the day it is due.
Midterm Exam
Students will complete a take-home midterm exam, comprised primarily of a case analysis. The exam
and case will be distributed in class on February 27th and will be due at 5:30 pm on March 5th. 25% will
be deducted per day for late exams.

DRAFT SYLLABUS WILL BE UPDATED PRIOR TO START OF CLASS

Final Project: Group Paper and Presentation
Students will be given a case study and will work in self-selected groups of four to complete a 25-30 page
final paper representing a marketing plan and approach that utilizes the concepts and frameworks
covered in the course. Papers should be double-spaced using 12-point font and 1-inch margins, and will
be submitted to the dropbox by 5:30 on April 30th. All groups will be required to give a presentation in
class highlighting the important points of the paper and submit their presentation slides for review.
Presentations will take place in class on April 30 and May 7. All students will be required to attend both
classes and complete evaluations of the group presentations given in class. Students will also submit
evaluations assessing each of their group members contributions to the final project. 25% will be
deducted per day for late papers and slides.
Academic Integrity and Professional Conduct
Academic integrity and ethical behavior are fundamental requirements of this course. Students are
expected to adhere to the schools policies regarding academic integrity, which can be found at:
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/exams-grades-policies/student-responsibilities. Please take time to
become familiar with these policies as ignorance of the academic standards will not be considered an
excuse for violating them. Writing with Sources: A Guide for Harvard Students and Writing with Internet
Sources, may both be downloaded from the above Extension School link.
Professional conduct and communication is expected throughout the class. Students are expected to treat
each other and the instructor with respect. Please turn off all cell phones prior to class and refrain from
texting, emailing or surfing the web during class.
Course Outline and Schedule
Please note: The instructor reserves the right to change weekly readings and assignments based
students level of understanding of key concepts and/or to accommodate guest speakers.

January 23, Class 1: Introduction and the Consumer Buying Process

Read prior to class:
o Groundswell Ch. 1: Why the groundswell and why now?
o Groundswell Ch. 2: Jujitsu and the technologies of the groundswell
o Knowledge@Emory, Marketings New World Order: Consumers Talk Back and Everyone
Hears. March 11, 2010. Access article at: http://bit.ly/vyTNQK. You will need to create a log-in
for yourself in order to access the article.
o Tripodi, Coca-Cola Marketing Shifts from Impressions to Expressions. HBR Blog Network.
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/04/coca-colas_marketing_shift_fro.html
January 30, Class 2: Baby Boomers and Other Important Demographic Trends
Read prior to class:
Groundswell Ch. 3: The social technographics profile
Groundswell Ch. 4: Strategies for tapping the groundswell
HBP Case Study: The Sure Thing That Flopped
The New Consumer Behavior Paradigm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers Consumer & Retail Insights,
2010. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/retail-consumer/publications/the-new-consumer-behaviorparadigm.jhtml. Download the report by clicking on the red button.
Bring to class:
2-3 examples of advertising or marketing aimed at demographic segments (age groups, ethnic
groups)

DRAFT SYLLABUS WILL BE UPDATED PRIOR TO START OF CLASS

February 6, Class 3: Word of Mouth Marketing

Read prior to class:
The Tipping Point Ch. 2: The Law of the Few: Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen p. 30-88
The Tipping Point Ch. 6: Rumors, Sneakers, and the Power of Translation p.192- 215.
HBP Case Study: A Taste of Frankenmuth: A Town in Michigan Things About Word-of-Mouth
Referral
Due at beginning of class: Frankenmuth Case Study short assignment
February 13, Class 4: Word of Mouth Marketing (cont.):
Read prior to class:
Groundswell Ch. 7: Energizing the groundswell
Groundswell Ch. 8: Helping the groundswell support itself
HBP Case Study: Matchstick Inc.: Word of Mouth Marketing (A)
February 20: NO CLASS, Presidents Day
February 27, Class 5: Social Media 1
Read prior to class:
Groundswell Ch. 5: Listening to the groundswell
HBP Case Study: Dove: Evolution of a Brand
o HBP Note: Social Media
o Gilbert, Sarah Jane. Social Network Marketing: What Works. Q&A with Sunil Gupta, July 27,
2009. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/cgi-bin/print/6187.html
March 5, Class 6: Social Media 2
Read prior to class:
Groundswell Ch 6: Talking with the Groundswell
HBP Case Study: Molson Canada: Social Media Marketing
HBP Article: Barwise, Patrick and Sean Meehan, The One Thing You Must Get Right When
Building a Brand. Harvard Business Review. December 2010. Pages 80-84. HBR Reprint
R1012F
HBP Article: Gaines, Ross, Leslie, Reputation Warfare. Harvard Business Review. December
2010. 70-76. HBR Reprint R1012D
Due at the beginning of class: Midterm
March 12: NO CLASS, Spring Break
March 19, Class 7:
Read prior to class:
Groundswell: Ch. 9: Embracing the groundswell
Groundswell Ch. 10: Tapping the groundswell with Twitter
HBP Case Study: Lady Gaga (B)

DRAFT SYLLABUS WILL BE UPDATED PRIOR TO START OF CLASS

March 26, Class 8: Social Media Monitoring and the Changing Marketing Organization
Read prior to class:
Groundswell Ch. 11: How connecting with the groundswell transforms your company
HBP Article: Spenner, Patrick. Why You Need a New-Media Ringmaster Harvard Business
Review, December 2010. Pages 78-79. HBR Reprint R1012E
HBP Article: Rust, Roland T, Christine Moorman, and Gaurav Bhalla. Rethinking Marketing.
January-February 2010. HBR Reprint R1001F.
French, Tom, Laura LaBerge and Paul Magill. Were all marketers now. McKinsey Quarterly.
July 2011. http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Were_all_marketers_now_2834
Bring to class:
3-4 examples of responses (or non-responses) to your tweets and Facebook posts. More
instructions regarding this exercise will be given early in the semester.
April 2, Class 9: Integrated Marketing Communications in Todays Environment
Read prior to class:
HBP: Case Study: Sephora Direct
TBD
Due at the beginning of class: Sephora short assignment
April 9, Class 10: Integrated Marketing Communications in Todays Environment (cont)
Read prior to class:
HBP: Case Study: Nike Football: World Cup 2010 South Africa
Bring to class:
2-3 examples of content marketing, (e.g., companies giving away content or expertise as a
marketing strategy)

April 16, Class: 11 Integrated Marketing Communications in Todays Environment (cont)

Read prior to class:
TBD
April 23, Class 12: Green/Socially Responsible Marketing
Read prior to class:
HBP: The Clorox Company: Leveraging Green for Growth
TBD
April 30, Class 13: Wrap-Up and Presentations

May 7, Class 14: Presentations (cont.)