Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Online Communities
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish
Teaching staff
Introduction
Nowadays, the core of communication lies in the digital ecosystem. The sustained and continuous growth of internet access and its multiple applications is reshaping the landscape of Journalism and Advertising. In this context, Communication professionals need to develop new skills that help them face this paradigm shift and embrace technological innovations that affect the way we communicate.
Our social and professional lives are now filled with new opportunities for dissemination, new ways of producing and distributing content, and communicating with audiences. In this context, disciplines such as journalism, audiovisual communication, marketing, or advertising are blending and merging into one ecosystem. This course offers a broad understanding of this reality with clear practical applications of digital .
Objectives
- Understand how the emergence of the Internet has transformed marketing, communication, business, and culture.
- Identify and master the main tools of Marketing in this digital context.
- Understand the new ways of producing and disseminating content through digital tools.
- Develop a personal branding strategy.
- Apply knowledge of innovative practices in digital marketing focused on specific and measurable objectives.
- Develop digital marketing and communication action plans.
- Master the most relevant content management tools.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 06 CG - The ability to read, analyze and synthesize
- 08 CG - The ability to reflect and memorize.
- 09 CG - The ability to innovate
- 10 CG - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic repertoires
- 16 CE - The ability to make judgments and well-argued critical assessments
- 23 CE - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze mass media products
- 24 CE - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze contemporary legal and political institutions
- 25 CE - Ability to contextualize and critically analyze macroeconomic aspects
- 38 CE - Knowledge and mastery of concepts, data, statistics and economic graphs
- 54 CE - The ability to analyze and understand audiences
Learning outcomes of the subject
- Understand the characteristics of Web 2.0 and its implications in marketing and communication.
- Distinguish the main formats and digital advertising tools.
- Design a plan for social media and digital communication.
- Develop a digital marketing plan and understand the main metrics and indicators to assess the degree of achievement of set objectives.
- Master the main tools for managing and disseminating digital content.
Syllabus
Topic 1: Introduction to digital marketing and online communities
Topic 2: Types of media: own, paid and earned
Topic 3: Digital use and consumption: audience analysis and metrics
Topic 4: Inbound marketing and content marketing
Topic 5: Applied digital content generation workshop
Topic 6: Digital Marketing Plan I
Topic 7: Digital Marketing Plan II
Topic 8: Digital communication applied to digital media
Topic 9: Personal branding plan for communicators
Topic 10: Social Selling. Employee Advocacy. Employer Branding.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
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Week |
Date |
Topics and Assessment Due Dates |
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Week 1 |
January 22 |
Course Introduction and course outline Welcome to the Attention Economy Readings: Demographics are dead. 2018. Think With Google Derek Thompson. 2017. Hit Makers, Chapters 1 and 2 (“The Power of Exposure” and “The Maya Rule”) |
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Week 2 |
January 29 |
Defining Audiences: A New Approach to Demographics The Power of Exposure: an Intro to Content Virality |
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Week 3 |
February 5 |
Hit Pause: Marketing 101
Reading: Philip Kotller. 16th edition. Principles of marketing Lee, E. (2019) ‘Netflix is Raising Prices. Here’s Why’ in: New York Times Making Content "Go Viral" Creating Shareable Content for Social Media
An introduction to social media typology; creating content tailored for shareability in social media and viralization.
Reading: ·Case Study – Buzzfeed: The Promise of Native Advertising. 2014. Felix Oberholzer-Gee. Harvard Business School Publishing. ·Good Native Advertising Isn’t a Secret. 2015. Colin Campbell, Lawrence J. Marks. Kelley School of Business. |
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Week 4 |
February 12 |
Seminario de Podcast |
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Week 5 |
February 19 |
The Streaming Giant - YouTube: A platform for Ads and Communities
This session explores the possibilities of branding in the digital ecosystem using video, with a specific focus on the largest video platform nowadays, YouTube. The session also provides a deeper understanding of marketing metrics.
Reading:
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Week 6 |
February 26 |
TikTok: Consumer Behavior, Streaming and AI Mapping the social media landscape, its different purposes and uses; understanding users’ behaviors; using social networks to solve complex problems. TikTok as a new and disruptive force in the media landscape. Reading:
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Week 7 |
March 4 |
The When and the What - The impact of digital on the moment of truth Readings:
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Week 8 |
March 11 |
The WHAT - The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion and the pitfalls to avoid - Part 2
Assignment 1: In-Class Brand Debate (25%)
Reading:
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Week 9 |
March 18 |
TikTok: Consumer Behavior, Streaming and AI Mapping the social media landscape, its different purposes and uses; understanding users’ behaviors; using social networks to solve complex problems. TikTok as a new and disruptive force in the media landscape. Reading:
Decoding decision making through the messy middle Reading: Book: Decoding Decisions: Making sense of the messy middle. Think With Google |
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Week 10 |
April 8 |
The Streaming Giant - YouTube: A platform for Ads and Communities
This session explores the possibilities of branding in the digital ecosystem using video, with a specific focus on the largest video platform nowadays, YouTube. The session also provides a deeper understanding of marketing metrics.
Reading:
The WHAT - The ABCD model Reading: ABCD: Your step-by-step guide to effective creative on YouTube |
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Week 11 |
April 15 |
Brand Purpose and building sustainable brands
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Week 12 |
April 22 |
Make-up class |
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Week 13 |
April 29 |
The HOW - A recap of classical research approach and their shortcomings Reading: Saunders. 2019. Research Methods for Business Students |
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Week 14 |
May 6 |
The importance of experimentation and measurement
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Week 15 |
May 13 |
Wrap-Up Session and Final Submission Briefing |
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May 21 |
Final Submission |
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0,4 |
| Meeting Point. Meetings will be organised with notable people from the professional and scientific fields or the international field, and students. These sessions will take the form of conferences, work sessions, discussions, or interviews, etc. | 0,4 |
| Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. | 1,2 |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 1,0 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
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Attendance and Participation (15%): All course participants must attend class regularly since the content of the course is built up over time and each class is a continuation of the next. Students who miss classes will find it hard to follow the module. Students must actively participate in class and come prepared with questions and discussion points. There will be a participation bonus for those who stand out during class capped at 15%.
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Assignment #1 (25%): In-class Debate
Students will be asked to prepare for both sides of a debate topic. They will come to class and be asked to defend a randomly assigned brand, so each student must be well prepared on both sides of the debate. During the debate, the instructor can move students to either side at any time. The aim is to understand the merits of both sides of any topic or approach.
Type: in-class group activity. Due week 5.
3. Assignment #2 (25%): Social media Consultant
Students need to select an existing brand or influencer and do a social media audit. The outcome should focus on what the brand/influencer is doing well as well as what is wrong and what are the strategic recommendations and success metrics to focus on based on class learnings and independent research. Students must also present a crisis the brand/influencer went through and critically assess how they handled it on social media. Students will present their ideas using slides.
Type: Groups of 3
Deliverable: 20min Presentation in class (15min + 5min Q&A) Due week 10.
4. Assignment #3 (35%): Online Communities Strategic Plan
In groups, students are required to pick a social media influencer or a brand and create the audience marketing strategy based on learnings throughout the module. Students have to cover the WHO, HOW, WHAT, and WHEN of the strategy. The outcome should be submitted in slides or in a written document with proper citations and references.
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Make sure to have clear references using a consistent style like APA.
Type: Group Work
Deliverable: 30 slides or 1800-word written report
Due week 15.
Bibliography and resources
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Textbooks and Additional References |
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1. |
Derek Thompson (2017). Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction. Jeffrey K. Rohrs (2013). |
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2. |
Anita Elberse (2013). Blockbusters: Why Big Hits –and Big Risks– are the Future of the Entertainment Business. Faber & Faber. London. |
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3. |
Guy Kawasaki (2014). The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users. Portfolio/Penguin, London. |
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4 |
Tim Wu (2016). The Attention Merchants: From the Daily Newspaper to Social Media, How Our Time and Attention Is Harvested and Sold. Atlantic Books, London. |
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5. |
Albert-László Barabási (2002). Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life. Perseus Books Group. |
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6. |
danah boyd (2014). It's complicated : the social lives of networked teens. New Haven :Yale University Press, |
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7. |
Essays and journal articles as listed on syllabus. |