Special Topics in Digital Marketing

Course description

This course offers an in-depth exploration of emerging trends and advanced concepts in digital marketing. Topics for this course will vary each time it is offered.

Marketing and sustainability

Marketing and marketers can play a pivotal role in business sustainability, influencing customer behaviour, and even achieving societal transformation. 'Unsustainable' marketing can also lead to significant harm, for both people and the planet. In this course you will develop foundational knowledge of the key sustainability challenges we face, explore how marketing plays a part in these challenges, and learn what marketing can do differently to ensure it is fit for purpose in the 21^st century.

You will explore key principles and ideas related to sustainable marketing - including ethical considerations, greenwashing and purpose washing - by evaluating real world examples. You will also explore the psychological and physical impacts of marketing, consider Indigenous and international perspectives, and explore why some sustainable marketing approaches resonate with business leaders and customers while others don't. You will also explore the 'reality gap' between what customers say they want from sustainable brands and their buyer behaviour, and consider some of the challenges that are unique to genuinely sustainable and 'purpose-driven' brands.

This course empowers you to position marketing as a force for positive change - within your organization, across society, and for the environment. You'll build the confidence to engage in meaningful conversations about sustainability with business leaders, colleagues, and customers, and develop the skills to critically assess the impact of your marketing strategies and decisions.