Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024 (archived)

Module BUSI2211: Behavioural Science for Marketers

Department: Management and Marketing

BUSI2211: Behavioural Science for Marketers

Type Tied Level 2 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2023/24 Module Cap Location Durham
Tied to N509
Tied to N510
Tied to N511

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To explore consumer interactions with the products and services of everyday life, and with the marketing of those products and services.
  • To understand consumers' responses - psychological and physiological - to a range of marketing stimuli and ways in which those responses vary in different situational contexts.
  • To engage at a critical level with the latest behavioural science research into consumer behaviour and marketing practice

Content

  • Historical Foundations of Behavioural Science Marketing
  • Evolutionary Consumer Psychology
  • Understanding Consumer Motivations
  • The Cultural Unconscious and the Culture Code
  • Consumer Neuroscience and the Neuromarketer’s Toolkit
  • Products, Packaging and Brain-friendly Brands
  • Sensation, Perception and Sensory Marketing
  • The Neuro-logic of Consumer Decision-Making
  • The Emotional Consumer
  • Behavioural Science Marketing in Action

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • An understanding of the psychological, biological, situational, environmental and socio-cultural influences on behaviour;
  • A critical awareness of the decision-making processes that individuals undertake and the models which seek to interpret this behaviour;
  • An appreciation of why and how this understanding of psychology is important for marketing.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Ability to observe, interpret and demonstrate marketing psychology in action.
  • Ability to critically evaluate their own behaviour as consumers.
  • Ability to develop and evaluate marketing strategies in the light of consumer psychology theory and behavioural science research.
Key Skills:
  • Creativity and problem-solving (e.g. by thinking laterally and innovatively).
  • Active and reflective learning.
  • Presenting in both the written and oral/visual form.
  • Group work/teamwork and leadership skills.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • This module is delivered in a blended action-learning format. Weekly workshops scheduled in TEAL spaces combine lecture-style input with group exercises and activities, introducing students to key concepts in behavioural science marketing and providing students with hands-on experience in the use of consumer research frameworks. The weekly workshops are supported by online asynchronous content and related activities, focusing on current themes and developments in the field and on real-world application to enhance employability.
  • The module is assessed by means of a written assignment, taking the form of a consultancy report. Specifically, students draw on concepts from the weekly workshops, undertaking a comprehensive analysis of consumer behaviour toward a product or service of their own choice, culminating in a set of behavioural science marketing proposals for a client brand.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
TEAL Workshops 10 Weekly 2 hours 20
Online Learning Activities Self-directed 8
Preparation and Reading 172
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Individual Assignment Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Consultancy report 3,000 words 100% same

Formative Assessment:

Students undertake a series of group activities during the seminar series, designed to inform the individual piece of desktop research that is the main summative assignment; feedback is continuous and involves a strong peer review element.


â–  Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University