Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024

Module BUSI3371: Influencer Marketing Strategies

Department: Management and Marketing

BUSI3371: Influencer Marketing Strategies

Type Tied Level 3 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2023/24 Module Cap None. Location Durham
Tied to N509
Tied to N510
Tied to N511

Prerequisites

  • • BUSI 1131 Marketing Principles • BUSI 1221 Introduction to Digital Marketing • BUSI 2171 Brand Strategies, Identity, Culture and Society • BUSI 2201 Integrated Marketing Communications

Corequisites

  • None.>

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To develop an advanced understanding of what Influencer Marketing is from the standpoints of both the Influencer and the partnering brand
  • To explore major frameworks and strategies in Influencer Marketing practice, how they may be leveraged across the Customer Journey, develop a creative Playbook, and analyse the key metrics required to evaluate and enhance performance
  • To equip students with the skills needed to identify a niche, develop a personal brand, build online presence, create engaging content, and to manage sustainable relationships with audience members and partnering brands.

Content

  • Influencer Marketing – history, nature, scope, sectors, etc.
  • Key platforms, audiences and content
  • Crafting your strategic influencer framework
  • Working with influencers – segments, characteristics, agreements, creatives, etc.
  • Influencers, customer journeys and touchpoint mapping hierarchies
  • Building high-impact and brand ambassador programmes
  • Monitoring performance, impact measurement and responding to change
  • Legal and ethical issues in international influencer marketing
  • Bad influences? – dark influence and ‘sinfluencers’
  • Marketers of the Metaverse – the future of influencer marketing.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of the module students should be able to:
  • Have an in-depth knowledge of how brands may leverage Influencers as an integrated component of their Marketing Communications strategies
  • Have the conceptual knowledge required to develop and implement market-responsive Influencer Marketing programmes
  • Have an advanced understanding of personal branding and the persuasive concepts needed to build a sustainable online presence
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Be able to design, implement and evaluate Influencer Marketing strategies
  • Be able to design, implement and maintain sustainable Brand Ambassador programmes
  • Be able to identify and segment both Influencer Types and their Target Audiences
  • Be able to plan and create engaging ‘on-message’ content
  • Be able to identify, access, extract and analyse key social media metrics
  • Be able to write and present an Influencer Marketing proposal and pitch within budget
  • Be able to develop and demonstrate an effective Influencer Marketing Playbook.
Key Skills:
  • · Effective written and oral communication skills
  • Planning, organising and time management skills
  • Problem solving and analytical skills
  • The ability to use initiative
  • Skills in the interpretation of data
  • Computer literacy skills.

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

  • The module is delivered via a series of full-cohort TEAL workshops to afford maximum flexibility to suit the dynamic nature of the subject-matter. The workshops consist of lecture-style input, break-out discussions of key cases, data analysis exercises and ‘hands-on’ training in use of content planning tools and content creation methods.
  • The summative assignment is designed to consolidate conceptual knowledge, demonstrate skills in data analysis and content planning/creation, and to enhance employability skills. Specifically, this takes the form of the production and submission of an interactive Influencer Marketing Playbook, following industry-standard templates provided. Playbooks have a significant written component and their production as a whole is equivalent to a written assignment of 3000 words.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Workshops 10 Weekly 3 hours 30
Preparation and Reading 170
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Individual Marketing Playbook Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
One individual Influencer Marketing Playbook, outlining an original campaign strategy Equivalent to a written assignment of 3000 words 100% Same

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment on this module is undertaken within the workshops, providing students with continuous feedback throughout.


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