Electives

In this course the students develop a digital marketing communication strategy for a company. This strategy is part of the marketing communication strategy and is completely focused on digital tools. Advantages of the digital marketing communication strategy are that a company can reach a specific target group and that the results are really well measurable. The students develop this strategy on the basis of the customer journey, the online marketing funnel, and associated tools. The focus is on the delivery of good content at the right moment in the customer journey and online marketing funnel. The students have to think about measurable outcomes and results of the digital marketing communication strategy. The advice is presented to the client in an elevator pitch as part of the assessment of the module.

Keywords: digital marketing communication strategy, customer journey, Google Ads, Online Marketing Funnel, Social Media Advertising

As barriers preventing the exchange and integration of finances, trade and ideas across the world are falling, more and more companies are gaining the ability to operate on international level. Competition now extends beyond national borders. As a result, international marketing and brand management have become increasingly important. Marketing and branding decisions are intertwined, and each marketing decision has a determining effect on the brand image. As communication professionals, students will be challenged to translate these marketing decisions into effective marketing communication strategies. These strategies aim to create strong brands on a global level, covering both offline and online aspects, and thinking from the organisation's perspective. 

Therefore, the International Branding course emphasises the evaluation and choice of strategic alternatives that best help to achieve organisational objectives in branding in a relatively complex international business environment. As such, the course focuses on equipping the student with tools and knowledge to assess the context, decide which markets to enter and how to enter them, and to translate the outcome of the company's entry strategy into a clearly defined, dynamic branding strategy and branding programs. 
 
Highlighted subjects include:

• The international marketing environment
• Country selection process and market selection process
• Building global brands,
• Creating value for global brands
• Online and social media strategies for brands

In recent years, an old phenomenon has resurfaced with a new face. Trolls, angry citizens and agents create rumours and falsify news to influence public opinion. They try to tarnish the reputation of their opposition or to enrich themselves. Algorithms from platforms such as Facebook contribute to this development.
 
The consequences are far-reaching. The public loses trust in journalistic reporting and democratic processes such as elections and referendums are under pressure. Organisations feel the effect of disinformation on their reputation.
 
But there is a counter movement. Governments and businesses are looking for ways to counteract the dangers through the use of awareness campaigns, codes of conduct for news providers, support for journalistic organisations, and the development of tools to combat fake news and disinformation.

In this elective module we will research news and disinformation as follows:
We define disinformation, study where it originates and how it propagates, which interests it serves, and how to recognise and combat it. We do this from the perspective of a communication professional in an organisation. This theoretical component will be closed off with an individual assignment.

Form: lectures, discussions, student presentations on subtopics

Keywords: disinformation, journalistic criteria, news provision, digital platforms, fact checking, media literacy, reputation protection

All organisations have interests that they want to promote! Not only thousands of corporate organisations but also thousands of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO 's), e.g. Greenpeace and women organisations try to share their view points at the right moment with the right people at the right time. This not only requires thorough knowledge of the EU' s 'arena' but also a keen understanding of strategical, tactical and operational PA instruments.

Firstly, PA is introduced. Secondly, a closer look at the current infrastructure and real life of the EU will be offered. Thirdly, two Public Affairs approaches will be discussed: on the one hand, pressure exerted through public media; on the other hand pressure through informal lobbying and other PA techniques. Not only strategical but also tactical and operational approaches will be discussed.

Organisations can only build a strong position when their reputation is impeccable. This is a strong reason for many organisations to develop corporate social responsibility projects and figure as responsible 'corporate citizens'. Unethical behaviour on the other hand would endanger their corporate license to operate and should be avoided, if only for backfiring.  

Lastly, the question is discussed whether PA and democracy go along well or could PA be tamed to also positively contribute to democratic ends?

Part of this programme is a student organised two-day trip to the EU Institutions.

We remember 80% of what we see and only 20% of what we read. Moreover, we also remember images 60,000 times faster than text. Visual communication works better and faster than written word. In addition, recent research shows that our visual intelligence is increasing rapidly. Our ability to distinguish and interpret visual elements has expanded enormously in recent decades. This ability has even grown disproportionately fast in the younger generation.

As a junior communication professional you will soon be working in a world in which almost everything seems to revolve around images. And that not only includes the fast-growing visual social media such as Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. Images, symbols, icons, colours and infographics are also very important in offline communication. How are you going to use images? Can you make considered choices for the correct use of images on the right medium and channel?

During the six lectures and seminars on Visual Communication, we guide you through the different theories behind (the application of) visual language and visual grammar. Through short lectures and interactive work forms you learn the latest insights and facts and especially apply those in concepts and prototypes. We will take you along, among other things, the semiotics of Claude Lévi-Straus and Umberto Eco, the effect of classical image rhetoric on social media, framing, camera work, design, use of color, viewing behavior and arcs of suspense. In short, instruments with which you can carry out well-founded design-oriented research into each prototype and product in which visual communication is the key.

These lectures focus on viewing, analysing and applying. We view and analyse clips and in addition, you conduct online and offline research. You will build a portfolio in which you substantiate how you have applied the theory and in which you process feedback from research that you have done.  You present the portfolio to the group.

Writing good copy (i.e. good text) is the cornerstone of customer engagement. Be it text on a website, lines in a commercial, or slogans on a poster, copy is where the first interaction between organisations and target audiences takes place. This course is focused on writing copy from offline media content (e.g. flyers, posters) to the digital environment (e.g. landing pages, blogs, vlogs, tweets) to storylines and voice-overs for commercials and jingles.
 
Students explore and practise different (creative) writing techniques aimed at producing copy linked to the writing and communication styles and goals of the chosen organisations/brands. Additionally, students critique existing copy and advise chosen brands on improvements to their communication, focusing on specific content.
 
Practical copywriting training will be given during this course, tackling various stages of producing copy, from lack of inspiration and the threat of the blank page, to polishing the writing style of a campaign, to delivering well-crafted copy for final communication products. The student produces a portfolio that includes the developed pieces of copy linked to one or several brands and the evaluation of the chosen copy from an existing given brand.

The modern communication professional is also a content creator. Messages are increasingly being spread through videos and animation.
In this course students will learn the basic principles and advanced techniques behind filmmaking; from making technically good shots with the right perspectives, angle and composition to editing the video material in Premiere Pro. An introduction to Adobe After Effects is included as well for making animations. Preferably this course is attended in combination with the Visual Language course so the student can combine the best of both worlds to make his or her final assignment.
 
Keywords: film, video, animation, camera training, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects

In this course students will learn to build a dashboard on the basis of data from Google Analytics. The students develop KPIs and use these to set up Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics. It is important to distinguish what client information is needed to be able to measure KPIs and to build a dashboard based on the retrieved data. The students will develop the dashboard using the data, on the basis of an online marketing strategy.
 
The end product is a portfolio with a dashboard based on Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics and KPI's.
 
Keywords: Dashboards, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, KPI's, Mediamonitoring, Data, Insights

In this course students develop a social media strategy and content that fit with the overarching strategy. The strategy and content will be developed on the basis of the customer journey, the online marketing funnel and associated tools. Students will develop and create different types of content that fit in different stages of the customer journey for social media. The social media strategy has to be adjusted to an overarching online marketing strategy and the online marketing customer journey, with measurable KPI's and measurable results. The role of webcare for social media will be discussed and the students have to develop an idea to use webcare in their social media strategy.  

Keywords: Social Media Strategy, Social Media Content, Social Media Webcare, Social Touchpoints, KPI's, Social Media Funnel, Competitive Analysis, Webcare