Course overview
Elevating your business through proven marketing strategies
The marketing landscape is increasingly complex, with businesses facing intense competition and rapidly changing consumer needs. To stay ahead, companies must be agile and responsive, adapting their marketing strategies to meet the evolving demands of their customers. Marketing plays a vital role in driving business success, enabling companies to understand their customers, develop effective strategies, and create engaging brand experiences that resonate with their target audience.
Achieving marketing excellence starts with a solid understanding of the fundamentals. Effective marketing is about understanding what drives customer behaviour, identifying opportunities to connect with your target audience, and building a brand that resonates with them. By developing a deeper understanding of marketing principles and practices, businesses can unlock new opportunities, drive growth, and achieve long-term success. Whether you're looking to launch a new product, expand into new markets, or simply improve your overall marketing performance, a well-planned and executed marketing strategy is essential for achieving your goals.
What you’ll learn
On this course, you'll gain a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practices of marketing. You'll explore the key concepts that underpin successful marketing, including understanding buyer behaviour, market segmentation, targeting, and positioning. You'll also learn about the different elements of the marketing mix, including product, price, promotion, and distribution, and how to apply them in real-world scenarios.
Through a combination of interactive lectures, tutorials, and case studies, you'll develop a deeper understanding of how marketing works and how to apply marketing principles to achieve business goals. You'll learn about branding, digital marketing, and how to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. By the end of the course, you'll be able to critically evaluate marketing strategies and identify opportunities for improvement. Whether you're looking to pursue a career in marketing or simply want to improve your business skills, this course will provide you with a solid foundation in marketing and set you up for success.
Why strategic marketing matters now
Strategic marketing is a crucial component of any successful business, enabling organisations to build strong relationships with their customers, create engaging brand experiences, and drive long-term growth and profitability. With consumers increasingly empowered by technology and social media, businesses must be able to adapt and respond quickly to changing market conditions and customer needs. Strategic marketing allows companies to stay ahead of the curve, establishing a strong market presence and improving their reputation in a rapidly evolving market. Effective marketing strategies can also help businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors, identify new opportunities, and mitigate any potential risks, making it an essential component of any successful business strategy. By prioritising strategic marketing, businesses can achieve their goals and drive long-term success.
Who should attend
This course is designed for anyone looking to gain a solid understanding of marketing principles and practices. Business owners and managers seeking to improve their marketing skills and knowledge will benefit, as will entrepreneurs and start-ups looking to develop effective marketing strategies. Marketing professionals looking to refresh their skills or transition into a new role will also find the course valuable, along with individuals from non-marketing backgrounds, such as sales, product development, or customer service, who want to expand their knowledge and understanding of marketing. Additionally, anyone interested in pursuing a career in marketing or a related field will find this course to be an ideal introduction, requiring no prior knowledge of marketing.
How you’ll learn
This is an MBA online course delivered over 12 weeks, with approximately 100 hours of study.
You'll learn through a mixture of pre-recorded lectures, case studies, and online tutorials. The online tutorials are live interactive sessions where you will review the topics covered in lectures using case studies or other materials to help embed and deepen your understanding. These are a great opportunity to share experiences and learn from the other participants. Online tutorials are typically scheduled every 2 weeks on weekdays from 12–2pm, most often on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, with final scheduling confirmed within eight weeks of the course start date.
Participants will be joining the existing Online MBA cohort, which provides an excellent opportunity for networking and idea exchange. The pace is designed to work alongside a full-time role but assumes steady weekly engagement.
Assessment and certification
During the course, you will complete two individual assessments. One includes the opportunity to look at an organisation, could well be your own employer, exploring how it has adapted its marketing to a major change in the business environment. This is designed to embed your learning and help you practically apply your newly acquired skills and strategies in your workplace.
On successful completion, you will receive a University of Edinburgh Business School certificate, plus 10 Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credits, equivalent to 5 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits. These credits can be put towards the University of Edinburgh MBA or Online MBA.
Course impact
By gaining a deep understanding of marketing principles and practices, you can expect to have a significant impact on your organization. You'll be able to develop and implement effective marketing strategies that drive growth, improve customer engagement, and increase brand awareness. With this knowledge, you'll be able to make more informed decisions, identify new opportunities, and optimise your marketing efforts to achieve better results. By applying the knowledge and skills gained, you'll be empowered to enhance your professional capabilities, contribute to the success of your organisation, and stay ahead in a rapidly changing business landscape.
Course lead – Professor David Marshall
David Marshall is Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at the University of Edinburgh Business School. He teaches Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at undergraduate and postgraduate level and has taught at The University of Edinburgh, UK, University of Sydney, Australia, University of Otago, New Zealand, and Rikkyo University, Japan. He studied Agriculture and Food Marketing at the University of Newcastle -upon Tyne and worked with Norsk Hydro before returning to academia. His research focuses on consumption practices and includes work on healthy food access, commensality and children’s discretionary consumption. He has edited several books and published widely in marketing, retailing, and consumer culture journals.
Course dates
3 March 2027 – 31 May 2027
Course fees
£2000
Application terms
Applications are accepted until 5pm UK time on 16 February 2027.
Our participants typically hold a 2:1 honours degree or higher. We do, however, take a holistic view of every application. If your academic background does not meet these specific criteria, your application may still be considered if supported by a good professional track record.
Successful applicants must also evidence a minimum of three years’ management experience.
Before applying, please ensure you have gathered all the required supporting documents, including a CV and your sponsor letter (if applicable). For further details, please see the application form.
Cancellation requests must be received by 5pm UK time Wednesday Wednesday 10 March 2027 to qualify for a full refund. After this date, a refund will no longer be possible.
For more information about this course, please email us: executive@business-school.ed.ac.uk