Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Social Media, and E-Commerce

Marketing excellence is a prerequisite for success in any business, from startups to the world’s most established enterprises, yet the art and science of marketing is constantly evolving. Arm yourself with the essential principles and practices of marketing in the digital economy by making this course, taught by Internet consumer shopping expert and Wharton professor David Bell, an indispensable part of your knowledge base.

In this business and management course, you will gain an understanding of how the digital economy works and develop the critical insights necessary to succeed in e-commerce and digital and social media marketing.

The fixed and mobile Internet and related technologies exert a profound influence on how business and social institutions evolve, how they are challenged—and sometimes, even displaced. Companies that were non-existent a few short years ago, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Uber, have dramatically changed how we interact, communicate and get from point A to B. Even Amazon and Google are relatively “young” by any measure. If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, manager, or student, you need thoughtful approaches to navigate and win in this new environment.

This course is organized around four broad themes and we will use relevant theory and analysis, as well as numerous practical examples to develop our key learning points.

The themes are:

• Behavioral foundations for understanding and navigating the new online-offline landscape
• New forms of interaction, including formation of networks and reputation building
• Tools and principles of digital marketing action including online advertising on fixed and mobile devices
• New media platforms and emergence of “organic” celebrities and communities

This course is beneficial to marketing professionals, analysts, entrepreneurs, small business owners, investors, and consumers This course evolved from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School’s very first course on digital marketing and e-commerce.

This course is part of Wharton's Digital Marketing Professional Certificate. For more information, see here.

Module 1: BEHAVIORAL FOUNDATIONS

• Overall Introduction to the Course
• Online-Offline Overview
• New Business Models of the Digital Economy: Principles and Examples
• Introduction to GRAVITY (Geography, Resistance, Adjacency, Vicinity, Isolation, Topography and You)

Module 2: NEW FORMS OF INTERACTION

• Frictions and Commerce
• Variety and the Digital Economy
• Online-Offline Interaction and the Omni Channel World
• Reputation and Reviews
• Networks

Module 3: TOOLS AND PRINCIPLES

• Introduction to Digital Marketing Assets
• Digital Marketing Tools and Tactics: A Taxonomy
• Online Advertising: Approaches and Principles
• Earned and Integrated Media
• Mobile Engagement

Module 4: NEW MEDIA PLATFORMS

• Networks Effects
• Social Advertising and Social Targeting
• Viral Product Features and Viral Content
• Organic Celebrity, Persuasion, and Sentiment
• Online Community and Models of Influence