Introduction to Marketing

Taught by three of Wharton's top faculty in the marketing department, consistently ranked as the #1 marketing department in the world, this course covers three core topics in customer loyalty: branding, customer centricity, and practical, go-to-market strategies. You’ll learn key principles in - Branding: brand equity is one of the key elements of keeping customers in a dynamic world in which new startups are emerging constantly. - Customer centricity: not synonymous with customer service, customer centricity starts with customer focus and need-gathering. - Go-to-market strategies: understand the drivers that influence customers and see how these are implemented prior to making an investment. Complete this course as part of Wharton's Business Foundations Specialization, and you'll have the opportunity to take the Capstone Project and prepare a strategic analysis and proposed solution to a real business challenge from Wharton-governed companies like Shazam and SnapDeal or to a challenge faced by your own company or organization. Wharton-trained staff will evaluate the top submissions, and leadership teams at Shazam and SnapDeal will review the highest scoring projects prepared for their companies.

• BRANDING: Marketing Strategy and Brand Positioning
• Professor Kahn starts us off with the first of two Branding modules: Marketing Strategy and Brand Positioning. For an overview of all concepts covered in the course, please read the syllabus below. Additional info may be found in the Course Pages. Please participate in the discussion forums as your input will enhance the overall experience of this course!
• CUSTOMER CENTRICITY: The Limits of Product-Centric Thinking & The Opportunities and Challenges of Customer Centricity
• Module 2 of our class features Professor Peter Fader, who will focus on concepts related to Customer Centricity. In an economy that is increasingly responsive to customer behaviors, it is imperative to focus on the right customers for strategic advantages. The coming weeks will provide the foundation needed to build a customer centric outlook. If you want to read more about Professor Fader’s views on customer centricity, feel free to follow him on Twitter (@faderp). He regularly shares relevant perspectives and readings there.
• GO TO MARKET STRATEGIES: Communications Strategy & Fundamentals of Pricing
• In this module, you will examine the critical marketing topic, “Go to Market Strategies.” Professor Jagmohan Raju has designed these lectures to help you gain a deep understanding of the role of communications in marketing strategy, fundamentals of pricing, and how to manage channel conflicts. You will explore the 7 Ms of developing a communication plan, learn how to measure price elasticity, and understand disruption in information delivery. By the end of this module, you’ll be able to use effective analytical tools to form a communications campaign and create appropriate access points to your brand for your customer.
• BRANDING: Effective Brand Communications Strategies and Repositioning Strategies
• Professor Kahn is back in this fourth module, the second of her Branding Modules, covering effective brand communications strategies and repositioning strategies. Understanding how customers perceive your brand messaging and marketing is one of the most important aspects to understanding consumer behavior: what consumers perceive is what affects their actions, and what they perceive is not necessarily true! Professor Kahn unpacks customer behavior and perception and explores successful strategies for influencing both in this final required module of the course.
• Applied Marketing (Optional)
• These short lectures apply marketing principles taught in the course to current examples. Content in these lectures may deepen your understanding of course concepts, but won't be tested directly on the quizzes or exam.