L7 Contemporary Marketing Module Handbook Brief 2024-25

Assignment Brief

Module Aim

The aim of this module is to provide students with an introduction to core marketing theories, principles and techniques. Students on this module may not have studied marketing in any great depth in their undergraduate degree, and this module is designed to provide actionable marketing knowledge.

Module Learning Outcomes

• Critically assess the wider marketing environment as a means of identifying strategic implications for an organisation.
• Critically assess how a blend of key marketing concepts may be utilised to provide effective solutions in contemporary practice.
• Critically evaluate and apply a range of strategic marketing tools to create customer-oriented solutions and to satisfy corporate and marketing-based objectives.
• Appraise and review an organisations application of the extended mix in order to achieve wider strategic and operational objectives.

Coursework

Assessment 1 - Individual Written Marketing Plan

Students will be required to produce a marketing plan for Eurostar. A case study is shown below.

Overview

Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Eurostar started running trains between Waterloo International and Paris Gare du Nord, Brussels-Midi/Zuid and Lille Europe in November 1994. Since then, Eurostar has carried more than 200 million passengers, which is the more that the population of the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands combined. When Eurostar launched in 1994, it took three hours to get to Paris. Today it takes just two hours and 16 minutes – faster than taking a standard train from London to Norwich! In 1994, a return ticket to Paris in standard class, booked two weeks in advance, would have set you back £95, while today a one-way ticket costs from just £39.

Eurostar is now embarking on the next stage of its journey as it unveils “the new Eurostar”, including a new brand, website, app and loyalty programme, following its merger with Thalys International in 2022. Their key aim being to grow new passenger numbers and to convert those who currently travel by air. Passenger numbers are increasing, helped recently by events such as the Rugby World Cup, the Euro’s and the Paris Olympics as well as promotional sales, subscription offers and corporate fares.

Innovation

Eurostar has always been at the cutting edge of innovation in the rail industry – from being one of the first train companies to introduce business lounges and a loyalty programme to the roll-out of SmartCheck in July 2023, a contactless fast-track facial biometric check-in system. Eurostar has its own robot, called Pepper. She can speak English and French and can help passengers with their travels.

In October 2015, Eurostar launched a first for the travel industry: an app that enables customers to request their compensation in just four clicks. “Customers love it! There were some great Tweets on go-live day,” said a Eurostar spokesperson. “All eligible customers can now receive their compensation in less than 24 hours – they used to have to wait between four and six weeks.” (Salesforce.com. (n.d.). Eurostar: Enriching Travel With Salesforce. [online] Available at: https://www.salesforce.com/uk/customer-success-stories/eurostar/.)