MARK7004 Brand and Marketing Communications Coursework Brief Sem1 2025/26 | OBU

Module Assessment Strategy and Information for MARK7004

This module follows the principles of the University’s Assessment and feedback policy developed in conjunction with the Student Union, to ensure good practice and transparency in assessment and feedback processes. The Assessment and feedback policy can be found on your Programme’s Moodle site.

Please note: the Institutional University Handbook, which will provide you with information that is central to your studies, including policies and regulations, student support and wellbeing, and all the services available to you through Student Support. The core information is also available on Moodle via the drop-down menu under ‘Student Help’.

Key Dates

Please ensure you submit your RESIT assignment no later than the deadline set above (these are fixed deadlines, but students may exceptionally secure an extension if last-minute untoward circumstances affect their ability to submit on time). Please see your Programme Handbook for more details. Please note that the use of this extension is monitored, and restrictions are in place for overuse.

General Summative Assignment Information

Inclusive Support Plan (ISP) Arrangements

Recommendations for Reasonable Adjustments are made in accordance with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. These are detailed in Inclusive Support Plans (ISPs) and need to be implemented unless there is a clear rationale for this not being possible, in which case we are accountable as a university for this decision. Students who have an extension because of an ISP, please contact your Module Leader if you are unclear about your revised deadlines.

If you would like to request a review of your Inclusive Support Plan (ISP) or to have your needs assessed for an ISP, contact the Inclusive Support Service at inclusivesupport@brookes.ac.uk

Summary Information

RESIT Campaign Brief

Each student will work individually on this LIVE BRIEF. Over the following weeks, through your homework, lectures, and seminar exercises, you will apply key principles of brand and marketing communications theory to help create a new Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) campaign strategy and costed media plan for Blenheim Palace’s Christmas Experience.

Each student will submit a written report based on their reading, research, and analysis.

Critically apply IMC principles, theories, and frameworks from the lectures, seminars, and your reading. You are also expected to develop a creative idea for your campaign that is based on your analysis of the brand and the primary target audience. The report format and assessment criteria are provided below.

You will write an individual report based on your work as outlined above. The individual report should specify a new campaign idea and IMC STRATEGY for Blenheim Palace. Your campaign will be launched in the UK in October 2024.

Exhibit 1: Motivational Segments for FY Apr ‘22 to Mar ’23 (ALL BLENHEIM PALACE VISITORS)

Exhibit 2: Geographical Spread of UK Visitors, based on online ticket purchases (FOR ALL BLENHEIM PALACE VISITORS)

The green bounded area represents an area of 2.5 hours ' drive to/from Blenheim Palace.

The Task

Overall Marketing Objective

For the (Pre-) Christmas 2024, we want to develop a dedicated marketing communications plan, with the overall marketing objective to attract 50,000 additional paying visitors who will have come for the Christmas Experience.

Audiences & Competition

You need to identify the relevant target audience(s) and competitors in your analysis for this assessment.

Channels

Blenheim Palace marketing communications have taken a multi-channel approach, including:

• OOH / outdoor advertising
• Radio advertising
• Social media paid-for advertising (Facebook, YouTube, etc)
• PR in national, local, and lifestyle media and broadcast media
• Influencer marketing
• Co-branding / licensed arrangements (e.g. with ‘Paddington bear’)
• PPC / Google Ads

For this brief, you may consider some of these channels, as well as any other communications channels that you think may help you achieve the overall marketing objective.

Budget

The dedicated budget for the Christmas Experience Campaign Marcomms for Oct-Dec 2024 is £50,000.

You need to include in your report the following:

• A concise summary of the Blenheim Palace brand, considering their vision, mission, and values
• Based on secondary data, an analysis of key competitors, market trends, and the target audience(s) of the Blenheim Palace Christmas Experience
• Based on your analysis, develop and justify a big communications idea (BCI)
• Fully explain and justify your marketing objective, marketing communications objectives, targeting, positioning, IMC strategy, and tactics to be used
• A fully-costed media schedule [estimated costs are sufficient]

Please note that general production costs for your campaign do not need to be specified within the report unless you are planning an activity such as organising an event. If in any doubt, please check with the module/seminar leader.

In your report, present only one central campaign message. Critically justify how the plan will integrate a mix of at least 5 marketing communications channels/platforms (traditional and digital). Suggest concrete ways in which the campaign will meet its specific IMC objectives to your fully defined target audience.

Assessment Criteria

Please see the Individual Coursework Feedback Sheet at the back of this document for detailed assessment criteria.

Presenting coursework for assessment

Your assignment, when submitted, should not include your name 
We use a system of anonymous marking to reduce the risk of any unconscious bias.

The essential requirements for this piece of assessed work are;

• It must be word-processed in 11-point Arial font and 1 ½ or double-spaced
• It must be black text on a white or ivory background
• All pages must be numbered
• Margins must be as follows: Top: 1 inch, Bottom: 1 inch (2.5 cm), Left: 1.25 inches, Right:
  1.25 inches (3.2 cm)
• It should not contain your name(s)
• The report MUST contain your student number
• The cover page should also contain the programme title, module number and name, title of the assignment, submission date, and word count
• Your report should contain a table of contents

Assessment Criteria Rubric for MARK7004 Brand & Marketing Communications 2025/26 Resit