Introduction
Welcome to Marketing Information Services. This course offers a grounding in strategic and tactical marketing for borth non-profit and for-profit organizations. The focus will be on marketing for archives, special collections and cultural heritage institutions (including libraries) on the non-profit side and on information businesses, entrepreneurial information professionals and information service departments within corporations on the for-profit side.
We will take a "big picture" approach to marketing trying to think strategically about products and process; places, price and promotion; physical evidence and the people involved (the 7 P's). We will analyze cases, listen to and interact with speakers, and create experiences from the real world. We will think of promotion as a communication function equal in important to other functions like technical support, public service and collection development. Advocacy for social causes, fund-raising and developing ongoing relationships with influentials will also be stressed. On the philosophical side, We will consider the role of marketing in a democratic society including the dangers of too great a faith in the use of markets as a method for allocating public goods and services.
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Objectives of the Course
On conclusion of this course, you will be able to:
Apply key marketing concepts to libraries, archives, information businesses, and other
information service organizations
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Textbook
and Other ReadingsIn this class you have a choice of textbooks. Both are standard texts and cover similar themes. we will employ both in readings and applications. The first book is the better choice for those considering a career in public or academic libraries, archives, or other cultural institutions. The second book may be more helpful for those wishing to pursue a career in a corporate environment (perhaps in a special library or IT department) or for one who plans a more entrepreneurial career as an independent broker or consultant.
Andreasen, Alan R. & Kotler, Philip. Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations. Pearson Prentice-Hall. 7th ed., 2007. ISBN 978-0-13-175372-3. Price on Amazon is frightingly high -- new for $158.36 but there are used copies and there's a buy-back possibility.
OR
Kotler, Philip. A Framework for Marketing Management. Prentice-Hall. 5th ed. 2011. ISBN 978-0-13-253930-2. Price on Amazon is also frightingly high -- new for $108.81 but they have some used and there's a buy-back possibility. The 4th edition (2008) is not greatly different. It's much cheaper and would work.
Both books have been ordered and are or will be available in UNC Student Stores and both books are or will be on 2-hour reserve in the SILS Library. One other book is also placed on reserve for your use: Zeithaml, Valarie [professor at UNC] and Mary Jo Bitner. Services Marketing; Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm. 5th or 6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2009 or 2012.
You are encouraged to become familiar with the general marketing literature. A suggested reading list of both LIS and general marketing books, journals, videos, blogs, and other websites is provided for you -- see Resources . You will be asked to review a current monograph and to analyze a journal or website or blog in order to share your discoveries with your classmates.
Articles on marketing and public relations regularly appear in LIS periodicals devoted to type of library or functional area, (e.g., Public Libraries, References Services Quarterly). The American Library Association provides an "Advocacy & Legislation page with many links to helpful information items (see www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg); other professional associations provide similar resources.
Conduct
of the ClassAn underlying assumption of this course is that students learn best and retain the knowledge longer through active participation in the learning process. Therefore, classroom sessions will consist of a mixture of short leatures, student discussions of material and assignments, case discussions, media presentation, active learning exercises, and some lively and inspiring guest speakers.
Class policies that you should be aware of:
- All assignment deadlines will be posted in advance. In the event a deadline adjustment is announced during a class session, you are responsible for knowing about it (It's useful to have a class buddy).
- I encourage you to post your completed assignments on a designated space within the Sakai class site so that they are available to other members of the class for comment. An open atmosphere in which members of the class comment in helpful ways on each other's work is encouraged. If you do not wish to post your papers to the forum, you may send or give them directly to me.
- Assistance to one another is encouraged. The main assignment (either the marketing audit and consulting report or the service learning social marketing contract) may be done as a team. If you work as a team, all members of the team will receive the same grade unless there is evidence to the contrary.
- Attendance at every class session is expected. If you have an unavoidable absence, please let me know, in advance if possible (See comment about a class buddy above).
- Asssigned chapters of the text and other readings are to be completed prior to scheduled sessions.
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Graded
Assignments and Other ActivitiesTwo options exist for the major project in the class. Both are much easier to accomplish when approached in a team of 2-3 people but if teaming is not your thing or it's particularly inconvenient at the moment, either option may be pursued independently.
Your choice of Option 1 or Option 2 makes up 50% of your grade. Short exercises account for 30% and class participation (in-class discussions, ungraded exercises, demonstration of good citizenship in the class) make up the final 20% proportion of the grade.
- Option 1 - Audit and Consultant Report calls for you to select an organization with which you're familiar or for which information an readily be found and describe and evaluate it in market terms (Part I - the Audit) and then develop recommendations for improvement (Part II -- the Consultant Report). Written reports and a final presentation are required.
- Option 2 - Service Learning Collaborative Project for Social Marketing asks you to work with a non-profit or public agency on a cause-related marketing project that can be accomplished in a semester. Examples include designing a publicity campaign, planning an event, preparing promotional material (e.g., brochure or video), planning and publicizing a workshop, re-designing a website or initiating a blog, evaluating ad effectiveness, writing a grant, or the like. A service learning contract is required with three interim progress reports and a final report and presentation.
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Grading
Policy
Graduate students may receive the following grades:
H - Clear excellence
P - Entirely satisfactory (the norm for good quality graduate work)
L - Low pass
F - Fail
IN - Work incomplete
Revised August 14, 2012.
Evelyn Daniel, Instructor
