COURSE SYLLABUS

INTERNET CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND ANALYSIS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Catalog Course Code: IMK 592

Three-Letter Course Abbreviation: CBA-O

Instructor: David Butler, PhD

Telephone: 407.679.0100 ext. 8223

Email: dsbutler@fullsail.com

iChat: fullsailcba@me.com

Hours: M, W, Th 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (EST) Tu 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (EST) F 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EST)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Internet Consumer Behavior and Analysis Course ex-plores consumer behavior that is specific to the Internet and analyzes methods that motivate consumers to purchase products and/or services. The emphasis of this course is to identify specific Internet marketing campaigns and gauge their success and/or failure in inspiring the consumer to purchase the product or service. One approach studied is personalized marketing—a valuable tactic which allows an Internet marketer to track specific consumer interests and make suggestions on future purchases. This course examines how to develop Internet marketing plans that incorporate a consumer behavioral analysis.

COURSE MATERIALSyy Internet Consumer Behavior and Analysis (e-book), David

Butler, PhD, McGraw-Hill

yy Online resources such as industry reports and research articles are provided for all discussions and assignments

yy Supplemental readings for each week are posted on the community discussion board

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Through the various components of study and application, students will realize these objectives by completing the fol-lowing milestones:

yy The ability to correlate consumer intent with online-consumer decision making

yy Analyze recognized stages of online-consumer deci-sion making

yy The faculty to research and investigate marketing tactics applied to target consumers at different stages of the decision-making process

yy Clarify Internet-marketing tactics applied to engage consumer intent at various stages of online decision making

yy An understanding of the significance of clearly defining a target audience to Internet marketing

yy Analyze and evaluate online-consumer segmentation and its online-marketing applications

yy Analyze categories of consumer information most relevant to Internet-marketing practice, including psychographics, demographics, and specific online-consumer behaviors

yy The knowledge to identify the relationship between consumer segments, products and services, and promo-tional content

yy Investigate how and why product and service catego-ries are aligned with specific consumer segments

yy Investigate the importance of designing messaging for specific consumer segments designed to align con-sumers with the products and services most likely to satisfy their distinct needs

yy The ability to investigate contemporary online interac-tions between corporations and consumers

yy Analyze the significance of user-generated content—such as blog posts, product reviews, and online recommendations—to Internet-marketing practice

yy The knowledge to identify organizational challenges and opportunities resulting from evolving online-consumer behavior

yy Understand how the evolution of the Internet has empowered consumers as suppliers of product and service information

yy The skill to examine the pros and cons of tracking online consumers as an Internet-marketing strategy

yy Investigate ethical implications of collecting and dis-seminating consumer data for targeting purposes

yy Clarify the strategic relationship between consumer tracking and consumer targeting

yy The faculty to investigate emerging technologies associ-ated with tracking and targeting online consumers such as behavioral targeting and geotargeting

yy Highlight the importance of contextual marketing to online efficiency and success

yy Differentiate mobile-consumer behavior and intent from that of traditional computer-based behavior

COURSE OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

yy Clarify Internet-marketing tactics applied to engage intent at various stages of online-consumer decision making

yy Understand and apply the concept of consumer segmen-tation as a strategic method to enhance effectiveness of targeted Internet-marketing campaigns

yy Develop a strategic approach to online communication supported by promotional and responsive content serv-ing to mediate online interaction with potential and return consumers

yy Recognize ethical implications of consumer data collec-tion and dissemination

yy Understand the concept of contextual marketing and relate this model to variations in the user interface and evolving technologies affecting Internet-marketing practice

DEGREE CONNECTION

Internet Consumer Behavior and Analysis provides students with a foundation and insight to understand their potential and recognized customers–tailored specifically for the analysis of online consumers. This course augments the IMMS program by reinforcing the connection that should always exist between consumers and marketing strategy. Tactics learned in other courses are applied as marketing tools because of their impact on the behavior of consumers. Recognizing what consumers want (i.e., their needs) and how to satisfy those desires is the foundation for tactics employed by online marketers.

INDUSTRY CONNECTION

Understanding customers is key to success in the Internet-marketing industry. Understanding consumer behavior as a process that can be engaged by Internet marketers is key to Internet-marketing success. Conversion rates, customer sat-isfaction, and customer retention all rest on the foundation of understanding what consumers want and then establishing promotional content and offers that satisfy their needs. This insight provides students with a model that can be applied in various marketing contexts. For example, analyzing consumer behavior provides students with a model to clearly define a target audience. They can then divide that audience into tar-geted advertising segments with the end goal of maximizing the relevance of messaging and increasing conversion rates.

INTERNET CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND ANALYSIS Course Objectives

RESEARCH COMPONENT

The foundation of this course is researching consum-ers and designing predictive models for success based on the analysis of consumer behavior. Stu-dents will research consumer decision making and variables including online-consumer behavior. This process also prioritizes matching this data with promotional offers, setting the stage for ongoing re-search into how best to match offers with the needs of customers.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCESyy Tim Ash’s Decision-Making Funnel:

http://searchenginewatch.com/3633127

yy Understanding the Online Marketplace: This resource provides an excellent overview of Internet marketing tactics that prioritize analyzing market research and consumer behavior. http://www.slideshare.net/DaveChaffey/online -marketplace-analysis-smart-insights-dave-chaffey

yy The Power of Persona-lization: http://www.clickz.com/3632765

yy “10 Questions to Ask Before Determining Your Target Market.” http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226360

yy “Multicultural Marketing Trends to Watch for in 2013.” http://www.intelligenttargeting.com/blogs/corina /multicultural-marketing-trends-watch-2013

yy Legislation and Behavioral Targeting: http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=145161

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

DiscussionsThe discussions are geared to allow students to have dialogue with peers. They are similar to in-class exercises where the students tackle different top-ics related to online-consumer-behavior analysis. In week one, students will act as potential customers for their classmates and make recommendations for website improvements to help move clients through the decision-making funnel toward a conversion. In week two, students will discuss how their company’s promotional offers, products, and services match the website message with the potential customer’s wants and needs.

AssignmentsBuilding off the weekly discussions, students will re-search and analyze the primary topics of the course. The assignments apply the concepts from readings and resources to the students’ own marketing con-text. The lessons learned from these assignments can often be applied immediately, providing a real-time method of research for professional application.

GRADE WEIGHTS

Discussions (4 at 5% each) 20%

Assignment 1—Consumer Decision Making and Funnel Marketing

15%

Assignment 2—Consumer Segmentation 20%

Assignment 3—Evolving Online Consumer Behavior

20%

Assignment 4—Internet Marketing Context

15%

Professionalism 10%

Total 100%

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL LEARNING

yy Communication is key. Make sure that you read everything and ask any questions you may have.

yy One of the main ideas of this course is recogniz-ing the importance of a different perspective. Through usability testing and collaboration with classmates, you will see how the opinions of oth-ers can greatly impact and improve your website.

yy Great inspiration can be found at other websites, whether competition or not. Always keep an eye out for designs, features, or other ideas you can apply to your own website.

yy Don’t be afraid to research concepts on your own. This industry continues to evolve, and new tools and ideas are always being presented on-line. Stay current to stay competitive.

INTERNET CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND ANALYSIS Research Component