BUS-M 595 Special Topics in Marketing: Marketing of Technology

• 7 weeks
• 1.5 credits
• Prerequisite(s): MBA Core

The course aims to introduce students to issues involved in marketing technology products. It identifies the new and emerging Marketing-Technology Interface, which creates opportunities to market technology products in ways that are different compared to, for example, CPG products. The focus will be on issues that affect decision-making in the design, development, and positioning of products in the high-technology sector. The course uses the Value Management framework to identify key issues related to value creation and capture that are unique to technology products. For example, generating demand is a critical task that falls under the responsibility of marketing. Technology products offer a context wherein issues such as standards & network externalities affect the level of demand, how customers make decisions, and how firms compete in the marketplace. The course primarily focuses on the "pre-purchase" stage, where the selling (marketing) process communicates value to customers through product development/positioning/pricing models on how value creation occurs and is captured. The technology sector is quite diverse, so the course does not aim to be an exhaustive study of the entire industry. Instead, core sectors, including semiconductors and consumer tech, mobile and gaming, software, and cloud-based solutions, will be used to illustrate the core marketing issues. Marketing frameworks that apply specifically to the sector will be the focus of attention. There is an approximately 50-50 mix of case studies and lectures/discussions. The course should be of interest to students who are interested in jobs in the technology sector.