In the digital marketplace, businesses are always looking for ways to set themselves apart and to find an edge over their competitors. By recognizing and applying the tenets of competitive advantage, companies emphasize and align to their customer needs and communicate their advantages clearly and persuasively. In this course you'll learn about elements of competitive advantage, such as communicating company values through corporate social responsibility actions. You'll also learn about external branding, focusing marketing efforts through a customer lens, and communicating an effective and appealing value proposition. Finally, you'll examine AI and other innovative analytics tools that are used to enhance competitive advantage.

Marketing isn't just about making your product look good; it's also about building customer trust. When you plan for the four Ps of marketing, it's helpful to consider the ethical ramifications of each. In this course, you will learn about ethical choices in the marketing mix. From products and placement to pricing and promotion, you will learn about ethical marketing for each element.

Successful marketing is about optimizing relationships with your customers. That not only includes the value you offer them, but the value you get from them in return. Businesses apply best practices in marketing to find and better understand their customers, to inform how they can most effectively advertise, and to stand out from their competition. In this course, you'll learn about the key role of modern marketing and how companies effectively plan their marketing strategies. You'll gain understanding of how market segments are determined, how customers are targeted, and how organizations reach their customers. Finally, you'll learn the ways that digital marketing resources like social media can positively impact business marketing efforts.

To bring a product or service to market successfully, a marketer needs to understand a broad set of tools and concepts. Guided by customer insights, marketers position their offerings in the marketplace and in the buyer's mind. They use the marketing communication techniques of advertising, sales promotions, direct marketing, and public relations to build brands and enhance perceived value. This course explains how a product or brand manager uses detailed knowledge of their customers to influence design of the offering, to manage pricing and distribution channels, and to plan and execute a promotion strategy. The course explores the use of digital technologies including websites, social media, and mobile devices to build relationships with customers and drive sales.