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Accessibility statement
Qualification dates
StartEnd
04 Apr 2026Sept 2026
Whether you are interested in a career in marketing or merely curious about how marketing works, this module provides an opportunity to explore marketing practice in action. The module is built around marketing communications as a fundamental practice and is informed by insights from practitioners. You’ll learn how marketing is applied in different contexts, how to keep pace with social and consumer trends and their impact on marketing practice and appreciate marketing research's role. You’ll also examine social and environmental sustainability, enhance your ethical awareness and analysis skills, explore stakeholder marketing and navigate the plethora of marketing evaluation measures.
Block 1 explores the topic of marketing communications. This is a dynamic area of marketing, and you'll be introduced to the key drivers and trends in the field and be provided with an overview of the marketing communications mix. The material then proceeds to encourage you to explore the key elements needed to develop an effective marketing communications campaign. You'll examine how communications theory and branding help inform the messaging and media strategy for a campaign. With the rise of digital marketing, you'll explore its role when developing an integrated marketing communications mix. Finally, you'll consider the importance of creativity in the execution of a marketing communications campaign.
Block 2 immerses you in a range of different contexts to explore the nuances of marketing theory and practice. From exploring the differences for marketers operating in the areas of services, B2B and SMEs within the commercial sector, you'll expand your appreciation of the role of marketing to the public sector, charities and non-profit organisations. This includes coverage of strategic and operational aspects of social marketing. You'll look at a range of wider social and consumer trends that are impacting all marketing practice, such as big data, AI, blockchain and authenticity. The block concludes by exploring the marketing research process and the methods of data collection and analysis employed by marketers when developing new campaigns.
Block 3 takes a wider perspective, considering a number of issues that directly and indirectly inform marketing practice. Topics covered include sustainability and marketing ethics; stakeholder marketing; and finally, evaluating marketing communications campaigns, considering variations in evaluation between marketing contexts. These topics involve assessing an organisation's activities and their impact on society, the environment, stakeholders and the organisation's performance.
This is an OU level 3 module. OU level 3 modules build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at OU levels 1 and 2. They are intended only for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject, preferably at the OU.
Although there are no formal entry requirements and the module is open entry, we strongly recommend that you are suitably prepared for study at this level and have some familiarity with basic business and marketing concepts. Shaping business opportunities (B207) would be ideal preparation.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You'll have access to a module website, which includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying B328 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Marketing in action starts once a year – in April.
This page describes the module that will start in April 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in April 2029.
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