1. Audio Presentation
Digital Essentials
April 2017 Assessment

2. Introduction Hello and welcome How to best approach the assessments
Click this icon to launch the sound for each slide
Introduction
Hello and welcome
How to best approach the assessments
Page/word count
Assessment theme/scenario
Task analysis and approaches
Additional support/resources
Key dates
Hello and welcome to the audio power point to support the Digital Essentials assignment for April It is recommended that you have the assignment brief with you whilst you are listening to this presentation, so you can refer to what is being discussed and make your own notes alongside.
It is also beneficial to have the Module Specification so that you can refer to both the learning outcomes for the module as a whole and also the Assessment Criteria on which each task is based. This will allow you to plan what you need to include in your assignment and how you answer the task for your chosen organisation.
Study the assignment tasks carefully. Look at the command word used and ensure that your work relates to it.
For example, if a task requires you to `Recommend` then you must ensure that you produce reliable and valid conclusions and proposals based on abstract data and situation, appropriately contextualised to the marketing situation.
You can access an explanation of all command words within the ‘Guidance on Formats for Assessments’ page within the ‘Assessment Guidance’ tab on MyCIM.
Please ensure that you pay attention to the recommended page or word count limits given for each task. The assessment has been designed to be answered within the given recommended page count limit. Answers that exceed the recommended limit are likely to contain irrelevant material that can restrict the emphasis on key points relevant to the task. Answers below the recommended limit are unlikely to contain sufficient detail.
The ‘Page Count Guidance’ on MyCIM also contains a range of important information, such as details about what type face and font sizes must be used and also the required page set up.
The font should be Arial and must be size 11. However in tables the text must be in size 9 font. All of this will help you to produce a professional, well-presented document. In addition, each task also has a mark allocation and it is essential that you are aware of this as it will give you clear guidance on the level of detail required in your work.
Each assessment will normally be based around a different overarching theme or scenario. Students will therefore be expected to link all the component tasks in their assessment around this overarching theme or scenario.
Once you have thought through how you can answer in the context of the scenario for your chosen organisation, it may be useful to discuss your approach with your tutor before you start your assignment.

3. Assessment theme / scenario
As you read through the assignment brief, you will find a great deal of information giving you the background to each task, instructions of the format required for the answer, scenario information and guidelines on how to answer each question.
The information shown here is from page 2 of the brief. It tells you about your role within your chosen organisation and the context in which you should answer each of the three tasks in the assignment.

4. Assessment theme / scenario
The next section reminds you to make sure that you put all of your answers in the context of your chosen organisation. Failure to do this is sometimes the cause of lost marks. This has been consistently re-emphasised in the Senior Examiner’s feedback for previous assignments.
You will see that task 1a) requires you to provide an organisational summary. Full instructions are given on page 4 of the assignment brief and will be covered shortly.
Please make sure that you cover all of the points listed in this guidance. You should also use all of the 1 side of A4 allowed and present your answer in Report format, as instructed here. Do not simply write a list of bullet points.
Make sure that your answers includes relevant, supporting academic frameworks, models and theory. These should be properly Harvard referenced. If you are not familiar with Harvard Referencing, you will find a useful guide in the MyCIM section of the CIM website.
If your organisation does not use digital marketing, then research and answer in the context of comparable organisations, within your sector.

5. Assessment theme / scenario
Finally, you are reminded to use all of the page count allowed for each task.
You should also match the page count to the marks available for each sub task, within this overall limit.

6. Task 1 analysis and approaches
If we now look at task 1, you will see from page 3 of the brief that this is to be answered in Briefing Paper format. Guidance on this is given in the MyCIM section of the website. Keep your answer business-like and well formatted to get your points across clearly.
The briefing paper that you write will be for Senior Managers and will help them to understand digital marketing and the factors that influence digital customers, in your organisation’s sector.

7. Task 1 analysis and approaches
You can see here that task 1 is worth 30 marks in total. Task 1a) should cover 1 A4 page and the remaining 3 tasks should cover 3 sides in total.
Task 1a) concerns to Organisation Background and is worth 5 marks. We shall look at the guidelines on the required content on the next slide

8. Task 1 analysis and approaches
These are the guidelines for task 1a) the Organisational Summary.
As you can see there are 6 areas that must be covered, with the option to add extra information at the end, if space permits.
Note too that you should present this page in report format as previously explained and not as a series of bullet points. It is also recommended that you use the whole A4 page allowed for this task.

9. Task 1 analysis and approaches
Task 1b) asks you to EXPLAIN the characteristics of digital marketing within your chosen industry sector AND also how the Internet has changed customer media consumption habits. Make sure that you address both in your answer.
Further guidance is given in the brief and will be discussed on the next slide.

10. Task 1 analysis and approaches
The guidelines here re-emphasise the need to write your answer in the context of the chosen organisation and its industry sector.
Here you will also find some examples of ideas which you might include in your answer. Feel free to use these and add others as you think appropriate.

11. Task 1 analysis and approaches
Task 1c) asks you to EXPLAIN why customers use the Internet. You should also explain the expectations and concerns that they may have when purchasing online.
Make sure that you answer all 3 parts of this task, in the context of your organisation or sector, further guidelines will be shown on the next slide.

12. Task 1 analysis and approaches
The guidelines for task 1c) give you suggestions as to how you might tackle the different parts of this task.
These are: the reasons of customers use of the Internet, as well as the expectations and concerns that they may have for online purchasing within your chosen sector

13. Task 1 analysis and approaches
The final part of this task 1d) asks you to EVALUATE two techniques for evaluating online customers.
Note the command word is EVALUATE, rather then just explain or describe. Make sure that you answer with two techniques in this context, as described in the guidance on the next slide.

14. Task 1 analysis and approaches
In the guidance for task 1d) you can see explicit advice on how to respond to the command word EVALUATE, by listing the pros and cons for the two techniques presented within your answer.

15. Task 2 analysis and approaches
Task 2 should be written in REPORT format
This will be given to the senior management team to help them understand how the organisation can use digital marketing to improve customer engagement

16. Task 2 analysis and approaches
The answers to task 2 should be 5 sides of A4. You can see the marks for each of the 3 sub tasks. You should plan your answers so that the length of each answer matches the marks available, within the 5 sides suggested.
Task 2a) asks for a DESCRIPTION of three different forms of digital content, specifically to engage customers.

17. Task 2 analysis and approaches
The guidelines for task 2 remind you to write in the context of your chosen organisation and if it does not use digital marketing, then use an alternative, from your market sector.
The guidelines for task 2a) gives you some examples of how the task might be answered, using different forms of content to drive customer engagement.

18. Task 2 analysis and approaches
The command word in task 2b) is RECOMMEND three content-based tools that you can use to engage your chosen organisation’s customers.

19. Task 2 analysis and approaches
The guidelines for task 2b) give you more information on how to respond to the command word RECOMMEND, by explaining the rationale for your choice of the 3 digital communications tools required.
Make sure that you specifically write to show clearly how the tools chosen will assist to drive customer engagement.

20. Task 2 analysis and approaches
In task 2c) you are asked to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the online vs the offline buying process, specifically in regard to enhancing customer engagement for your chosen organisation.
You can conctruct your answer from your own personal experience or from research.

21. Task 2 analysis and approaches
The guidance for task 2c) recommends that you should go further than simply listing the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches.
You should also explain the key points and demonstrate why the online buying process might enhance customer engagement for your organisation.

22. Task 3 analysis and approaches
Moving on to task 3, we can again see that this should be presented as a short report, to show the senior management team how a digital campaign could be developed, implemented and evaluated.

23. Task 3 analysis and approaches
As you can see task 3 is worth 40 marks and has a recommended page count of 5 sides of A4. Again, should match the length of the 3 sub tasks to match the marks available for each, within the recommended total page count.
Task 3a) asks you tom develop the purpose and digital content, to enhance customer engagement for one customer segment. So make sure that you cover all these points in your answer.

24. Task 3 analysis and approaches
The guidelines for task 3 remind you that a report should be written in a logical order with appropriate headings, sub heading and formatting to get your ideas across effectively.
It also reminds you to focus your campaign plan on just ONE clearly identified customer segment.
For task 3a) you should set clear campaign objectives within your answer, before you outline the proposed digital content to be used for your chosen segment.

25. Task 3 analysis and approaches
Task 3b) requires you to RECOMMEND an appropriate communications mix, which will enhance customer engagement. You are also required to give reasons for your choice. You should present this for just ONE customer segment as explained in the guidelines.

26. Task 3 analysis and approaches
Task 3b) requires you to recommend and justify a tactical digital communications mix with reasons for your choice.
The guidelines give you suggestions on how to justify your selection and also suggests that you present the organisational resources required.

27. Task 3 analysis and approaches
Finally task 3c) asks you to EXPLAIN the role that metrics play in digital communications and also to specify the metrics that you would use to measure the effectiveness of your planned campaign.

28. Task 3 analysis and approaches
The guidelines for task 3c) recommends that you explain, with examples, why metrics are important in digital marketing.
You should then specify the specific metrics that you will use to measure the effectiveness of your proposed campaign.

29. Additional support & resources
There are a number of resources contained within the MyCIM section of the CIM website that will help you during the assessment process. These documents can be found within the Studying Tab towards the top of this webpage.
The studying tab contains important information on assessment guidance, syllabus information, reading lists and key policies. Alongside these documents is the ‘Senior Examiner Report’ tab.
The Senior Examiner reports are useful documents that will help in your preparations. Within these reports the format of previous tasks are discussed along with how well they were answered and recommendations of good practice.
All of this information is useful in preparing yourself for what to expect when completing your assessment.
We recommend that you spend time looking through the studying tab and the associated documents before you begin writing.