DESCRIPTION OF TASK

 Investigative Social Media Report

Due: Friday May 26, Week 11 9pm AEST

Marking rubric available via iLearn

Students are required to complete a major group report during the course. The report will be weighted as 60% of the course.

In order to support the development of your report, class activities have been built in to the weekly course schedule. You will also present the drafting of your work in order to obtain peer feedback.

The report topic is as follows:

“Social media has revolutionised the marketing of services. New media platforms have blurred the lines between formal advertising, editorial and user generated content.”

You will be allocate two social media platforms. One will be Snapchat, and you will be allocated a second from Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Your report will address the following content;

1. Industry background: Using industry research define and describe the nature of each of the social media platforms that you have chosen. Provide a very brief background on its development and success.
2. Marketing objectives: Using journal article research to compare and contrast the marketing purpose/positioning, objectives and motives of the platforms from the perspective of its users (brands, and consumers).
3. Discussion:Using qualitative research, conduct 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews with active daily users of your social media platforms. These interviews should be approximately 30-45 minutes each. Provide a few sentences characterising each participant (gender, age, country of origin and residence, frequency of use of platform(s), main reason(s) for use of platform(s). Transcribe interviewer and interviewee verbatim from the interviews. Retain word document copies of your transcripts for submission to your marker along with your report - this is mandatory. You will also be asked to submit your NVIVO file via email to the unit convenor with your coding of data. Analyse the data using the software NVIVO and develop and apply a coding framework to analyse you data. Provide a table reporting your coding framework. Your interviews should aim to address the following issues;

• How brands engage consumers on your chosen platforms
• What consumers use these platforms for and what their motivations are to engage with brands on each of your chosen platforms
• In what ways consumers engage with brands on your chosen platforms (e.g., cognition, emotion, behaviour or a combination of these elements)
• In what ways do the above issues differ between your two chosen platforms?

4. Managerial implications: In light of your qualitative analysis, discuss the implications for brand management. How should brands handle their social media platform content and activity? In what way can they best engage consumers in each social media platform?

5.Conclusion: Summary of your findings

NOTES:

Assessment contains an individual mark: You will have three members per group. Each group members contribution will be weighted using a peer group scoring method upon submission of the report, and they will receive an individual mark based on the final mark awarded. This mark will be moderated by your Tutor who will discuss each members contribution with the group. For example if your group is given an final report score of 50/60 for the report, and group member 1’s contribution is weighted by each of his/her three group peers as 8/10, 6/10, 9/10 (23/3 = 7.7). Group member 1 would receive a score of 0.77 x 50 or a final mark for the report of 38.5/60. This final score is  moderated by your Tutor as above.

This is an assessment based on scholarly research (e.g., journal articles (peer reviewed or otherwise), scholarly book chapters, research monographs, research handbooks etc), theory and critical evaluation, analysis and synthesis (not mere description). The reports upper word limit is 4,000 words. There is no minimum word limit. The upper word limit is strict. NB. The word limit does not include; title page/cover page, sub-headings, reference list (Note - it does include in-text citations), or the appendix.

• A minimum of 10+ scholarly articles is deemed to be absolutely necessary to understand this area and this should be used as a guide.
• Full Harvard author-date referencing is required (in-text citations, and reference list).
• Excess words beyond the strict word limit will not be read or marked.

No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.

Your report must be submitted online VIA Turnitin: Submit soft copy to the plagiarism detection system ‘Turnitin’ VIA iLearn before the deadline

Please note the following:

•  One member must be responsible for submitting the report to iLearn. Your soft copy must include a title Page with full official student names (last name in CAPITALS) and student ID numbers. It must also include your reference list. Please name your file as follows: Surnames_Final Report.doc

•  Report should be formatted as follows; size 12 times new roman font, 1.5 line spacing, regular margins, headings in capitals and bold, sub-headings in upper and lower case and bold italics.

•  Report will be marked electronically via GradeMark on Turnitin using iLearn, annotated with comments from the marker and your grades will be available for viewing on the Grades link via iLearn approximately 3 weeks after submission. An announcement will be made on iLearn when assignments have been marked.

Exam duration is 3 hours. Closed book.