Students

MKTG8002 – Marketing Communications

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Yimin Huang
stephanie.huang@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Room 707, 4 Eastern Road, Macquarie Business School
2:30pm-3:30pm, Monday
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(Admission to MMktg or MCom) and MKTG6096
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Marketing communications are an integral part of an organization’s overall marketing activities and play a critical role in determining its success in the market. Today, marketing professionals face new opportunities, but also significant challenges in communicating with consumers in an evolving media landscape and dynamic interactions between consumers and brands.

This unit develops students’ skills to apply marketing communications theories to analyse firms’ marketing communications. Students will develop a marketing communication campaign and communicate marketing communications ideas professionally to potential audiences.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Apply marketing communications theories to analyse firms’ marketing communications.
  • ULO2: Develop a marketing communication campaign.
  • ULO3: Communicate marketing communications ideas professionally to potential audiences.

General Assessment Information

Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

Late Submission Penalties

If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days. Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

Example 1 (out of 100):

If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

Example 2 (out of 30):

If you score 27/30 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

Extensions

Automatic short extension: Some assessments are eligible for automatic short extension. You can only apply for an automatic short extension before the due date.

Special Consideration: If you need more time due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration. Need help? Review the Special Consideration page for further details.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Skills Development: Consumer strategic insights 30% No 01/04/2026 Individual Yes Open AI
Professional practice: Advertisement development 30% No 29/04/2026 Individual No Open AI
Professional practice: IMC Campaign development 40% No 27/05/2026 Individual Yes Open AI

Skills Development: Consumer strategic insights

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 19.5 hours
Due: 01/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you with to gain the ability to effectively research, analyse and interpret consumer behaviours to inform strategic marketing communications decisions. You will research and synthesise consumer insights to develop the skills necessary to craft compelling marketing messages that resonate with target audiences to achieve campaign objectives.

Skills in focus:

  • Communication skills
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Discipline knowledge

Deliverable(s): Written report [max of 1000 words]

Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply marketing communications theories to analyse firms’ marketing communications.
  • Communicate marketing communications ideas professionally to potential audiences.

Professional practice: Advertisement development

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 29/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop your ability to work collaboratively with Generative AI to design a creative and effective advertisement.

You will apply marketing communication theories and demonstrate your creativity and critical thinking through the effective use of Generative AI in this assessment.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Digital skills
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Communication skills

Deliverable(s): Video presentation [maximum 10 minutes]

Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply marketing communications theories to analyse firms’ marketing communications.
  • Communicate marketing communications ideas professionally to potential audiences.

Professional practice: IMC Campaign development

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 33.5 hours
Due: 27/05/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop your abilities to design an integrated marketing communication campaign to solve a business challenge.

In this assessment, you will apply knowledge of marketing communications as well as consumer insights to make strategic decisions in response to a client brief on the business challenge. You will create a comprehensive marketing communications plan in response to a client brief, incorporating consumer insights and strategic decisions.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Work readiness
  • Discipline knowledge

Deliverable(s): Written report [maximum 1500 words]

Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop a marketing communication campaign.
  • Communicate marketing communications ideas professionally to potential audiences.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

This unit will be delivered via pre-recorded lectures and weekly seminars. Please refer to iLearn for details.

Textbook: Lawrence Ang (2020), Principles of Integrated Marketing Communications (2nd Edition), Cambridge University Press

Supplementary Readings for each week are available on iLearn.

Unit Schedule

Please refer to iLearn for the Unit Schedule.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook