Consumer Marketing (MSc Business Administration)
In the Consumer Marketing track, you gain an in-depth understanding of consumer characteristics, behaviours and motivations as inputs for effective marketing strategies. This track is one of 9 tracks you can opt for in our Master's in Business Administration.
Help organisations improve their marketing through better consumer insight
Marketing is responsible for strategically guiding businesses towards the creation and capture of superior customer value. Sound marketing thus requires a detailed understanding of consumers and the broader context of their lives: who are they, what do they do, and (perhaps most importantly) what drives their behaviour and decisions?
Studying Consumer Marketing helps you explore how consumer understanding can be translated into marketing strategies that truly create customer value. In that sense, our approach to marketing focuses more strongly on strategy and analysis rather than execution and implementation as such.
Theory and practice
Any organisation interacts with clients and consumers on a daily basis to create and capture customer value. Therefore, we explore the links between academic concepts and the real-life business environment throughout the track. Business partners like L’Oréal, Unilever and Friesland Campina offer guest lectures and business cases, which you will tackle with your fellow students.
Track-specific courses
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Theories of Marketing
Focuses on the key and emerging theories that shape marketing management and marketing thought today. Core themes are the historical development of marketing thought, marketing strategy and consumer behaviour as the fundamental disciplines that marketing is built on, and the impact of current trends and digitisation on the function of marketing.
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Consumer Behaviour
Provides insight into how people behave as consumers and discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of such behaviour for businesses. Core themes are the roots of consumer behaviour in consumer psychology, the role of environmental factors (social, media, technological), and contemporary developments, such as the impact of ethics innovations on consumer perceptions and behaviour.
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Consumer Research in Marketing
Emphasises the relevance of research to generate consumer insights, explain consumer behaviour, and develop better marketing strategies. Core themes are fundamental consumer research methods, trends and developments in consumer research (e.g. neuromarketing), and the ways in which results and insights can be used to improve marketing decision-making.
Contemporary issues
Examples of current and relevant consumer marketing issues that could be discussed in class:
- Why do some consumers prefer prominent luxury brand logos on clothing (e.g. Gucci, Ralph Lauren), whereas others want branding to be more ‘discreet’?
- How can online retailers like Zalando stimulate/‘condition’ consumers to send fewer clothing items back to the store?
- Why do consumers spend effort, time and money in brand communities (e.g. Harley Owners Group, Lego Club etc.) to interact with the brands they love?
- How can insights generated via neuromarketing help consumer packaged goods companies like PepsiCo develop optimal product designs and packaging?
- Why do consumers add less attractive products to their orders at stores like bol.com with the specific goal to receive free shipping?
Career prospects
Graduates of the Master's in Business Administration/Consumer Marketing track have excellent job prospects for positions in a wide variety companies related to (consumer) marketing, e.g.:
- PR & communication managers
- consumer researchers
- product/brand managers
- marketing consultants
- consumer insights managers
| Degree programme | MSc |
|---|---|
| Type | Regular study programme |
| Mode | Full-time |
| Credits | 60 ECTS, 12 months |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Starts in | February, September |
| CROHO code | 60644 |