VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.

363-0403-00L 3 Credits DR , MSC , NDS D-USYS , D-MTEC , D-MAVT
You're viewing possible stale or outdated data. Please check the latest semester for more up-to-date information.

Introduction to Marketing

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Florian von Wangenheim
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:36:33

Abstract

Students taking this course will increase their understanding of the role of marketing in organizations and learn about measuring and quantifying customer behavior for improved marketing decision-making.

Objective

After taking the class, students are able to o Explain the role and relevance of marketing within organizations o Apply marketing concepts to problems encountered by companies o Identify and differentiate methods for measuring customer behavior o Use quantitative methods for marketing decision-making, e.g. calculating the lifetime value of a customer o Outline and explain different marketing tools for managing customer-firm relationships

Content

Many people associate marketing with hard selling, advertising and the sales of products that are not inherently appealing to consumers. This course aims to challenge these preconceptions. Students will learn about the following topics: • Customer behavior, i.e. the decision-making processes of consumers • Marketing research, i.e. methods for gauging the factors influencing consumer decision-making • Marketing mix, i.e. promotional tools that marketers use to initiate and facilitate exchanges between consumers and companies • Online marketing, i.e. metrics to quantify the success of the marketing mix (e.g. digital marketing) • Customer relationship management, i.e. the management of customer-firm relationships over the (transactional) lifetimes of customers • Marketing analytics o Conjoint analysis, i.e. the measurement of customer preferences for different products and product attributes (e.g. used for new product development) o Customer lifetime value, i.e. a tool to assess the profitability of customer relationships (e.g. used for increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing) Different teaching methods facilitate a remote learning experience: (1) Self-study activities: Students complete reading assignments and review supplemental material (2) Online quizzes: Prior to class, students participate in online quizzes that test their knowledge of the topics covered in the self-study activities (1). The quizzes provide students with feedback on their learning progress. (3) Online classes: The lecturer discusses key marketing concepts in weekly online sessions. These online sessions focus on selected content that students learn in (1) and (2). (4) Group presentation: During the online sessions, teams of students present short examples illustrating their understanding of marketing concepts learned in (1). (5) Case study: Teams of students solve a case study, which gives them the opportunity to apply newly acquired marketing knowledge and skills to real-world, practical problems occurring in marketing. (6) Exam preparation: Online videos and questions from mock exams help students to familiarize themselves with questions focused on marketing analytics, which can require calculations. This type of question can occur in the final exam. It is important to complete these exercises as part of the preparation for the final exam.

Resources

Literature

Kotler, P./Armstrong, G.: Principles of Marketing, 17th edition, Pearson 2017. Weekly readings, distributed in class (via Moodle)

General Information

Language
English
Levels
DR , MSC , NDS
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
end-of-semester examination
Digital
The exam takes place on devices provided by ETH Zurich.
The end-of-semester examination (“final exam”, 60 min.) is an open-book computer exam. The performance of a student in the online quizzes (2), group presentations (4) and the case study (5) can earn him or her bonus points (learning tasks), which count towards the final grade. Earning maximum bonus points can increase the final grade by 0.25 grade points. It is possible for students with zero bonus points to achieve a final grade of 6 (i.e. the best grade) if their performance in the end-of-semester examination is outstanding.

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Introduction to Marketing
The lecture takes place ONLINE via Zoom (recorded). The lecturers will communicate the exact lesson times of ONLINE courses.
  • Tue 14:00-16:00 (ON LI NE)
2 h weekly

Offered In