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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "MKT 370"
COURSE NAME: "Entrepreneurial Marketing"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2025
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Alessio Di Leo
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 6:00 PM 7:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
A dramatically new form of marketing has emerged. Recent years have witnessed the use of such terms as subversive marketing, disruptive marketing, radical marketing, guerrilla marketing, viral marketing, and expeditionary marketing. This course represents an attempt to bring together these perspectives by providing an integrative framework called “entrepreneurial marketing” (EM). With EM, marketing is approached not as a set of tools (a technology) for facilitating transactions or responding to change, but as a vehicle for fundamentally redefining products, services, and markets in ways that produce a sustainable competitive advantage. EM represents a strategic type of marketing built around six core elements: innovation, calculated risk-taking, resource leveraging, strategic flexibility, customer intensity, and the creation of industry change. Conditions in the marketplace environment drive the need for entrepreneurial marketing (turbulence, discontinuities, rapid changes in technology, economics, competition, etc.), while organizational culture can hinder or facilitate the firm's ability to demonstrate high levels of EM.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, a new paradigm of Entrepreneurial marketing (EM) has emerged. This approach goes beyond traditional marketing strategies, embracing innovation, agility, and sustainability as core principles. EM recognizes that in a world of constant disruption, businesses must not only respond to change but actively create it.
Throughout the course, we will examine how EM principles apply to startups, small businesses, and even large corporations seeking to maintain a competitive edge. Students will learn to navigate the complexities of modern markets, where traditional rules are constantly being rewritten, and customer loyalty must be earned through authentic, value-driven engagement.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Develop a comprehensive entrepreneurial marketing plan for a startup
- Apply innovative marketing strategies to address challenges in resource-constrained environments
- Analyze market trends and use scenario planning to inform marketing decisions
- Create and evaluate minimum viable products (MVPs) for market testing
- Design and implement digital marketing strategies tailored for startups
- Conduct and interpret market research to inform entrepreneurial decision-making
- Craft compelling value propositions and brand identities for new ventures
- Utilize data-driven approaches in entrepreneurial marketing contexts
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Entrepreneurial Marketing: Beyond Professionalism to Creativity, Leadership, and Sustainability. | Kotler et al. (2023) | John Wiley & Sons Inc | 9781119835202 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments |
| Additional materials | AA | AA | AA | | Additional Readings: A curated list of recent articles, case studies, and industry reports will be provided for each class session. These will be available through the university's online learning platform.
Industry Reports: We will analyze reports from leading consulting firms and research institutions to stay abreast of the latest trends and forecasts in entrepreneurial marketing. |
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Group Challenge | | 40 |
| Graded Single Exercise | Individual assignment on market trend analysis and scenario planning. To be completed in week 6. | 10 |
| Midterm Exam | Case study analysis and short essay questions covering topics from weeks 1-7. | 20 |
| Final Exam | Comprehensive exam including multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. | 30 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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Week
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Topic
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Readings/Assignments
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1
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Understanding Entrepreneurial Marketing
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Textbook Ch. 1; HBR article "The Questions Every Entrepreneur Must Answer"
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2
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Scenario Planning and Trend Analysis
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Textbook Ch. 2; Assignment: Industry trend report
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3
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Future Thinking/Foresight
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Guest Speaker: Industry Futurist; Reading: "The Art of the Long View" by Peter Schwartz
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4
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Identifying Markets and Competitors
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Textbook Ch. 3-4; Case Study: "Airbnb: A $10 Billion Disruption"
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5
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Segmentation and Positioning
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Textbook Ch. 5; Assignment: Develop positioning statement for a startup
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6
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Empathy Mapping & Problem Statement
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Workshop: Customer Empathy Mapping Exercise
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7
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Cognitive Walkthrough & Qualitative Design Research
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Textbook Ch. 6; Reading: "Design Thinking" by Tim Brown (HBR)
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8
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AI and Buyer Personas
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Guest Speaker: AI in Marketing Expert; Assignment: Create AI-enhanced buyer personas
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9
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Graded Single Exercise
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In-class exercise on market trend analysis and scenario planning
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10
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Opportunity Evaluation
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Textbook Ch. 7; Case Study: "Evaluating Entrepreneurial Opportunities"
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11
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Innovation & Lateral Thinking
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Workshop: Design Thinking for Marketing Innovation
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12
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Mission/Vision/Brand Development
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Textbook Ch. 8; Assignment: Develop brand identity for a startup
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13
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Spring Break
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No class
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14
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Problem-Solution Fit
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Textbook Ch. 9; Reading: "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick
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15
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MVP & Pretotyping
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Workshop: Developing and Testing MVPs
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16
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Lean Validation & No-Code Development
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Guest Speaker: No-Code Platform Expert; Assignment: Create a landing page using no-code tools
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17
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Midterm Exam
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Case study analysis and short essay questions
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18
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Revenue Modeling & Product Roadmapping
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Textbook Ch. 10; Assignment: Develop a product roadmap
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19
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Marketing Funnel & Go-to-Market Strategies
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Textbook Ch. 11; Case Study: "Dollar Shave Club: Disrupting the Shaving Industry"
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20
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Identifying the Right Message
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Workshop: Crafting Compelling Marketing Messages
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21
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Startup Funding and Marketing Budgets
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Guest Speaker: Venture Capitalist; Reading: "How to Build a Startup Financial Model"
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22
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Partnerships & Ecosystem Building
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Textbook Ch. 12; Case Study: "Ecosystem Orchestration"
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23-24
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Group Challenge Work Sessions
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In-class time for group project work with mentor guidance
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25
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Group Challenge Expo
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Final project presentations
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26
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Course Wrap-up and Final Exam Review
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Review of key concepts and exam preparation
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Final Exam: Date to be announced
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