Teaching with Technology

The Design and Execution of Marketing Plans in Second Life

By Tracy Tuten East Carolina University

 Marketing Education Review, Volume 19 Number 1

 BLOG: Lynn Barnsback

 This article demonstrates a meaningful way to bring technology to the corner stone of the   Principles of Marketing course the Marketing Plan Project. This project is based on the leading theory “Principles of Authentic Assessment”, whereby “learning opportunities are infused with authenticity, students are immersed in real-life activities with the opportunity to apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate concepts.” Students must use the knowledge they have to work through the different stages of a marketing plan. The authentic learning environment helps students gain experience and improve their digital age literacy, inventive thinking, effective communications and productivity. In order to make the marketing plan an “authentic learning” experience the author introduced three components:  (a) a simulated real world experience was added which helps with the authenticity of task. (b) The tasks were “chunked”; arranged in groups due in a series of installments with assigned team members responsible. (c) Rubrics were used to help with performance and feed back. 

The Simulated Real World experience seems to be the most important of the three changes and the most groundbreaking. Students are asked to “Create a marketing plan for a product which is or will be marketed” in a virtual world. According to the author virtual worlds are “three-dimensional communities that mimic the real world without its physical limitations.” She chose to use one called “Second Life” but like most other “worlds” out in cyberspace participants can shop, work, drive, fly, date, own a house, volunteer etc. The importance of using a virtual world is the ability to have a “simulated economy with which to examine marketing principles.” It is an “online consumer society” with entrepreneurs playing an important part of the experience. It has the advantage of being very accessible for students and is a place where all aspects of the plan can actually be implemented and tested. This is a huge advantage over the more theoretical approach usually taken they get to actually practice the art of marketing. Students also receive feed back from an “authentic audience” rather than just from the limited class exposure. Historically projects were lacking this aspect. The audience also makes the project so much more real for students and allows for a more dynamic learning experience. 

The use of the Rubric allows the teacher to include an authentic assessment component to the project.  It helps provide a “work plan” for the students and establishes clear expectations. By providing a scoring scale students can effectively focus on the important components of the project.

The author also writes about the use of “chunking” in the project; “breaking the project into small manageable components due over the semester”. While this seems like another aid for students, to help guide them through a semester long and avoid some of the inherent stress of a project she takes it a step further by assigning an individual team member to each “chunk”. This member does not have to do this work but is responsible for it getting completed. This strategy has the advantage of making each team member accountable at a certain time throughout the semester and cuts down on one of the problems with group work, social loafing. The chunking also allows for review and revisions of each piece throughout the semester and results in an improved final product.         

The author provides some details and examples on how to incorporate the Second Life project:

• A detailed marketing plan should be provided.
• Examples of successful companies given for student review.
•  The teacher can provide business willing to work with students or they can recruit their own.
• A Tip Sheet for operating In World can be provided (add confidence)   
• She also suggests that students could choose to learn some programming and create their own product to market, as opposed to helping market an existing product
• Check for University’s policies on operating in a virtual world

The article concludes with the evaluations which were an interesting insight into the students’ experience. Surprisingly the rubric was very popular. This is good to note since it can be used in almost any class or environment. Students also appreciated the chunking and the opportunity to evaluate and revise submissions. The real-world experience of completing the project in world was of course thrilling to many, and made the course stand out. The most apprehensions for dealing in world came from the author, however she indicated that the actual time “in-world” was the students and once they were set up properly it was not a problem for her. She wisely reinforces that the virtual world is a “teaching tool”; the objective is the mastery of principles of marketing not Second Life.  

While I found the use of a virtual word compelling as an aid to increasing the effectiveness of the traditional marketing plan, and see the clear benefits, the substantial impact of the Rubric and Chunking cannot be denied. I found this article extremely insightful and feel I will incorporate one if not all of these changes when I develop a marketing plan project for my class.