Innovation in marketing channels

The management of distribution channels is going through profound changes. The definition of new business models and innovations has greatly altered the nature and structure of marketing channels. For instance, the user-based innovation, the diffusion of user communities and the evolution of digital tools has redefined how people purchase goods and services (both in B2C and B2B), opening up a whole new array of opportunities for channels of distribution. The course aims to introduce the main issues involved in marketing channel strategy - including channel structure, channel design and management, channel performance. Students will be provided with an overview of conventional multi-channel distribution strategies, exploring the impact of internet-based technologies and the key implications for distribution decisions. The first part of the course focuses on the nature of marketing channels, within the marketing mix, understanding how they evolve, progress and change. Channel players, behavioral processes, potential conflicts, power, roles and communication will be discussed. The second part of the course focuses on how to effectively design, manage and evaluate a marketing channels strategy, integrating theoretical frames with real case histories. Central issues around innovation in the digital economy will be covered, gaining knowledge on how to make products or services available to customers in more effective ways. The course will enable students to identify the various channel functions and to analyse and interpret the main issues in channel design and management. Students will learn how to connect marketing channels to main trends in the marketplace.

Participants will gain in-depth knowledge of the levers that enable innovation in marketing channels; they will be able to acquire the latest knowledge about alternative marketing management strategies and to compare and contrast between radical and incremental channel innovations. They will be able to discuss major principles and theories learned in class, working in case-based sessions. At the end of the course, they will be able to critically evaluate B2B and B2C marketing channel strategies. The knowledge acquired will allow students to examine the challenges of innovative marketing channel projects and be able to structure a channel management strategy.