MKTG90046 Content Marketing

How MKTG90046 is assessed

What MKTG90046 covers

MKTG90046 runs across twelve weeks in five modules - Foundation, Strategy, Systems & Content Creation, Distribution & Automation, and Optimisation & Governance - building a complete content-marketing system from audience Jobs to Be Done through to paid amplification, governance and ethics.

Half the mark is the 2-hour closed-book end-of-semester exam (Sections A, B and C, including a pre-released seen case), alongside an individual content audit (10%), in-class participation (10%) and a group content marketing plan (30%). The chapters below follow the real UniMelb teaching order so your revision matches how the subject was taught.

It is a strategy-and-systems subject rather than a numeric one: across twelve weeks and five modules it builds one connected idea - the content-marketing system that runs Audience Needs -> Content Assets -> Distribution -> Business Outcomes - from what content marketing is (the Content Marketing Institute definition and Paid-Owned-Earned Media), through audiences and Jobs to Be Done, STP and positioning, the modern content funnel and measurement, editorial systems and content pillars, ideation and authority/trust, modern search, distribution and email/CRM automation, paid amplification, and finally optimisation, governance and ethics.

Assessment is four components with no hurdle on any of them: in-class participation (10%), an individual brand content-marketing audit (10%, ~1,000 words, due Week 4), a group content marketing plan (30%, ~5,000 words, due Week 10), and the big one - a 2-hour closed-book on-campus digital end-of-semester exam worth 50%, sat as an LMS Classic Quiz through Lockdown Browser, marked out of 100. The exam has three sections: Section A (40 marks, four equally-weighted short-answer questions on a fictional brand answered as a content-marketing consultant), Section B (40 marks, four creative case-response questions on a well-known brand answered as its content manager) and Section C (20 marks, three questions on a pre-released seen case study).

The Subject Guide is explicit that there is no hurdle requirement - if your final mark is above 50%, you pass this subject - and the whole paper rewards applying theory to a brand, not reciting it. Your MKTG90046 result feeds the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) that your Master of Digital Marketing standing is built on. Confirm the exact exam date, time and room on Canvas and your personal UniMelb exam timetable.

Worked example · free

Reading the metrics funnel: CTR, CVR, ROAS and CPA on one campaign

Key terms

Content marketing (CMI definition)

A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. The load-bearing words are strategic (long-term, not a campaign), valuable/relevant/consistent (audience-first, not product-first), clearly defined audience (targeting) and profitable action (tied to business outcomes).

POEM (Paid, Owned, Earned Media)

The media framework content marketing is anchored in. Paid = media you pay for (ads, boosted posts) to extend reach; Owned = channels you control (website, blog, email) and the home of content marketing; Earned = exposure you earn (shares, word-of-mouth, reviews, UGC) that validates credibility. Paid drives traffic to Owned; strong Owned generates Earned; Earned makes Paid more effective.

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)

A framework (Christensen/Ulwick) that focuses on the progress a customer is trying to make in a context - 'people don't buy products; they hire solutions.' A job has functional, emotional, personal and social dimensions, and mapping demand signals to the underlying job turns audience problems into content opportunities.

The marketing funnel

A planning model of how audiences move from Awareness -> Consideration -> Conversion -> Loyalty -> Advocacy. It is not a literal map of a non-linear, ~60%-zero-click world, but it remains useful for defining each content piece's role and for diagnosing gaps in a content system.

Content pillars

The 3-5 strategic topic territories a brand consistently owns, derived from audience JTBD, positioning and business goals. Pillars are topic territories, not content types or formats, and they cascade Pillars -> Themes -> Topics to drive ongoing ideation and consistent coverage across the journey.

The metrics funnel (CTR / CVR / ROAS / CPA)

The core performance chain: CTR = clicks ÷ impressions, CVR = conversions ÷ clicks, ROAS = revenue ÷ spend, CPA = spend ÷ conversions. Metrics should match a content piece's funnel role, and strategic outcomes (leads, revenue) matter more than vanity metrics (views, likes).

MKTG90046 FAQ

Questions students ask in each MKTG90046 chapter

What is the difference between content marketing and advertising?

Advertising interrupts to push a message and rents attention through Paid media; content marketing earns attention by publishing something useful, relevant and consistent that the audience actually wants, and it is anchored in Owned media. Content marketing is usually a soft, long-term, audience-first sell tied to business outcomes, whereas advertising is typically a short, product-first push. They work together in POEM - Paid ads can amplify Owned content - but they are not the same activity. Chapter 01 · What Content Marketing Is (and Is Not)

What is the difference between a demographic and a Job to Be Done?

A demographic describes who someone is (age, income, location); a Job to Be Done describes the progress they are trying to make in a context - the functional, emotional, personal and social outcome they 'hire' a solution for. Two people in the same demographic can have completely different jobs, and two very different people can share the same job. Content built on jobs is relevant and specific; content built on demographics alone tends to be generic, which is why the subject pushes you past demographics. Chapter 02 · Audiences, Demand and Jobs to Be Done

How is STP different in content marketing versus classic marketing?

The logic is the same (segment, target, position), but the variables change. In content marketing you segment by problems/JTBD, search intent and knowledge level rather than mainly by age, gender or income; you target the priority audience by relevance, demand, your ability to help and commercial value; and you position by defining what your content is known for, not what you sell. The point is to make content focused and distinctive - without STP content is generic, with it content is relevant and ownable. Chapter 03 · Content Strategy and Positioning

Is the marketing funnel dead?

No, but you should not treat it as literal reality. Real journeys are non-linear - people jump stages, use multiple touchpoints, and roughly 60% of Google searches end without a click, while AI chatbots let buyers skip awareness and consideration. What survives is the funnel as a planning tool: it structures your thinking, defines what each content piece should do, and helps you spot gaps. The exam-safe position is 'the funnel is a flawed map but a useful planning device' - critique it and then use it. Chapter 04 · The Modern Content Funnel and Measurement

What exactly is a content pillar, and what is it not?

A content pillar is a strategic topic territory a brand consistently publishes about, derived from audience jobs, positioning and business goals - one of usually 3-5 areas people would 'miss you for'. It is not a content type (education, entertainment) and not a format (Reels, blogs, video). The distinction matters because pillars organise WHAT you talk about; types and formats are HOW you express it. A brand whose 'pillars' are really formats has no strategic structure - it has a production list. Chapter 05 · Editorial Systems, CMS and Workflow Strategy

What is the difference between an insight, an idea and an execution?

An insight is the real audience truth (a frustration, motivation or misconception); an idea (or angle) is the reframing that makes that truth interesting and gives people a reason to care; an execution is how you deliver it (format, structure, tone). For example: insight 'people feel they're not creative' -> idea 'you don't need to be creative to design something good' -> execution 'before vs after' short videos. Strong content moves insight -> idea -> execution in order; the most common failure is Topic -> Execution, which skips the insight and idea and produces generic content. Chapter 06 · Content Creation I: Ideation and Creativity

Does posting more often build trust?

Only when paired with value. Frequency creates familiarity through the Mere Exposure Effect - people recognise your tone and feel more comfortable with a source they have seen before - and familiarity reduces uncertainty. But frequency alone does not build trust: high frequency with low value gets you ignored or seen as spam, while high frequency with high value builds recognition and trust. Familiarity makes a brand feel known; credibility determines whether it is believed. So consistency matters, but it is a multiplier on value, not a substitute for it. Chapter 07 · Content Creation II: Authority, Trust and Quality

What is the difference between Search and Discovery?

Search is intent-driven and initiated by the user - they have a goal and type a query, so search captures demand that already exists (for example, Googling 'best running shoes for flat feet'). Discovery is algorithm-driven and initiated by the content - a feed surfaces something the user wasn't looking for, so discovery creates or shapes demand (a TikTok that makes you want new shoes). They call for different content: search rewards intent-matched, findable answers; discovery rewards attention-grabbing, shareable pieces. Strong strategies do both, because relying only on search means you only ever meet existing demand. Chapter 08 · Modern Search and Discoverability

What is the difference between distribution and discovery?

Discovery (Week 8) is how audiences passively find content - they stumble on it through search or a feed. Distribution (Week 9) is how brands actively push content out: publishing it across multiple channels, repurposing it into different formats, sequencing it over time rather than posting once, and resurfacing high performers. Discovery creates attention; distribution creates reach and control. The core lesson is that content does not distribute itself - even great content is ignored if it is only published once and never pushed, so distribution determines whether it is seen. Chapter 09 · Distribution, Email Automation and CRM Integration

Should I boost content that isn't performing to give it a chance?

No - this is the single biggest mistake the week warns against. The rule of amplification is that if content isn't resonating organically, paid will only increase its reach, not its effectiveness: you are paying more people to ignore it. Organic performance is your proof of concept, so you amplify content that already generates engagement, saves and shares, and you leave underperformers alone (or fix them organically first). The memorable framing is that paid amplification is a megaphone, not a defibrillator - it makes good content louder, it does not revive weak content. Chapter 10 · Paid Amplification and Performance Integration

What is content decay and why does it happen?

Content decay is the gradual decline in traffic, rankings and engagement that affects almost all published content over time - roughly 82% of high-ranking content starts losing traffic within 12-24 months if it is not maintained. It happens not because the content was poorly made but because the world around it moves on: competitors publish fresher, more comprehensive versions; algorithms shift and reward recency and authority; audience search intent evolves so the same keyword means something new; and statistics and examples age, eroding credibility. The trap is that nothing alerts you, so most brands notice decay only once the damage is significant. Chapter 11 · Optimisation, Governance and Ethics

What is the MKTG90046 exam actually like?

It is a 2-hour closed-book, on-campus digital exam (an LMS Classic Quiz sat through the Lockdown Browser) with 15 minutes of reading time, marked out of 100 and worth 50% of the subject. It has three sections: Section A is four equally-weighted short-answer questions on a single fictional brand, answered as a content-marketing consultant (40 marks); Section B is four creative case-response questions - not equally weighted - on a well-known brand, answered as its content-marketing manager (40 marks); and Section C is three differently-weighted questions on the pre-released seen case study - in a recent offering, a build-to-rent brand launch (20 marks). Confirm the exact date, room and the current Section C case on Canvas and your personal UniMelb exam timetable in the examination period around June. Chapter 12 · Revision and Exam Technique

How to study for the exam

Treat MKTG90046 as one connected system, not twelve separate weeks, and rehearse application every week rather than cramming definitions in SWOTVAC.

Build a single one-page map of the spine - Audience Needs -> Content Assets -> Distribution -> Business Outcomes - and hang each framework off the stage it serves (POEM and the CMI definition at the front; JTBD, STP and personas in strategy; the funnel, content ladder and metrics in measurement; pillars, ideation, source credibility and the ELM in creation; search intent, topic clusters, email/CRM and paid amplification in distribution; decay, refresh/consolidate/retire, governance and ethics at the end).

Because every exam section hands you a brand and asks you to advise, practise the move the paper actually tests: take a real Australian brand, run STP + JTBD, map its funnel, name one strategic gap and pitch one content concept - exactly the individual-audit method.

Drill the small quantitative pieces (CTR, CVR, ROAS, CPA and the 'which post do we amplify?' save/share logic) until they are automatic, since they read cleanly and are easy marks. Rehearse the Section C seen case with the six-step method (category/context -> insight->strategy -> audience -> POEM implementation -> performance vs targets -> transferable lessons) so you are applying, not summarising.

Climb Bloom's ladder in your practice answers - apply/analyse/evaluate against the brand, never just define - and time yourself at roughly 1.2 minutes per mark. When a framework won't click, ask Sia to explain that one step a different way and set you a fresh practice scenario; it teaches the method and checks your reasoning, and it never substitutes for your own graded work.

Confirm the exam date, room and rules on Canvas and the University of Melbourne exam timetable.

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