MKTG3112 Marketing Communications
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · S2 2026MKTG3112 Overview
- University of Sydney
- Semester 2 2026
- Level 3
- Coursework assessment
MKTG3112 Marketing Communications examines how organisations coordinate messages, stories, channels and customer touchpoints to influence awareness, interpretation and action.
- Assessment route Individual campaign evaluation, a group IMC plan and pitch, participation, research contribution and a final individual written task.
- Core method Connect audience evidence to an objective, proposition, creative decision, channel role and evaluation measure.
- Submission focus Make every recommendation traceable, testable and consistent across the plan.
What you get in the full MKTG3112 Study & Assessment Guide
- 6 chapters, 28 pages — every assessed topic, week by week
- 16 original practice questions, each with a model answer
- 6 worked examples, solved the way MKTG3112 marks
- 6 computed figures, redrawn from the course’s own numbers
- Before-you-submit checklist for the Final Individual Assignment Written Task (30%) — what markers reward, what costs marks
Free on this page: assessment table, chapter map, one worked example, key terms, FAQ. The rest is in the full study & assessment guide.
How MKTG3112 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| First Individual Assignment Written task | 20% | Written campaign evaluation in Week 4 |
| Group Presentation: IMC Plan In-class group presentation | 15% | In-class group presentation in Week 11 |
| Group Written Report: IMC Plan Written task | 20% | Group written report in Week 12 |
| Business Research Component (BRC) See notes in the Canvas site for BRC | 2% | Research contribution in Week 12 |
| Final Individual Assignment Written Task | 30% | Individual written task in Week 13 |
| Participation and Engagement Participation and engagement. This will include quizzes, presentation of activities from the tutorials and engagement in debates and discussions | 13% | Weekly contribution |
What other students are asking about MKTG3112
- Where can I find lecture notes or study guides for MKTG3112 at USyd?
- The MKTG3112 study guide in AskSia Library covers Marketing Communications in 6 chapters, with the assessment table, a chapter-by-chapter topic map, key terms and a worked example, free to read on this page.
- Is there a final exam in MKTG3112?
- No final exam is listed in the offering this AskSia Library guide is built from; MKTG3112 is assessed by First Individual Assignment Written task 20%, Group Presentation: IMC Plan In-class group presentation 15%, Group Written Report: IMC Plan Written task 20%, Business Research Component (BRC) See notes in the Canvas site .
- What does MKTG3112 cover on audience insight and consumer decisions?
- In AskSia Library's MKTG3112 guide, the Audience Insight and Consumer Decisions chapter explains decision stages, audience tensions and evidence based segmentation.
- What does MKTG3112 cover on communication process and persuasion?
- In AskSia Library's MKTG3112 guide, the Communication Process and Persuasion chapter explains encoding, decoding, noise, feedback and persuasion depth.
- What does MKTG3112 cover on campaign objectives, agencies and budgets?
- In AskSia Library's MKTG3112 guide, the Campaign Objectives, Agencies and Budgets chapter explains measurable objectives, specialist roles and objective and task budgeting.
What MKTG3112 covers
MKTG3112 develops an integrated campaign from message strategy and audience decisions through communication processes, objectives, creative development and media planning. The current assessment is coursework based, including individual writing, a group IMC plan and pitch, participation and a final individual written task.
IMC Foundations and Message Strategy
Integrated communication, campaign propositions and channel coordinationIntegrated Marketing Communications coordinates specialist tools around one audience experience.
- Marketing communications within promotion
- Coordination across advertising, public relations, sales promotion and digital activity
- Message, story and strategy as different planning decisions
- Strategic consistency versus identical execution
- Campaign logic from problem to response
- Channel hand offs and evaluation
Audience Insight and Consumer Decisions
Decision stages, audience tensions and evidence based segmentationAudience analysis links a decision context to useful communication. This chapter maps need recognition, search, evaluation, purchase and post-purchase reflection, then distinguishes evidence based insight from a broad demographic description.
- Audience relevance and channel fit
- Consumer behaviour and communication
- Decision stages and non-linear journeys
- Context, motivation and barriers
- Generational cohorts as one segmentation lens
- Testable audience tensions
Communication Process and Persuasion
Encoding, decoding, noise, feedback and persuasion depthCommunication passes through source, encoding, message, channel, decoding, response and feedback while noise can disrupt every stage. This chapter uses the process to diagnose meaning gaps and match evidence depth to audience motivation and ability.
- Source and encoding decisions
- Channel conditions
- Receiver decoding
- Noise, response and feedback
- Central and peripheral processing
- Layered persuasion paths
Campaign Objectives, Agencies and Budgets
Measurable objectives, specialist roles and objective and task budgetingCampaign planning converts organisational ambition into communication choices that can be delivered and evaluated. This chapter builds a cascade from problem and objective to audience, proposition, channels, partners, budget and evidence.
- Communication objectives and benchmarks
- Campaign planning as a decision cascade
- Agency and specialist roles
- Affordable and percentage budgets
- Competitive parity
- Objective and task budgeting
Creative Briefs, Appeals and Execution
Divergence, relevance, strategic briefs and channel specific tacticsEffective creativity combines divergence with relevance. This chapter uses the creative brief to translate audience evidence into a proposition, proof, appeal, tone and channel-specific execution that can be judged against the communication problem.
- Creativity as problem solving
- Divergence and relevance
- Creative brief priorities
- Consumer insight and proposition
- Rational and emotional appeals
- Channel specific tactics
Media Planning, Reach and Scheduling
Reach, frequency, channel context and campaign timingMedia strategy selects and schedules channels so a defined audience encounters a suitable message under useful conditions. This chapter distinguishes reach from frequency, compares channel contexts and uses continuous, flighting and pulsing schedules.
- Media planning decisions
- Reach and frequency
- Geographic coverage and continuity
- Broadcast, print and digital contexts
- Continuous and flighting schedules
- Pulsing and measurable hand offs
The supported teaching blocks move from Integrated Marketing Communications and audience decision making through the communication process, campaign objectives and budgets, creative briefs and media strategy. The guide treats each topic as part of one decision chain.
You first diagnose a communication problem and audience tension, then define a response, build a proposition, select proof and appeal, assign channel roles and decide how to evaluate movement. Original cases model the reasoning without reproducing the unit's assessment prompts. The current official outline lists six coursework components that total 100 percent and does not list a final examination.
Because the group IMC plan is expressed through both a written report and a client style presentation, consistent logic across analysis, creative work, media choices and evaluation is central. Use current Canvas task instructions for operational requirements and permitted AI use. The published assessment structure rewards cumulative campaign reasoning.
The first individual task develops critical evaluation, the group work turns analysis into a client ready plan and pitch, and the final individual task asks for renewed judgement. Keep a decision log that records the evidence, alternative considered, recommendation and measure for each major choice. This makes inconsistencies visible before submission and helps the group distinguish a strategic rationale from a preference.
Worked example · free
Diagnose an integrated campaign before recommending more media
- +1Define the communication problem as uncertainty about time, coverage and value, not simply low exposure. The marks shown here are not an official university assessment scheme.
- +1Identify renters who already consider replacement and need credible, low friction repair information.
- +2Use search to answer active questions, social stories to make the benefit vivid and the booking page to repeat proof.
- +2Measure qualified enquiries and completed bookings, then inspect the hand off before buying more reach.
Key terms
- Integrated marketing communications
- Coordinated communication activities that preserve a consistent strategic meaning across different audience touchpoints.
- Audience insight
- An evidence based explanation of a tension, motive or barrier that can guide a communication decision.
- Communication objective
- A defined change in audience awareness, understanding, preference or action that the campaign can plausibly influence.
- Creative brief
- A focused document connecting the communication problem, audience insight, proposition, proof, tone and delivery requirements.
- Divergence
- The originality or unexpectedness that helps creative work attract attention in a cluttered environment.
- Relevance
- The connection between a creative idea and the audience, brand, communication objective and decision context.
- Reach
- The number or proportion of a target audience exposed to a message at least once.
- Frequency
- The average number of message exposures among the audience reached during a defined period.
MKTG3112 FAQ
How is the unit assessed?
The Semester 2 2026 official outline lists six coursework components: individual writing, a group presentation, a group written report, a research contribution, weekly participation and a final individual written task. The numeric weights total 100 percent.
What makes an IMC plan integrated?
An integrated plan gives each channel a distinct job while preserving one audience, objective and strategic proposition. Visual similarity is not enough if later touchpoints contradict the original promise or fail to enable action.
How should I develop an audience insight?
Start with evidence about a decision context, motivation and barrier. Explain the tension that sustains current behaviour, then show how communication could address it without turning a demographic or generational label into a stereotype.
What belongs in a creative brief?
A useful brief identifies the communication problem, primary audience, insight, objective, proposition, reasons to believe, tone, required deliverables, channel conditions, timing and budget. It prioritises decisions instead of collecting every available fact.
How do reach and frequency differ?
Reach describes how many target people encounter the message at least once. Frequency describes how often the reached audience encounters it. The preferred balance depends on the objective, familiarity, complexity, timing and available resources.
Can I use AI in assessment work?
The current official outline marks the assessment rows as AI allowed, but the task instructions define operational use. Follow the current Canvas brief, keep an evidence trail, verify claims and disclose prompts or assistance whenever required.
Questions students ask in each MKTG3112 chapter
- What makes communication genuinely integrated?
- Genuine integration connects different channel jobs to one audience problem, objective and proposition. Assets can look different, but later touchpoints should preserve the promise and help the audience progress. Chapter 01 · IMC Foundations and Message Strategy
- Why map a consumer decision journey?
- The journey shows what task the audience is performing and what uncertainty exists at that moment. It helps the planner choose relevant proof, depth, channel and action. Chapter 02 · Audience Insight and Consumer Decisions
- Why can a popular message still fail?
- Attention or sharing does not prove that people decoded the intended meaning, understood the proposition or moved toward the desired response. Feedback must match the communication objective. Chapter 03 · Communication Process and Persuasion
- Why is a sales target not enough?
- Sales are influenced by product, price, distribution, competition and other conditions. A communication objective identifies the nearer audience response that the campaign is designed to change. Chapter 04 · Campaign Objectives, Agencies and Budgets
- Can a highly original idea still be weak?
- Yes. An idea may attract attention while leaving the brand, proposition or response unclear. Creative effectiveness requires both distinction and a defensible connection to the communication problem. Chapter 05 · Creative Briefs, Appeals and Execution
- Should a campaign always maximise reach?
- No. Broad reach can be useful for awareness, but a smaller qualified audience with adequate frequency may better support comprehension, persuasion or action under limited resources. Chapter 06 · Media Planning, Reach and Scheduling
How to prepare for the assessments
Carry one fictional campaign through all six chapters. Begin with its communication problem and audience tension, then build the objective, proposition, communication path, creative brief and media schedule. After each recommendation, write the evidence that supports it and the result that would make you revise it.
This creates a reusable decision log for the individual campaign evaluation, the group IMC plan and pitch, and the final individual written task. Practise explaining channel roles with verbs such as introduce, clarify, demonstrate, reassure and enable. Before submission, trace every claim and numeral, test the hand offs between touchpoints and confirm current task instructions on Canvas.
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