We are living in a fast-paced society that is shaped by the possibilities and consequences of digitalization while simultaneously facing a set of serious political, environmental, economical and health challenges. Most people know that but what does it actually mean and what does it mean for future consumer behavior? What role does marketing play? And, what role could it play?

In this course, we will take a deep dive into the forces governing contemporary and future consumer needs and desires. We will identify (successful) market responses and we will investigate how these responses relate to the various challenges we face as a society. Together we will develop an overview of contemporary marketing practices and of their broader implications.

After successful completion of this course students:

- have a comprehensive understanding of contemporary societal dynamics  
- understand the dynamic interplay of factors that influence contemporary needs and desires and the resulting complex challenges for marketing practice
- are able to analyse marketing practices in terms of their implications for a range of societal challenges
- are able to conduct effective cross-cultural group work 
- are able to locate relevant academic and practitioner literature, critically review it, and translate it into recommendations for action
- are able to literally visualize the big picture
- are able to condense insights into audiovisual presentations
- are able to translate contemporary news into peeks into the future

This is a highly interactive course. Attendance is thus obligatory. Students are expected to communicate necessary absences, such as due to illness, in advance.

Each session consists of interactive workshops and presentations. While there is a pre-specified framework for how we will approach the topic, the exact contents and foci will be developed jointly with the students. In addition to in-class exercises there will be first-hand experiences and guest talks.

Marks will be awarded for the following components:

20% Visualizing the big picture (individual task)

20% In-class presentation (desire and market response, group task)

30% Insights video (market response and societal challenges, group task)

30% Analyzing the future (individual infograph)

0 - 59 points: failed (5)

60 - 69 points: sufficient (4)

70 - 79 points: satisfactory (3)

80 - 89 points: good (2)

90 - 100 points: excellent (1)

This course is part of the portfolio of elective courses of the Master of Science in Marketing program at WU. The course imparts in-depth knowledge in one or multiple selected specialized fields of marketing. The course builds on a strong foundation in marketing knowledge and skills which students acquire during the first year of WU's MSc Marketing program (this first year comprises 62.5 ECTS credits in total).

For MSc Marketing students, the successful completion of the following courses is a prerequisite for the admission to this elective course:

• Management by Experiments (5 ECTS)
• Marketing Analytics (7.5 ECTS)
• Digital Marketing (5 ECTS)

Additionally, MSc Marketing students are prepared for this elective course by taking courses in the following fields during their first year:

• Global Marketing Strategy (5 ECTS)
• Qualitative Insights (5 ECTS)
• Consumer Psychology (5 ECTS)
• Consumer Value Management (5 ECTS)
• Retailing & Sales (5 ECTS)
• Business Modelling & Innovation (5 ECTS)

Moreover, this elective course builds on 45 ECTS credits in business administration which students had completed in order to be admitted to WU's MSc Marketing program.