7B006B - Experiential Marketing and Design 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 7B006B
Module Title: Experiential Marketing and Design
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Fashion, Marketing and Photography
Faculty Sub Group: Marketing
Module Leader: Jackie Harris
Module Team: Sofia Christidi, Callum Evans, Michael Parsons, Alexandra Hollyman
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake: 2031
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 30
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100075 - marketing
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

The main aims of the module are: 

  • To critically examine the role of experiential marketing as a strategic and creative approach to brand communication and engagement in contemporary markets. 

  • To integrate design thinking, sustainability, and digital innovation in the conception and development of hybrid brand experiences. 

  • To enable students to apply advanced theoretical understanding and creative problem-solving to the design, justification, and evaluation of experiential marketing strategies that balance commercial, social, and ethical objectives. 

Content Summary

This module critically explores how marketing strategy and design thinking converge to create meaningful, sustainable, and future-facing brand experiences. Building on students’ prior understanding of audience insight and brand strategy, it examines how experiential marketing transforms abstract brand values into tangible, immersive interactions across physical, digital, and hybrid contexts. 

Students will analyse emerging theories of experience design, sensory engagement, and storytelling, while interrogating the ethical and environmental implications of experience creation in a volatile, technology-driven world. Through live or simulated industry challenges, they will integrate strategic analysis with creative experimentation to design experiences that generate emotional resonance, social value, and commercial impact. 

By the end of the module, students will be equipped to conceptualise and evaluate experiential marketing strategies that reflect critical insight, innovative design practice, and sustainable thinking — preparing them to lead and influence within the evolving global marketing and creative industries. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Guided Study 184
Practical Classes and Workshops 56
Summative Assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically analyse and synthesise theoretical and industry perspectives on experiential marketing, design thinking, and sustainable innovation to inform strategic decision-making.
LO2 Design, justify, and evaluate an original experiential marketing concept or strategy that demonstrates creative integration of brand insight, audience understanding, and ethical responsibility.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio A1: Group Experiential Design Proposal (30%) A2: Individual Critical Reflection (70%) 0 4350 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Portfolio

Reading List

Week 1 – Framing Experiential Marketing in Context 

Essential Reading 

  • Batat, W. (2019) Experiential Marketing: Consumer Behaviour, Customer Experience and the 7Es. London: Routledge. 
    Contemporary and comprehensive framework linking consumer behaviour and experiential strategy; introduces Batat’s 7Es model used throughout the module. 

  • Pine, B. J. and Gilmore, J. H. (2019) The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. 
    Seminal text defining the experience economy and its marketing implications. 

  • Schmitt, B. (2010) Experience Marketing: Concepts, Frameworks and Consumer Insights. Boston: Now Publishers. 
    Establishes theoretical foundations for experiential marketing as strategic brand communication. 

  • Oldenburg, R. (1989) The Great Good Place. New York: Paragon House. 
    Seminal sociological text introducing the “third place” — social environments between home and work. Provides a foundation for understanding how brand experiences create community and belonging. 

 

Supplementary Reading 

  • Carù, A. and Cova, B. (2015) Consuming Experience. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. 

  • Shaw, C. and Ivens, J. (2005) Building Great Customer Experiences. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 

 

 

 

Week 2 – Audience, Empathy and Experience Design Thinking 

 

Essential Reading 

  • Brown, T. (2009) Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation. New York: Harper Business. 

  • Stickdorn, M., Hormess, M. E., Lawrence, A. and Schneider, J. (2018) This Is Service Design Doing. Sebastopol: O’Reilly. 

 

Supplementary Reading 

  • Batat, W. (2019) Experiential Marketing. Ch. on empathy and emotional design. 

  • Pennington, A. (2016) The Customer Experience Book: How to Design, Measure and Improve Customer Experience in Your Business. Harlow: Pearson. 
    Practical industry guide to customer-experience strategy and measurement. 

  • Kalbach, J. (2020) Mapping Experiences. 2nd ed. Sebastopol: O’Reilly. 

  • Norman, D. A. (2013) The Design of Everyday Things. Revised ed. New York: Basic Books. 

 

Week 3 – Hybrid and Immersive Brand Environments 

 

Essential Reading 

  • Smilansky, S. (2018) Experiential Marketing: A Practical Guide to Interactive Brand Experiences. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page. 

  • Batat, W. (2019) Experiential Marketing. Sections on hybrid and digital experiences. 

 

Supplementary Reading 

  • Bonner, C. and O’Neill, S. (2021) ‘Hybrid experiences and the evolution of live events,’ Event Management, 25(4), pp. 391–405. 

  • Soja, E. W. (1996) Thirdspace: Journeys to Los Angeles and Other Real-and-Imagined Places. Oxford: Blackwell. 
    Explores lived and imagined spatial experience — useful for analysing immersive and hybrid brand environments. 

  • Sundar, S. S. (ed.) (2020) The Handbook of the Psychology of Communication Technology. Hoboken: Wiley. 

  • Dredge, S. (2021) ‘The rise of virtual and hybrid events in marketing,’ Campaign Live. Available online. 

 

Week 4 – Sustainability, Ethics and Responsible Experience Design 

 

Essential Reading 

  • Belz, F. M. and Peattie, K. (2012) Sustainability Marketing: A Global Perspective. 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley. 

  • Jones, P. (2014) Design for Care: Innovating Healthcare Experience. New York: Rosenfeld Media. 

 

Supplementary Reading 

  • Bhabha, H. K. (1994) The Location of Culture. London: Routledge. 
    Introduces “Third Space” as a site of cultural hybridity — useful for exploring inclusive, cross-cultural, and ethical experience design. 

  • Batat, W. (2019) Experiential Marketing. Chapter on ethical and sustainable practices. 

  • White, K., Habib, R. and Hardisty, D. J. (2019) ‘How to SHIFT consumer behaviours to be more sustainable,’ Journal of Marketing, 83(3), pp. 22–49. 

  • Thorpe, A. (2011) Design’s Role in Sustainable Consumption. London: Routledge. 

 

Week 5 – Strategic Integration and Brand Consistency 

 

Essential Reading 

  • Hatch, M. J. and Schultz, M. (2008) Taking Brand Initiative. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 

  • Keller, K. L. (2013) Strategic Brand Management. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson. 

 

Supplementary Reading 

  • Pennington, A. (2016) The Customer Experience Book. Harlow: Pearson. Links brand strategy and CX measurement; practical integration resource. 

  • Batat, W. (2019) Experiential Marketing. Chapters on brand identity and experience. 

  • Ind, N. and Bjerke, R. (2007) Branding Governance. Chichester: Wiley. 

  • Prahalad, C. K. and Ramaswamy, V. (2004) The Future of Competition. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 

 

Week 6 – Concept Development and Feedback 

 

Essential Reading 

  • Lockwood, T. (ed.) (2010) Design Thinking: Integrating Innovation, Customer Experience and Brand Value. New York: Allworth Press. 

  • Curedale, R. (2019) Design Thinking Process and Methods Manual. 3rd ed. Topanga: Design Community College Inc. 

 

Supplementary Reading 

  • Sanders, E. B.-N. and Stappers, P. J. (2012) Convivial Toolbox: Generative Research for the Front End of Design. Amsterdam: BIS Publishers. 

 

Week 7 – Reflection and Synthesis (Assessment Week) 

 

Essential Reading 

  • Moon, J. A. (2013) Reflection and Employability: Reflection on Learning and Performance. Abingdon: Routledge. 

  • Schön, D. A. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books. 

 

Supplementary Reading 

  • Bolton, G. (2014) Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development. 4th ed. London: Sage. 

 

Additional Online & Industry Resources 

(Tag as Multimedia / Website / Industry Resource in Talis Aspire)