Strategic Marketing Management Training Course

Duration 10 days 18 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Marketing Directors, Senior Marketing Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-M-056

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience in marketing, product management, sales, commercial planning or customer experience, normally gained through at least three years in a professional role.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Senior marketers are expected to turn corporate growth ambitions into choices about markets, customers, brands, products, pricing, channels and investment. This requires more than campaign management. They must assess market attractiveness, identify profitable segments, define defensible positioning, build commercial cases and show how marketing activity contributes to revenue, margin, retention and customer lifetime value. The challenge is especially acute where budgets are contested, buying journeys involve multiple stakeholders and competitors can quickly copy visible communications.

This advanced course develops the strategic and analytical disciplines needed to lead marketing decisions. Participants work through market diagnosis, customer insight, segmentation, targeting and positioning, value proposition development, brand architecture, portfolio management, pricing, route-to-market design, integrated communications and digital performance. They also address customer experience, sales alignment, marketing governance, budgeting, attribution and return on marketing investment. The course connects strategic frameworks with the financial, operational and customer evidence required for executive decisions.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings, sector-based cases, group analysis, simulations and structured application to participants' own commercial context. Participants progressively assemble the elements of a marketing strategy during the first week, then deepen the financial, channel, customer experience and measurement components during the second. They leave with a completed strategic marketing plan, supported by market analysis, segment choices, positioning, commercial assumptions, implementation priorities and performance measures. The course is delivered over 10 days in classroom settings across 50+ cities or live online. Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides approximately 6.5 contact hours. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose market attractiveness using PESTLE, Five Forces, market sizing and scenarios
  • Design customer research briefs and convert evidence into actionable market insight
  • Select priority segments using attractiveness, capability, profitability and competitive criteria
  • Create positioning statements and value propositions supported by credible customer evidence
  • Develop portfolio, pricing and route-to-market choices linked to commercial objectives
  • Build integrated marketing plans with budgets, ownership, milestones and campaign measures
  • Evaluate marketing performance using KPI trees, attribution, ROMI and test-and-learn methods
  • Present an executive-ready strategic marketing plan with justified recommendations and trade-offs

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Stronger credibility in executive discussions on growth, investment and market priorities
  • A repeatable method for building evidence-based marketing strategies
  • Clearer ability to defend pricing, positioning and budget recommendations
  • Practical experience connecting marketing activity to revenue, margin and retention
  • A completed strategic marketing plan applicable to a current business challenge

For your organisation

  • More disciplined allocation of marketing budget across segments, channels and initiatives
  • Clearer connections between corporate strategy, marketing plans and commercial targets
  • Better customer propositions supported by research, evidence and competitive analysis
  • Improved sales and marketing coordination across leads, accounts and customer journeys
  • More reliable marketing reporting using outcome measures rather than activity counts

Course modules

18 modules over 10 days

Participants can connect marketing strategy to corporate growth, customer value and commercial performance.

  • Marketing's role in corporate strategy, growth choices and value creation
  • Corporate objectives translated into marketing objectives, KPIs and decision rights
  • Market orientation, customer value and shareholder value reconciled in planning
  • Marketing operating models: centralised, decentralised and hybrid accountability structures
  • Board-level marketing questions: growth, margin, risk and capital allocation
  • Diagnosing commercial performance through revenue, retention, margin and market-share drivers

Participants can assess market attractiveness and identify strategic implications from external evidence.

  • PESTLE signals distinguished from immediate market forces and internal constraints
  • Porter's Five Forces assesses attractiveness, power and profit-pool pressure
  • Market definition using customer needs, substitutes, geography and channel boundaries
  • Size TAM, SAM and SOM with transparent assumptions and data sources
  • Trend scenarios test demand uncertainty, regulation, technology and competitor responses
  • Strategic implications prioritised through impact, likelihood, timing and controllability

Participants can specify research that answers strategic marketing decisions and produces usable insight.

  • Research brief specifies decision, hypotheses, population, method, budget and timing
  • Qualitative interviews uncover jobs, anxieties, language and unmet needs
  • Survey design controls sampling error, bias, question order and response quality
  • Conjoint analysis estimates attribute trade-offs and willingness to pay
  • Customer data triangulated across CRM, web analytics, service records and sales notes
  • Insight statements separate observations, interpretations, implications and recommended action

Participants can select priority customer segments and define a focused market position.

  • Segmentation bases combine needs, value, behaviour, attitudes and profitability
  • Cluster outputs validated for stability, reachability, distinctiveness and commercial usefulness
  • Segment attractiveness scored by size, growth, margin, access and strategic fit
  • Target-market selection balances opportunity, capability, risk and competitive intensity
  • Personas document buying triggers, barriers, stakeholders and preferred information sources
  • Positioning statement defines audience, frame, difference, reason-to-believe and desired response

Participants can develop customer propositions and messages supported by relevant proof.

  • Jobs-to-be-Done identifies functional, emotional and social progress sought
  • Value proposition canvas connects customer pains, gains and product evidence
  • Points of parity and difference sharpen category legitimacy and preference
  • Message architecture links promise, proof, support points and objection handling
  • Claims substantiation protects against misleading advertising and reputational damage
  • Test positioning alternatives with concept screens, interviews and choice experiments

Participants can make brand architecture and governance decisions that support strategic positioning.

  • Brand purpose, vision and values translated into behavioural commitments
  • Brand architecture decisions cover corporate, endorsed, sub-brand and house-of-brands models
  • Brand identity systems align name, symbols, voice, experience and associations
  • Brand equity tracked through salience, meaning, response and relationship measures
  • Distinctive assets audited for recognition, consistency, ownership and competitive separation
  • Brand governance assigns approvals, standards, exceptions and local adaptation rules

Participants can analyse competitive threats and prepare evidence-based strategic responses.

  • Competitor intelligence profiles strategy, capabilities, economics, signals and likely moves
  • Strategic groups map direct rivals, substitutes and disruptive business models
  • Win-loss analysis identifies decision criteria, perceived gaps and sales-stage failures
  • Competitive response options tested for customer impact, cost and retaliation
  • Scenario planning prepares actions for price attacks, entrants and channel disruption
  • Battlecards define approved comparisons, evidence sources and escalation boundaries

Participants can prioritise products, services and innovation investments within a coherent portfolio.

  • Portfolio roles distinguish core, growth, incubator and retirement offerings
  • BCG matrix limitations corrected with margin, cash, capability and strategic-fit data
  • Ansoff choices compare penetration, development, product development and diversification risks
  • Product lifecycle decisions align investment levels, innovation and customer migration
  • Cannibalisation analysis estimates incremental demand, margin transfer and channel conflict
  • Innovation roadmaps sequence concepts, validation gates, launch resources and ownership

Participants can design pricing decisions based on value, economics, customer response and governance.

  • Price architecture separates list price, realised price, discounts and allowances
  • Value-based pricing quantifies economic value, alternatives and switching costs
  • Price elasticity estimation uses transaction data, tests and competitor movements
  • Conjoint-based price research identifies acceptable ranges and feature-price trade-offs
  • Pricing corridors define floors, targets, ceilings and approval thresholds
  • Price-change communication anticipates objections, contracts, sales enablement and retention risk

Participants can select and manage routes to market that balance reach, economics and control.

  • Route-to-market design selects direct, distributor, partner, retail and digital paths
  • Channel economics calculates margin pools, service costs, inventory and working capital
  • Partner segmentation differentiates coverage, capability, influence and growth potential
  • Trade terms govern rebates, exclusivity, returns, payment and promotional funding
  • Channel conflict managed through account rules, territory design and incentive alignment
  • Omnichannel journeys connect research, purchase, fulfilment, service and repurchase touchpoints

Participants can construct an integrated marketing plan from strategic choices through implementation priorities.

  • Marketing objectives written as measurable outcomes with baselines, targets and dates
  • Growth strategy converts segment choices into revenue, volume and margin assumptions
  • RACE planning structures reach, act, convert and engage activities
  • Integrated campaigns coordinate paid, owned, earned and partner communications
  • Marketing calendars sequence launches, campaigns, events, content and sales moments
  • Budget phasing aligns spend, capacity, procurement lead times and expected returns

Participants can plan communications that link audience response to commercial and brand objectives.

  • Communication objectives distinguish awareness, understanding, preference, action and loyalty
  • Creative brief defines audience tension, proposition, evidence, tone and mandatory elements
  • Media planning balances reach, frequency, context, attention and cost efficiency
  • Content strategy maps formats to questions, stages and distribution channels
  • Campaign measurement links exposure, response, conversion and incremental commercial outcomes
  • Agency governance covers scope, briefing, approvals, usage rights and performance reviews

Participants can manage digital demand generation and conversion using measurable customer journey evidence.

  • Digital funnel metrics diagnose acquisition, activation, conversion, retention and referral
  • Search strategy integrates keyword intent, technical hygiene, content and paid bidding
  • Email programmes use consent, segmentation, triggers, testing and deliverability controls
  • Web conversion optimisation applies journey analysis, hypotheses, A/B tests and learning logs
  • Marketing automation rules coordinate scoring, nurturing, handover and suppression logic
  • Privacy-by-design addresses consent, purpose limitation, retention and access controls

Participants can improve customer journeys, retention priorities and feedback-driven service performance.

  • Journey maps expose moments of truth, friction, emotion and ownership gaps
  • Service blueprinting connects customer actions, frontstage tasks, backstage processes and systems
  • Voice-of-customer programmes combine NPS, complaints, interviews and behavioural signals
  • Customer lifetime value estimates contribution, retention, frequency and acquisition investment
  • Retention strategies address onboarding, adoption, renewal risk and cross-sell timing
  • Closed-loop feedback assigns recovery actions, root-cause analysis and executive reporting

Participants can align marketing, sales and account teams around shared commercial outcomes.

  • Marketing-sales service-level agreements define leads, acceptance, follow-up and feedback
  • Account-based marketing selects accounts, buying groups, insights and coordinated plays
  • Lead scoring combines fit, intent, engagement and sales readiness signals
  • Sales enablement packages messaging, proof, objections, tools and training
  • Pipeline conversion analysis locates stage leakage, cycle delays and source quality
  • Revenue operations governance aligns definitions, dashboards, handoffs and forecast accountability

Participants can measure marketing contribution and make investment recommendations using appropriate evidence.

  • Marketing dashboards distinguish leading indicators, outcomes, diagnostics and guardrails
  • KPI trees connect activity metrics to revenue, margin and strategic objectives
  • Attribution models compare first-touch, last-touch, multi-touch and incrementality evidence
  • Marketing-mix modelling estimates channel contribution under historical data constraints
  • ROMI calculations state investment, incremental profit, assumptions and confidence ranges
  • Test-and-learn backlogs prioritise hypotheses by value, feasibility and measurement quality

Participants can govern marketing investments and present financially credible recommendations to senior leaders.

  • Annual planning integrates strategic choices, operating plans, budgets and governance
  • Zero-based budgeting challenges inherited spend, activities, costs and expected value
  • Business cases quantify revenue, margin, cash flow, risk and implementation requirements
  • Resource allocation ranks initiatives using strategic fit, return, urgency and capacity
  • Marketing controls monitor spend, commitments, supplier performance and benefit realisation
  • Executive presentations communicate choices, trade-offs, evidence, recommendations and decisions required

Participants can build, review and present a complete strategic marketing plan for a defined commercial opportunity.

  • Capstone brief defines growth objective, decision context, constraints and evaluation criteria
  • Market diagnosis synthesises evidence on demand, customers, competitors and capabilities
  • Chosen segments, positioning and value proposition form a coherent strategic platform
  • Portfolio, pricing, channels and communications become an integrated market plan
  • Budget, forecast, milestones, owners and KPIs establish delivery control
  • Peer review tests assumptions, logic, evidence and implementation feasibility
  • Executive presentation defends recommendations, trade-offs, risks and next decisions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Strategic marketing plan template
  2. Market attractiveness and competitor analysis
  3. Segment attractiveness scorecard
  4. Positioning statement and value proposition model
  5. Marketing budget and ROMI calculator
  6. Marketing KPI dashboard specification

Who should attend

  • Marketing Directors — responsible for growth strategy, investment choices and marketing performance
  • Senior Marketing Managers — translating corporate priorities into market and brand plans
  • Product Marketing Managers — defining segments, propositions, launches and commercial adoption
  • Brand Managers — strengthening brand equity while proving commercial contribution
  • Commercial and Sales Leaders — aligning market strategy, demand generation and route-to-market choices
  • Business Unit Leaders — making customer, portfolio and investment decisions with marketing implications

Skills and tools covered

Market opportunity assessmentCustomer segmentationStrategic positioningValue-based pricingMarketing performance measurementCommercial planning

Tools and standards

PESTLE analysis, Porter's Five Forces, STP framework, RACE Planning Framework

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce methods, followed by case analysis, group discussions, commercial simulations and structured planning work. Participants apply market, customer, brand and financial tools to realistic situations such as a bank launching a digital service, a manufacturer redesigning distributor coverage or an NGO improving programme adoption. Facilitated review sessions test assumptions, surface trade-offs and strengthen decision logic. Individual application planning helps participants transfer the methods to their own market, product, brand or customer challenge.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience in marketing, product management, sales, commercial planning or customer experience, normally gained through at least three years in a professional role. They should be familiar with basic marketing terms such as customer segments, campaigns, brands, channels and revenue targets. Confidence interpreting straightforward commercial data, including sales figures, budgets and conversion rates, is helpful. Prior study of advanced marketing theory, statistics, finance, digital analytics or specialist software is not required. The course does not assume experience of a particular sector or marketing technology platform.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should already work in marketing, product, sales, commercial planning or customer experience and understand basic marketing terminology. The course builds advanced strategic capability; it is not an introduction to marketing principles.

Bring a current market, product, brand, customer or growth challenge if you can share it without disclosing sensitive information. A laptop is useful for planning work, although course materials and templates are provided.

It is designed for experienced marketing and commercial professionals who influence market strategy, customer propositions, portfolios, pricing, channels or marketing investment. It also suits business unit leaders who need stronger marketing decision-making skills.

Digital marketing and brand management are included as parts of the wider strategic agenda. This course focuses on making connected choices across markets, customers, propositions, portfolio, pricing, channels, investment and performance measurement.

Participants use planning tools that can be applied to live commercial priorities, including market analysis, segmentation, positioning, budget decisions and KPI design. The final capstone plan can be structured around a current business opportunity where appropriate.

The first week establishes market diagnosis, customer strategy, brand, portfolio, pricing and channel choices. The second week develops implementation, communications, digital activity, customer experience, sales alignment, measurement, governance and the final strategic marketing plan presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.