Inhalt

Abstract:

This course provides an introduction to key marketing fundamentals from the perspective of start-ups. It focuses on the characteristics that are specific to start-ups, the development of market-oriented strategies and the efficient use of limited resources. Topics covered include market segmentation, brand positioning, pricing, and sales and communication strategies. The course aims to provide students with a practical understanding of strategic and operational marketing in dynamic start-up contexts.

Gliederung:

Chapter 1: Marketing for start-ups - an introduction
1.1 Overview of start-up types and business models
1.2 Special features of start-ups
1.3 Key challenges for start-ups
1.4 Overview of key marketing approaches for start-ups

Chapter 2: Marketing organization in start-ups
2.1 Organizational anchoring of the marketing function in start-ups
2.2 Development of market and customer orientation in start-ups
2.3 Marketing with limited resources: How start-ups achieve maximum impact
2.4 Case studies & best practices

Chapter 3: Essential market strategies for start-ups
3.1 Segmentation strategies: “Who are we ultimately doing this for?”
3.2 Positioning: ‘Why us – and not the others?”
3.3 Growth strategies: ’How do we get from 10 to 10,000 customers?”
3.4 Overview of strategy types

Chapter 4: Product management for start-ups
4.1 Introduction to product management
4.2 Phases of product management
4.3 Brand management

Chapter 5: Price management for start-ups
5.1 Introduction to price management
5.2 Behavioral pricing theory
5.3 Selected pricing strategies: Case studies

Chapter 6: Communication management for start-ups
6.1 Introduction to communication management for start-ups
6.2 Selected communication tools
6.3 Monitoring communication measures

Chapter 7: Sales management for start-ups
7.1 Online sales channels for start-ups
7.2 Performance marketing and data-driven scaling
7.3 Offline sales channels for start-ups

Detaillierter Inhalt:

Spread over seven chapters, this course provides a comprehensive overview of the key marketing issues in a start-up context. You will learn about the fundamentals of market and customer orientation, product, pricing and communication strategies, and specific distribution channels. Upon successfully completing the course, you will have gained a variety of perspectives on the topic, including theoretical, application-oriented and practical insights, as well as numerous examples of real founder stories and best practices. This will enable you to better understand the typical challenges and decisions faced by young companies, and help you to develop or critically reflect on your own marketing strategies for start-ups. We wish you every success and enjoyment in completing the course!

Chapter 1: Marketing for start-ups - an introduction
This chapter provides the basis for understanding marketing in the start-up world. It provides an overview of the various types of start-up and business model, identifies the typical characteristics of young companies and pinpoints the key challenges they face in their early stages. Finally, it presents marketing approaches that are particularly relevant for start-ups.

Chapter 2: Marketing organization in start-ups
This chapter focuses on the role of marketing within the organisational structure of start-ups. Topics include anchoring the marketing function internally, developing a customer- and market-oriented attitude, and making effective use of limited resources. Case studies are used to analyse practical examples and best practices.

Chapter 3: Essential market strategies for start-ups
Chapter 3 focuses on market-oriented strategies for systematically developing start-ups. Students will learn how to effectively segment target groups, efficiently position products, and plan growth strategies. Finally, the different types of strategy are classified.

Chapter 4: Product management for start-ups
This chapter provides an introduction to product management, focusing on start-ups. It covers the key phases of product development, from conception to market readiness, and explores the importance of brand building and management throughout this process. Particular attention is given to agile and customer-centric methods.

Chapter 5: Price management for start-ups
This chapter deals with pricing in young companies. As well as classic pricing strategies, it covers the fundamentals of behavioural economics and how customers perceive prices. Concrete case studies illustrate how start-ups can implement their pricing strategy in practice.

Chapter 6: Communication management for start-ups
This chapter focuses on effective communication on a limited budget. Students learn about traditional and digital communication tools, such as social media, viral marketing and PR. They also learn how to plan, implement and monitor communication measures.

Chapter 7: Sales management for start-ups
This final chapter highlights various sales channels and strategies. It demonstrates how start-ups can quickly increase their reach through online channels, performance marketing and data-driven scaling, while also exploring the ongoing importance of traditional offline sales channels. Particular emphasis is placed on combining both approaches.

Lern-/Qualifikationsziele:

• Understanding the fundamental concepts and challenges of marketing in the early stages of a company (i.e. a start-up).
• Applying key marketing tools (e.g. segmentation, positioning, pricing and communication) to typical situations and issues faced by start-ups.
• Developing strategic and operational marketing concepts while taking into account limited resources and high uncertainty.
• Ability to independently analyse start-up business models and critically reflect on market strategies and organisational approaches.
• Strengthening self-competence through independent work on interactive learning content and application scenarios in the digital classroom.
• Promotion of social skills, especially communication and cooperation, through collaboration in group portions of the portfolio review.
• Transferability is promoted through the development of practical solutions for real and fictional start-up cases (including video assignments and case studies).
• Critically question established marketing logic and identify alternative approaches in the context of entrepreneurial innovation.
  
  

Lehrveranstaltungstyp:

Virtuelle Vorlesung

Interaktionsformen mit Betreuer/in:

E-Mail, Video-/Webkonferenz

Interaktionsformen mit Mitlernenden:

Chat, Gemeinsame Aufgabenbearbeitung, Video-/Webkonferenz, Forum, E-Mail

Kursdemo:

zur Kursdemo

Nutzung

Kurs ist konzipiert für:

Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg:

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Bachelor)
• Wirtschaftsinformatik (Bachelor)
• Digital Business & Data Science (Bachelor)
  
  

Technische Hochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt:

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Bachelor)
  
  

Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg:

• Betriebswirtschaftslehre (Bachelor)
  
  

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg:

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Bachelor)
  
  

Formale Voraussetzungen:

Course enrolment via the Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern (vhb)

Erforderliche Vorkenntnisse:

none

Hinweise zur Nutzung:

-

Kursumsetzung (verwendete Medien):

To promote learning success, the course uses a variety of media-based teaching methods. Numerous embedded videos, including interviews with founders, case studies and company profiles, illustrate key content using real-life examples of start-ups (such as Canva, Airbnb, HelloFresh and Snocks). Additionally, interactive H5P elements, such as drag-and-drop exercises, crossword puzzles and open-ended tasks, encourage active engagement with the topics, supporting repetition and application in self-study.

Erforderliche Technik:

-

Nutzungsentgelte:

für andere Personen als (reguläre) Studenten der vhb Trägerhochschulen nach Maßgabe der Benutzungs- und Entgeltordnung der vhb

Rechte hinsichtlich des Kursmaterials:

-

Verantwortlich

Anbieterhochschule:

Uni Würzburg

Anbieter:

Prof. Dr. Jana-Kristin Prigge

Autoren:

Jana-Kristin Prigge

Betreuer:

Steven Schwehm

Prüfung

Three-part portfolio assessment

Art der Prüfung:

Studienarbeit

Bemerkung:

Three-part portfolio assessment:
1) Development of a market and brand positioning strategy and a pricing strategy (individual assignment) (40% of the overall grade)
2) Development of a communication and sales concept (group assignment) (40% of the overall grade)
3) Development of a fictional video interview with a founder (20% of the total grade)

Prüfer:

Prof. Dr. Jana-Kristin Prigge

Prüfungsanmeldung erforderlich:

ja

Anmeldeverfahren:

Die Anmeldung zur Prüfung erfolgt über das vhb-Portal.

Prüfungsanmeldefrist:

01.10.2025 00:00 Uhr bis 31.10.2025 23:59 Uhr

Prüfungsabmeldefrist:

01.10.2025 00:00 Uhr bis 31.10.2025 23:59 Uhr

Kapazität:

–

Prüfungsdatum:

–

Prüfungszeitraum:

–

Prüfungsdauer:

–

Prüfungsort:

online

Zuständiges Prüfungsamt:

Examination office of the students' home university

Zugelassene Hilfsmittel:

–

Formale Voraussetzungen für die Prüfungsteilnahme:

Registration for both the course and the exam via the vhb portal

Inhaltliche Voraussetzungen für die Prüfungsteilnahme:

Course content

Zertifikat:

Ja (graded certificate)

Anerkennung:

–