D375: Marketing Communications and Storytelling

D375 is in the second term of WGU's Master of Science in Marketing (3 competency units). WGU describes it as the principles of integrated marketing communications (IMC) with an emphasis on storytelling and creativity, to build relationships with an audience.

Digital storytelling uses technology to create a cohesive narrative across platforms that evokes emotion about a brand and can lead to acquisition or conversion. The creative process starts with a SMART objective that drives strategy, creative direction and execution. Learners may also complete the HubSpot Inbound Marketing certification.

What D375 Covers

Key Concepts Explained

SMART Objectives

A campaign objective should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It drives every later decision.

Integration Across Channels

Integration means one core message adapted to each channel, not copying the same post everywhere. Digital and traditional media each play a role in the customer journey.

Story Structure

A useful story has a character the audience recognizes, a problem, a turning point and a resolution that the brand helps deliver. The course asks you to connect the story to the audience's needs and a measurable response.

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

Building a Story That Serves a Campaign

Storytelling in this course is a business tool. The test is whether the story helps a defined audience take a defined action.

• Know the audience: what they care about, fear and want to become.
• Pick one idea: a single clear message is easier to remember and to adapt across channels.
• Use a recognizable structure: situation, tension, resolution, with the brand as a guide rather than the hero.
• Close with an action: every story ends with a clear next step.

Show how the same story adapts to different channels. A long-form video can carry the full arc, a social post a single moment, an email a personal note and a landing page the offer. Describing these adaptations demonstrates the cross-channel integration the second competency asks for.

A One-Page Campaign Plan Template

The second competency requires a cross-channel campaign. A one-page template forces the choices that evaluators look for.

Expand each row in your submission rather than leaving it as a table, but use the template as your skeleton so no element goes missing.

Before You Submit

Read your campaign as if you were the client. Is the objective measurable? Is it clear who the audience is and why this story suits them? Does each channel have a stated job? Are the measures linked to the objective? Finally, check that the tone and message are consistent from the first channel to the last. Inconsistency undermines the idea of integration.

Where Students Get Stuck

• Vague objectives. Make them measurable and dated.
• Channel overload. A few well-justified channels beat a long list.
• Story without strategy. Show how the narrative serves the objective.
• No measures. State what you will track and what success looks like.

Study Tips for D375

• Study campaigns you admire and note objective, audience, story and channels.
• Write the SMART objective before the creative idea.
• Test your core message by saying it in one sentence.
• Check consistency of tone across every channel example.

How We Help with D375

Send the brief, rubric and drafts. A marketing writer can explain IMC and storytelling ideas, review your plan, or prepare a model campaign outline for a comparable brand.

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