MKT 3150
Principles of Marketing
Marketing is the window to the customer, making the function a critical component of any successful organization. Through a mixture of lectures, case discussions and classroom exercises, this course will give students an overview of the best theories and practices in marketing management today. Specific topics will include: how to segment the customer base and choose target markets, how to create perceived value both from an economic and psychological perspective, how to differentiate a product or service from a competitor's offering, how to build and maintain a strong brand, and how to employ different marketing tools such as advertising, pricing, product design, service, and location. The class will also provide students with some basic tools for evaluating the financial impact of marketing activities.
Instructors
Carol Johanek, Craig Anderson, Cynthia Cryder, Dmitri Kuksov, Fausto Gonzalez, Ivan Lapuka, James Sawhill, Joseph Goodman, Raphael Thomadsen, Samuel Chun, Tat Chan, Yulia Nevskaya, Zijun Tian
Reviews
Overall not an inherently bad professor but grading criteria incredibly unclear and you don't know where you stand until the last second. Grades essentially get distributed by the final which she makes slightly challenging not too bad but most people got Cs or low Bs. Ended with a high 93 still got an A-. Good with emails though.
5/29/2026
Prof is very nice in person and clearly knows her stuff. Very little work throughout the semester besides three group assignments which were straightforward (20% each). Final exam is challenging and you will be unprepared. Also - doesn't curve, and less than 15% get an A. Would NOT recommend if you want to keep your GPA.
5/12/2026
If possible take with a different professor. Lectures are her just at the front reading off slides, despite being participation based it's not engaging whatsoever. TAs often record attendance wrong and skimp out on points. Avoid professor at all costs!!
5/11/2026
One of the best business professors I've had at WashU. Lectures are engaging with midpoint breaks, test are straightforward, and he's pretty funny. Highly recommend!
2/24/2026
Grades are often very delayed with no clear guidelines which set a lot of students back at the very end of the course.
12/22/2025
Just doesn't teach marketing the way it should be taught, almost more of a management class than a marketing class. Also isn't accessible outside of class in the slightest, meaning if you don't pick up on his curriculum naturally you're completely doomed. Steer clear if you're able.
12/9/2025
Very confusing at the beginning, he moves fast and I didnt know where the numbers/margins came from, forcing me to do the cases before class (2hrs). doing that developed my business intuition. After the class, I got so much better at casing, could get exhibits insights quick & landed my internship. Not hard to pass even if u dont participate
11/20/2025
Tian is a perfectly nice person and clearly knows marketing well. For an intro class, there is simply too much focus on textbook ideas and conceptual material (literally infinite marketing models). Class is not engaging, and this feels like a waste for what could be a fun area of study. Even with a participation grade, students are not engaged.
5/14/2025
The class does a great job teaching through engaging discussions and case studies. However, allocating 40% of the grade to participation feels way too much, especially for students who may not feel comfortable speaking up during class. Since grades aren't shared until the semester has already ended, there's no opportunity to adjust or improve.
5/14/2025
Worst prof I've had at WashU. Thought it'd be an easy A, but peer evals dropped my grade a full letter—even though my team didn't mean to. Final exam is on the syllabus but nothing prepares you for it. No quizzes or tests before. Total waste of time and money. Avoid!! Much more interesting profs.
5/12/2025
Grading is unfair—peer evals can tank your grade even if group members didn't mean to. She won't fix it and doesn't seem to care about students. Turned an easy, interesting class into a boring, stressful mess. Worst WashU class. Take another marketing prof (some are good). Tian's class is a waste.
5/12/2025
Nice person and knows what she's talking about but should not be a teacher. Has no idea how to engage students, and cannot teach what she knows. Class is insanely boring. It's basically a study hall. Students interject about nothing bc of the participation requirement. New teacher and you can tell. Worst class at WashU so far. Worst professor too.
5/12/2025
I personally love Johanek. Definitely a character but she has the most brilliant industry insights of any professor at Olin. She will be overjoyed to support you if you show your investment.
4/24/2025
Amazing professor, probably the best professor in the bschool I've had at Olin so far. He is a really kind and understanding guy. Just make sure to go to class and do the homework
1/6/2025
MKT370 with Professor Chun was my favorite Olin class. Each week, we dissected HBS cases across industries, diving deep into real-world problems and thinking critically abt the problems. Over a year later I still apply these learnings, which helped me land a job at MBB. I'm deeply grateful to Professor Chun for his instruction.
12/16/2024
Gonzalez is an easy going professor, and he was always willing to help students. I was genuinely interested in the class, and I'm glad I took MKT370 with him. The exams are easy if you know the basic class concepts.
10/23/2024
2 or less hrs/week
This class is deceptively difficult. There is basically no homework and quizzes until one final exam at the end of the semester. While the content is somewhat interesting, it's a lot of content to study for on top of a very strange final presentation. You also have no clue what your grade is until it's posted at the end of the semester.
5/25/2024
2 or less hrs/week
Great class. Graded almost completely on participation which makes reading and understanding the weekly cases very important. There are also two business simulation assignments that are pretty straightforward that make up the rest of your grade. Overall very easy class that taught me a lot. Professor Chun has a great witty attitude that makes the class engaging while also being very informative. My favorite class at WashU so far.
5/22/2024
2 or less hrs/week
Very manageable. Lectures can be dry but not difficult. Buying the textbook is not necessary because everything you need is on the class slides. Johanek is kind and friendly
5/22/2024
2 or less hrs/week
While this class has almost 0 homework, your grade is only participation and online simulation exams in which you get three attempts to do well on it (and they're SUPER HARD). If you've never taken upper level Olin classes this is a pretty challenging class.
5/18/2024