Canadian Marketing Blog

Teaching Marketing Is Getting Tougher And Tougher

I'm pretty certain people like Professor Kenneth Wong will have their say, but the more time I spend with University students, the more concerned I am about the health of Marketing education.

There's no denying that young people today live in a world where wikis, YouTube, Facebook and text messaging are as prevalent in their lives as electricity was in ours. Take a look at the recent news item where a student at Ryerson University faces expulsion for using a Facebook Group to enable a virtual study group for a chemistry class (which the university saw as cheating) - Globe And Mail - Ryerson Student Cheered At Expulsion Hearing. Companies are going to be facing some serious challenges as the students become the workforce of the future.

On one side, it's challenging to have classes at the University level on topics like Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Web Analytics, Email Marketing and Digital Media buying, because there are few teachers available with the knowledge and insight... and even fewer approved textbooks. It's an area of study that is truly organic - constantly changing and evolving. Even some of the best Marketing companies out there still struggle with these competencies as agencies scramble to build them as centres of excellence within their own organization.

Strangely enough, on the other side, most students studying Marketing and Advertising at the University level are lured to the more traditional marketing agencies (working creative for 30-second spots, etc...).

Where's the disconnect?

Is Digital Marketing still not a large enough segment of the Marketing pie to get the attention? Is it a lack of education? Or, do young people not see the opportunity going forward as more and more ad dollars shift into the Digital side?

Whatever the answer - and, my guess is it's a combination of all three, the shift is happening.

While Marketing is never recession proof (usually the exact opposite), when dollars do get pulled, it's looking like they are getting shifted to cheaper and more strategic channels (like Search Engine Marketing and Email programs) than being entirely yanked from the Marketing line of business.

Bottom line, we need more Marketers understanding the Digital side of advertising. And, if you don't believe me (after all, I'm heavily vested in this area), just take a look at the statistics.

Mitch,

I'm not sure I agree with your statement that "...when dollars do get pulled, it's looking like they are getting shifted to cheaper and more strategic channels like Search Engine Marketing and Email programs..." My experience has been that, in a crunch, marketers run back to what they've always known, and steer away from newer, "riskier" efforts like search or email, let alone social media. I know it sounds odd to you and I that search and email are considered new and scary, but there are lots of people out there who still think print and radio are the safe havens of marketing and, faced with a crunch, will scale back everything but those.

I agree with the general thrust of your post, though. Academia's behind on this, and it's doing students a disservice.

I'm a third year student at HEC Montreal and I can only agree with you. Three years ago, when I started my bachelor, I knew I wanted to do an Internet marketing career, but it has no appropriate classes, so I also did a certificate in e-commerce. Now that I almost finish both of my degree I realise that most of the things I know on Internet marketing, I learned it on blogs and websites. Sure, university teach me a way of thinking, but why sould I pay for more inappropriate classes?

Thanks for comments.

Dan, your thoughts seem contrary to what we're seeing in the news.

Look at this news item from MarketingVox called, SEM Spend to Grow as Marketers Shift Budgets amid Economic Concerns.

Specifically this quote:

"The spending statistics show search engine marketing continues to prove its worth in the larger marketing arena. However, in light of the concerns about the overall economy, it's important to note some of this spending is the result of shifting marketing dollars from other offline and online marketing endeavors," said Jeffrey Pruitt, SEMPO president, and EVP of corporate partnerships at iCrossing.

You can read the full news item here:

http://www.marketingvox.com/sem-spend-to-grow-as-marketers-shift-budgets-amid-economic-concerns-037409/?camp=newsletter&src=mv&type=textlink

Mitch,

I agree with you 100%. We need more education in online marketing. I'm a student at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University in Montreal and even though my professors have preached about the online craze, I'm still unsatiated with the amount of information I get on this topic.

Wouldn't this be a great opportunity for local marketing associations to create certificates or independent courses available to anyone who seeks this information, whether you're a university student or if you've been working in advertising for 10 years?