This trimester, participants of EADA’s International Master in Marketing took part in one of two Edge Track Specialisations: Data & Insight-Driven Marketing and Multichannel Communication & Sales.
These specialisations take place in the third trimester of the programme –following core courses in marketing strategy and marketing disciplines– and provide insight into a specific area of growth in the field of marketing.
The tracks included several focused courses presented by industry experts with experience in companies such as Google, Saatchi & Saatchi, Pepsico, L’Oréal, Unilever and ISDIN, as well as alumni speakers, role-plays and practical simulations. The practical courses in each track used case studies from real companies like PepsiCo and Deliveroo to offer practical insight with an immediate impact on participants’ next career steps.
Nowadays, ‘Big Data’ is a very hot-topic - to stand out from the crowd, it is very important to understand big data, and develop the programming and analytical skills to use it effectively
Data & Insight-Driven Marketing Track
Each track has its own unique aims designed to prepare participants for a successful career in marketing. In the Data & Insight-Driven Marketing Track, students learn how to respond effectively to the new demands of the market in today’s digitally transforming world through the following courses:
- Insight-Driven Marketing
- Big Data & Marketing Analytics
- Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning
Marketing participant Rose Van Rooijen explains why she opted for this specialisation: “Nowadays, ‘Big Data’ is a very hot-topic – to stand out from the crowd, it is very important to understand big data, and develop the programming and analytical skills to use it effectively. I can now translate data into action and this gives me a competitive advantage over others.”
The track kicked off with the Insight-Driven Marketing course, which challenged participants to a role-play based on product listing. This is the course that Rose enjoyed most. “The course project consisted of analysing data from two multinationals, making predictions and presenting why one of them should list the product,” she explained. “The project reflected what we could deal with in our future careers, and I loved it!”
Participant Laura Pineda agrees with her classmate and adds: “Working with other participants we had never worked with before was an additional challenge”, she says. “I enjoyed the fact that the course was very practical and made us think outside the box and face real professional hurdles”.
Among the most popular aspects of the track was a course dedicated to coding predictive models in “R” and gaining insight into machine learning with the Barcelona Data Institute. This challenging and practical exercise helps participants understand the power of sophisticated analytics. “Now I understand data scientists better and can translate these findings into business,” explains Rose.
Multichannel Communication & Sales Track
The Multichannel Communication & Sales Track is designed to help participants get a step ahead when designing and executing complex multichannel marketing campaigns, with a particular focus on digital channels and e-commerce. This year’s track included the following courses:
- Digital Business Models
- Content Creation and Management
- Building Brands in the Digital Age
- Cases in Multichannel & Omnichannel Marketing
Participants started the track with the Digital Business Models course, which demonstrated how companies use digital tools to analyse the new rules of competition. For participant Scarlett Cessa, the highlight of the track was learning about modern business models. “I now understand the model of current digital businesses such as Deliveroo and TransferWise and I can analyse how they are overcoming the challenges of the digital era,” she says.
Content creation is very important in a world where consumers are the new drivers of brands
During the Content Creation & Management course, participants learned how to plan, execute and effectively measure a content-based marketing and communication strategy. “Students put theory into practice by analysing the blog of Apiumhub, a fast-growing web and mobile app development company, explains professor Ekaterina Novoseltseva. “In the second part of the course, participants created a SEO-friendly article and did the content distribution focusing on off-page SEO.” Ekaterina is the CMO of Apiumhub, and led the class together with B2B Marketing expert Leonard Glab. The articles created by the students can be read here.
For students like Scarlett, content creation is key to successful marketing campaigns. “Content creation is very important in a world where consumers are the new drivers of brands” she says. “Successful cases prove that customer-centred campaigns are the key to success.”
Participants also attended two presentations from EADA alumni, who shared their experience in the field of multichannel communication and sales. Gokhan Sahin (class of 2005), who is currently Strategy Lead EMEA for Google Cloud Services, explained how data and Google Cloud services can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Marketing.
Alumna Dorota Szablisty (class of 2012) joined the students for a 4-day workshop on Building Brands in the Digital Age. Dorota currently works as Digital Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, where she manages global marketing campaigns for P&G brands. During the workshop, participants worked on practical cases of how multinational FMCG brands are using digital marketing, eCommerce and emerging technologies to connect with consumers across multiple channels. “This is the course that I enjoyed the most,” Scarlett says. “We learned how to build and differentiate a brand, combining it with successful case studies and practical exercises”, she affirms.
The track ended with 2-day workshop on Multichannel and Omnichannel campaigns led by Maria Lemonidou, Head of Digital Consumer Marketing at ISDIN who worked through real cases from her career at Unilever and ISDIN.