Guest post from AMA Boston Volunteer Anusha Ramesh Kannan.
When I chose to pursue a master’s degree in Marketing, I thought I would be learning about the
foundations, branding, SEO, SEM, and placements…although these are vital to Marketing, my master’s
degree showed me a different side of Marketing. Here are 5 things I learned from my Marketing Master’s
degree (these are the top 5, there is invariably more)
#1. Customer
“Customer is always right”, is such a widely used phrase but how much do we consider that in reality
while making business decisions? When you take the customer into account not just at the beginning and
the end, but throughout the journey, the chances of your business succeeding might just double, or even
more. The importance of a customer’s journey and experience is not highlighted enough, or even better,
not implemented enough. Customer experience is key to any business because, at the end of the day,
businesses exist to solve people’s problems.
#2. Storytelling
Every person has a story, and so does every brand. Business people always ask themselves ‘How are we
different from other brands in the same Industry?’ the answer to this question will help brands understand
how they must position themselves in the market to their customers, however, sharing that answer with
their customers brings them closer to their ideal clients and creates a relationship. People like to relate
and find instances that feel personal. Businesses create “Buyer Personas”, but creating that is an internal
move, external move is communicating to the clients “We understand your problem, this is how and why
we understand, and this is how we will help solve it”.
#3. Marketing Analytics
In a data-driven world, ignoring the analytical part of Marketing would be like ignoring your allergies, you
have to take into account the various reasons your Marketing efforts are not working or working. Data
gives you that information, and becoming good at interpreting data and converting that into an actionable
strategy is important. Analytics gives you the freedom to create systems that can work for you.
#4. The impact of cultural and societal trends
One marketing campaign may not work globally. What works in the US may not work in Asia or
the UK. Understanding each cultural trend and recognizing the role you (brand or person) have
there is important, because some may not work out the way one would expect. Some brands
work because they are tied to cultural trends, they have a culture for their brand or they support a
particular cause. It is important to recognize and acknowledge that as a brand/company.
#5. Ethics and social responsibility
Many have an impression that Marketing is persuading people to purchase something they do not
want to, but as a Marketer, it is important that one understands that, once again, businesses exist
to solve problems, and customers look for businesses to solve their problems. Therefore, it is
important that marketers take responsibility for any information they share, respect customers’
privacy, support causes, and recognize and implement sustainable practices.
These top 5 key takeaways are very important to any Marketer, and I hope to share more in the
future.
– Anusha Ramesh Kannan, MS in Marketing (May’23) Suffolk University, Sawyer School of
Business.
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