I recently started my internship and have found something quite shocking. There seems to be a tremendous amount of importance placed on digital communication and one’s ability to keep up with the latest communication trends can make or break a company. I have learnt that the marketing game has and is continuously changing and there is a great deal of marketing taking place on the internet and more importantly on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
I read an interesting blog this week where the author states that businesses struggle to fill their senior digital marketing positions and that it is the fifth hardest role to fill in Australia. He argues that the landscape has dramatically changed in the way that consumers are reached and businesses have to shift the way in which they market themselves and their products or suffer the consequences. He continues to state that as far as he knows, universities are still teaching the 4P’s. These he argues are out of date and from my limited experience in the ‘real world’ of marketing I would have to agree with him.
I recently completed my degree in commerce with a major in marketing and management and at no time within any of the units of the degree was there any emphasis on the power of social networking and how to best utilise the power of the internet. E marketing and social media marketing should be part of the core curriculum where all marketing students experience and learn how to engage consumers through this highly influential and effective marketing tool. Simply, universities should be required to change just as businesses need to adapt and change. Without this change within the university system there will continue to be a skill shortage in strategic digital marketing and businesses will ultimately suffer.