Abstract:

Professionals in marketing, advertising, and sales are increasingly challenged by the rapid proliferation of technologies purported to transform the planning, process, and operation of their marketing functions. More than 7,000 software services and marketing applications are recorded in North America.

They span 50 areas of technology that focus across six functional themes:
(1) social and relationships,
(2) content and experience,
(3) e-commerce and sales,
(4) advertising and promotion,
(5) data analytics, and
(6) marketing automation.

Marketing professionals at all levels not only rely on adequate technology access for productivity but also have the added responsibility of finding, evaluating, acquiring and implementing new tools from vendors to stay competitive. Some firms even create new leadership positions to manage the expansion and execution of technology-enabled marketing practices.

This study reports on an education effort to prepare marketing students for this technology challenge of the professional world. Modeling the process of the business buying journey, participants with shared career goals form small teams to conduct research and evaluate marketing technologies to address problems in their dream jobs. Each participant's experience is evaluated by survey and each team's performance is assessed with a written report and presentation of recommendations. As similar technology challenges are emerging in different parts of the world such as Europe, Australia, and China, this article provides an example to educators in different countries to adapt to local technology resources and serve local business needs for marketing talent.

Keywords:

Marketing technology, mobile marketing, social media marketing, online marketing, content experience, e-commerce, CRM, data analytics, marketing automation.