MKTG 3250 Marketing Strategy Consultancy looked a little different this summer as the course took place completely online. Hear from Summer 2020 graduate Annie Sumcad about her experience. Annie uses many of the same processes from the course in her new career as a Digital Marketing Specialist at Town Square Interactive.
What did you do in MKTG 3250?
"This course taught me how to work with all different kinds of communication styles, develop a research plan, conduct and organize said research, and how to best present that information to a target audience. We conducted our market research project on UNCC's potential degree completion program rather than the typical business-centered projects that are usually assigned to students in this class. Working remotely with our group of 7, we learned how to turn our individual strengths into specialized "departments" for our research. For instance the more gregarious people in the group were in charge of organizing and presenting our research as well as managing the pace of the project, whereas those who preferred the data side of things were able to focus on conducting and compiling our information. Everyone had a part to play, but we were able to accomplish success in our project because of our ability to effectively communicate and optimize our time by relying on our internal strengths and weaknesses."
How did the implications of a global pandemic/remote learning affect how you completed the course?
"As both a capstone course and a traditional in-person class, MKTG 3250 was not designed to be completely virtual and as such presented many issues at first. Among these included internet issues like lag times, lack of class engagement, communication issues, etc. but is also presented many benefits as well. We turned our anxiety (of being all online) into productivity by over-communicating at the beginning of the project. If we hadn't talked every day in the first couple of days, we would have definitely fallen behind. Even though we were only required to meet twice a week, our group would check in every day, even if it was just to get to know one another better."
Best take away from this course?
"The class is a bit different than what I had expected going into it; the power of presentations is that it is a completely subjective tool that has the potential to be the most important component of research. When we had out first initial check-in with Professor Fox, I was really discouraged with her feedback. I thought I had completed everything I was supposed to and organized it the right way in my head. Her feedback showed me that I needed to look past my own perspective. That is a lesson I take with me every day both in my personal and professional relationships."
What advice do you have for future students taking MKTG 3250?
"My best advice is to communicate as much as possible, with your team and with Professor Fox. As simple as it is, listening and speaking with one another is one of the most effective ways to establish the parameters of your group. If we hadn't talked daily to get to know each other, the project would've honestly failed because we would have all tried to accomplish our goals without a plan."
