Digital marketing students go hands-on with company

Hayden Butler, Staff Writer

In many marketing classes, students are given assignments to research, develop and create strategies for companies of their choice. It’s a unique experience for all students involved in those class projects helping them prepare for real-world scenarios. In moments like these, it does help prepare, but some professors here at Assumption, take the real-world experience to the classroom.

More recently, Zachary Daniels, professor of Marketing in the Grenon School of Business, has brought the classroom to the company. Daniels has taken his large network of connections and, for his Digital Analytics class, is having them take on work with Access, a face-to-face marketing company located in Whitinsville, MA.

On January 20th, Daniels took his class to the Access warehouse building itself, where students were given a full building tour of the Whitinsville location. They were given a lot of feedback into what the company does, and how each department works together as a whole. I asked Professor Daniels a few questions about expectations for the semester, here was what he had to say:

HB: What do you expect going into this collaboration with Access?

ZD: “The expectation from our relationship with Access, a face-to-face marketing company that focuses on North America, is to dive into the marketing data that Access is willing to share with the Digital Marketing Analytics class this semester. The collaboration with Access is going to provide students with real data, in real-time, that can be analyzed to find potential opportunities for the business to improve upon.”

HB: What impact do you hope students in class get out of this?

ZD: “The benefits for the students, whom are all completing the Digital Marketing Concentration with this course, is a favorable circumstance to actually see what a potential role in Digital Marketing may entail. The students are afforded the opportunity to implement theories that have been taught through experiential learning. One of many aspects that is very beneficial to students, is being to see, first hand, how well thought out strategies may need to be adjusted per what the data shows the practitioner.”

HB: What do you hope to get out of this for class and the newly established Digital Marketing concentration?

ZD: “I am extremely proud of the first group of seniors that will be graduating with the new Digital Marketing Concentration! These students have set themselves up for success, by obtaining a very unique concentration, that is typically not offered in undergraduate programs. Marketing, in general, has changed dramatically over the past decade, and has been slanted towards digital technologies. Prospective employers are looking for employees who have a strong grasp of social media channels, mobile marketing, digital marketing analytics, and digital marketing strategies. This concentration provides students with experiential learning experiences in each course that prepares students to stand out from their peers, ideally get a job that they will be passionate about, and find rewarding.”

The work ethics of students is crucial to achieving the intended goals for Access and their intended goals for their success.