A Semester in Reflection

Marketing is a world of its own. Across industries, across countries, and even across states, marketing holds its own unique function and characteristics. 

No strategy will ever stay the same across borders, even if the product or service stays constant. The world of marketing is a world of change - change on a daily basis. 

Over the course of this past semester, we have explored countless companies, products, services, strategies, and outcomes of marketing strategies. What I find most difficult about marketing, is that once again, it is a world of change. What you know consumers want one day may not be the same the next based on macro-factors in the economy.

However, this semester what can be stated for sure, is that we have been able to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the marketing mix and consumer personas (demographics, psychographics, geographic, etc..), among many other strategies. This was tied in through my marketing news presentation discussing how the 4 P's of marketing (product, price, place, promotion) may soon be changing for some companies based on the technological revolution happening in our society today.

At the beginning of the semester, we laid out some of our course objectives...

1. To examine and convey basic and emerging marketing concepts and terminologies;
2. To study and understand the marketing mix, target markets, consumer behavior, service marketing, social media marketing and the strategic and financial implications of marketing decisions on the other functional areas of business;
3. To recognize the importance of the consumer and the vital need for consumer orientation on the part of all employees in all firms and organizations;
4. To explore ethical issues confronting marketing managers;
5. To have the opportunity to put marketing into action via team and individual projects, research, reports and presentations; and
6. To set personal and professional goals and positively contribute in an engaged class.

Another critical component that we explored often were the ethical and environmental consequences of certain decisions. This was tied together well when I went on a tour of the Ben & Jerry's factory a few weeks ago and witnessed first hand their commitment to the environment and social responsibility.  B-Corp's are an area that I would surely like to expand my knowledge of.

I believe that one of the most unique experiences we got through this semester, was actually the ability to market something ourselves for the charity event. This allowed us to tie in everything we have learned and actually put it into practice. From nailing down the actual event we wanted based on what we believed the consumers (our student peers) would like to attend, all the way through posting on social media (digital marketing) and tabling in Alliot to get more awareness for our event.

At the end of this semester, I can truly say that i have been able to gain a deeper understanding, appreciation, and skillset that will benefit me and all companies I come across throughout my life.