MBA

Marketing has always been a complex subject for me. For years, I thought the marketing world contained nothing but people who were hellbent on selling you something. In fact, I had a friend tell me once that marketing is "me telling you the time with your watch." When I went back to school and studied multimedia marketing, I realized there was more to it than just selling. There is research, data crunching, analytics, and statistics, stuff that I love. In 2005, I became part of a marketing team for a company that sells a very complex and unique product. 

We sell solutions, which means people come to us for a specific purpose. But how do you reach those people that don't know us? What or who exactly is the target audience? What kind of integrated marketing communication can you use for something that just a select few really need? In this case, we needed influencers. Folks who can influence the purchasing department and procurement teams to buy the product. So, in essence, you market to the influencers in hopes that they have enough say to convince their procurement team to buy our product. It’s a complicated process that requires consistency in brand recognition. Or, as my SVP of Sales says, the drip, drip, drip process. Dripping little bits of information each month to stay relevant.

In the fall of 2019, I took the leap and decided to return to school and get my Master’s of Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing. Two terms in, I have a 4.0, and I love it. I will be finished in exactly one year. I know the classes will get harder, and I have heard some are absolutely beastly. But in the end, the complexity of marketing won’t be so complex. I believe the financial side and the economics will be easy to understand and articulate. Right now, I can create anything and everything multimedia related. I can dive into analytics and data mine with the best of them. I am good with three of the four Ps. I would love to be able to forecast and budget. By 2021, I should.