Marketing Communications Today is a resource for marketing communications
professionals filled with industry research, marketing trends, and career
information about integrated marketing and data-driven communications.
Fueled by the academic innovation coming out of WVU’s own Integrated Marketing
Communications, Data Marketing Communications and Digital Marketing Communications programs, these articles
will provide both aspiring learners and seasoned marketing professionals
with better insights into what’s now and what’s next in marketing and communications.
Josh Wilson is a data-driven marketing executive for community focused financial
institutions. He's currently VP of marketing for Whitefish Credit Union, the
largest credit union in Montana. Josh is passionate about combining data-driven
marketing strategies with authentic content to provide measurable success. Over
his career, Josh has held positions in marketing, finance and government. He
is also a graduate of West Virginia University's
Data Marketing Communications master’s program.
Cyndi Greenglass, a DMC faculty member, spoke with Josh regarding his experience
as a graduate of WVU's Data Marketing Communications graduate program. Here's what
he had to say as he was hosted on the
Reed College of Media's weekly Podcast.
As individuals, we face a deluge of information unprecedented in human history, from
the screens we carry in our pockets to broadcast media, from traditional print
to emerging AI technologies. As marketing communications professionals, we should
be asking ourselves a crucial question: How can we, as professional communicators,
propel our message, reach our target audience, remain relevant,
and experience professional success in a competitive industry like marketing
communications?
Success in today’s fast-moving marketing communications field requires mastering
consistent brand messaging and understanding how to implement data-driven action
plans throughout all facets of a marketing campaign. But not only do you want to
keep up in this field: You want to stay ahead of the competition and become a sought-after
thought leader in your organization and your industry.
A graduate degree that focuses on integrated marketing and data-driven communications
will accelerate you to the top of this high-powered field, prepare you
for success in an array of competitive career environments, and increase your professional
ROI.
The marketing communications industry continues to evolve at lightning speed, and
we — as marketing communications professionals, must be able to adapt and change
with it.
To be successful in the evolving marketing communications industry, marketing managers
must have the skills to create, implement, and examine marketing campaigns using
an integrated, quantifiable methodology. They must have a clear understanding
of how to do so by creating consistent messaging in multichannel communications.
Thanks to media and technology, there are more avenues now than ever to get a message
in front of consumers, but that also muddies the waters as to which avenue is the
best for reaching the desired target audience.
As a marketing communications professional, there are many directions in which you
could take your career. Whether you see yourself pursuing an in-house communications
position or you want more variety — you are determined to establish yourself as
a relevant and respected thought-leader for a competitive agency.
West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media is dedicated to preparing students
for a variety of roles and work environments within the marketing communications
industry. That’s why
we specifically developed the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) graduate
program to equip forward-thinking marketers and communications
professionals with the business acumen, industry knowledge, and skills to implement
real data-driven action plans that today’s marketing agencies are looking
for (and desperately need!).
As a discipline,
Integrated Marketing Communications is a strategic, collaborative, and
promotional business function through which a targeted audience senses consistent,
persuasive, and reinforced brand messaging.
When you woke up this morning, what was the first thing you saw? When you reach for
your clothes to get dressed, or for the ingredients in your fridge to make dinner,
or when you search for something on Google for work — what brands are you exposed
to, even unconsciously?
The average American is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 advertisements every
single day. Now, if you asked anyone how many they recall seeing, it would be nowhere
near that number. In fact,
one marketing firm found that less than 100 advertisements make it past
our “attention wall” per day.
West Virginia University’s Master of Science in
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) features a network of 1,500+
alumni, current students, and faculty. For IMC students, WVU's support system
begins on day-one and continues as long as you let it. As the saying goes,
“Once a Mountaineer, Always a Mountaineer,”
One IMC alum, Lindsay Emery, shares her takeaways and feedback for current students
and prospective students of the IMC program alike. Lindsay now uses the skills
and knowledge she gained while enrolled in the IMC program in New York City where
she runs the marketing department for TTC Group, a social impact consulting firm.