In this provocative episode, database management expert Theresa Kushner explains why she believes that the marketing profession as we know it today is obsolete. What does this mean for the future of the marketing discipline, and for organizations as a whole? Listen here to find out.
Three takeaways:
- We need to encourage, as educators, students to get a broad and a liberal arts educational base before or concurrently with their marketing education. They need to be grounded in business fundamentals and understanding how to measure and communicate the value of your discipline in an organization so that you can get a seat at the table in the future.
- AI has the potential to be like fire in setting the direction of mankind. It will become an institution in itself that becomes part of our fabric of our society, and with that many implications to go along with that.
- Marketing has already had such a big impact on the firm and the company today that marketing has already been diffused throughout the various functions in the firm and the marketing function and people in it can take considerable satisfaction that they will be listened to and that everyone is pulling with the same or much more than they were in the past.
Read Theresa’s article “The Marketing Database is Dead, So, Now What?” to learn more.
About our Guest
Theresa Kushner turned her master’s degree in journalism from UNT into a career
in high technology. For over 25 years she has led companies – like IBM, Cisco Systems,
VMware, Dell/EMC, and NTT DATA – in recognizing, managing, and using the information
or data that has exploded exponentially. Using her expertise in journalism, she
co-authored two books on data and its use in business: Managing Your Business Data:
From Chaos to Confidence (with Maria Villar) and B2B Data-Driven Marketing: Sources,
Uses, Results (with Ruth Stevens). Today, as the “Data as an Asset” lead for NTT
DATA, Theresa continues to help companies gain value from data and information.
For her efforts in leading analytics, Theresa was inaugurated into the Analytics
Hall of Fame at Pace University in New York in March 2019. She currently serves
as an AI/Analytics consultant in the Data & Intelligent Automation group with
NTT DATA.
Meet the Hosts
Cyndi W. Greenglass is a founding partner and president at Livingston Strategies, a data-informed, strategic consulting firm that helps clients develop, execute, and measure their customer communications with a close focus on results. Cyndi has razor-sharp strategic skills matched by impeccable on-the-ground savvy and tactical abilities. She is an Adjunct Instructor in the Data Marketing Communications online master's degree program from West Virginia University.
Greenglass has twice been named into the Top 100 Influential BTB Marketers by Crain’s BtoB Magazine and was the 2012 CADM Chicago Direct Marketer of the Year. She is a member of the Board of Advisors for BRAND United and has taught, trained and presented at over 50 conferences throughout the world.
Ruth P. Stevens consults on customer acquisition and retention, for business-to-business clients. Ruth serves on the boards of directors of the HIMMS Media Group, and the Business Information Industry Association. She is a trustee of Princeton-In-Asia, past chair of the Business-to-Business Council of the DMA, and past president of the Direct Marketing Club of New York.
Ruth was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Marketing by Crain’s BtoB magazine, and one of 20 Women to Watch by the Sales Lead Management Association. She serves as a mentor to fledgling companies at the ERA business accelerator in New York City.
WVU Marketing Communications Today: Horizons is presented by the West Virginia University Reed School of Media and Communications, which offers renowned online master’s degree programs in Marketing Communications. Interested in growing your career with a master's degree in Data, Digital or Integrated Marketing Communications? Request more information today!