EAE News
EAE’s Master in Marketing: A program that is switched on to modern life
22 de June de 2020
“With the Hybrid methodology, the Master in Marketing blends real-time classes with independent work, the individual approach with the group dynamic, theoretical lessons with practical content.”
Marketing never stands still. Just like the market itself, year after year, it progresses and adapts to the latest trends and dynamics of the economy. Therefore, marketing today is very different from marketing yesterday. However, if there is one aspect of marketing that holds true over time, it is its importance in view of its power to influence every sector of the economy. In this interview, we talk to Fátima Vila, the Director of the International Master in Marketing Management and Market Development at EAE Business School , who, as well as giving us a thorough overview of the current status of this discipline, also gives a detailed explanation of the benefits of the Master and the disruptive Hybrid methodology.
Professor Vila, in view of today’s increasingly digital and globalized world, how should we understand contemporary marketing? What are the requirements of a professional who wants to specialize in the world of marketing today?
Along the lines of the great Bauman, marketing must be seen as a fluid, ever-changing discipline that no longer responds simply to certain, predictable inputs, like it did a few decades ago. In a world like the one we live in today, the discipline of exchanges changes every day and the professionals who work in the field have to be as adaptable as water so that they can, firstly ,understand the terrain and, secondly, operate effectively on it.
This doesn’t mean that the old precepts are now obsolete. That is not the case at all. In fact, it is regrettable that certain new marketing disciplines don’t pay any heed to the past, the origin of everything, the classical theory of marketing, economics and culture itself. In my opinion, to be able to respond to this changeable world, we have to have one foot firmly in classical principles so that, from that standpoint, we can look towards the present and the future: new media, new consumers, the new challenges and needs of human beings.
On one side, there are executive skills and, on the other, the technological and technical skills. Are they equally important? What role do they play in terms of forming a professional profile?
I would say that they are equally important. I always tell my students not to focus too much on understanding how an interface, tool or software works, but rather on to analyse the environment around them, including the tools, so that, from that starting point, they can identify what they should be using at any given time and why. You might be a great expert in Analytics but, unless you know what is happening in your market, you won’t know how to program the Desktop to give you valuable data.
First of all, you need to lay some good foundations and then not be afraid to experiment and learn. It is also important to understand that some technological skills require an extreme degree of specialization, which needn’t be an executive profile. A marketing executive has to understand how and why things work so that they can, firstly, pick the best partners and experts and, secondly, know what to ask them for and how to get the best out of them.
In relation to the Master in Marketing Management and Market Development, what methodology does it follow to train future marketing experts?
Right from the its inception, it is a hybrid master with a strong practical focus in terms of the content. The students steadily pass the various course by tackling hands-on projects, simulators, case studies, etc. There is a lot of teamwork, but also individual supervision and independent activities. It is a really special program because, not only is it hybrid in terms of having an online part, that makes up the bulk of the program, and another in-person part, but also because the teaching methodologies it uses “bring the offline experience to the virtual world”.
For instance, unlike other digital programs, this Master has real-time classes and strong content focused on group coordination. This means that, just like in today’s companies in the real world, people from different cultures and time zones have to coordinate to work together, often against the clock, to successfully complete the activities. In our online programs, students often take fuller responsibility for their own academic performance. Here, just like in the real world, we are all connected.
Leadership, strategy design and market analysis are key factors in this sector? Why and how are they taught on the program?
As I mentioned, alongside the courses that develop these areas specifically, the program has a strong emphasis on coordination and soft skills development. As part of your evaluation depends on you working well with people in various places under different circumstances, the students’ self-management and remote leadership are honed.
Moreover, all these relationship are consolidated even further during the in-person part of the program in Barcelona. People who have been working closely together for months meet up face-to-face and share a more in-depth experience that generates some really great results. By the time they leave, they have become partners, suppliers, collaborators and, of course, great friends.
Employability is high in this sector. What activities develop this aspect on the Master?
As is the case with all EAE Masters, students have access to a Professional Careers program that offers them specialist guidance from employability experts. Based on this accompaniment, students can make the most of the School’s Employment Exchange, on which hundreds of companies of all shapes and sizes post their internship and job offers. In fact, this is one of the School’s key strengths. You can find everything from large multinationals to exciting startups in which to embark on your career.
Which profiles and positions are in the greatest demand?
EAE Business School’s marketing masters enable students to make their way into a wide range of areas, some of which may not be directly related to marketing management, such as online marketing and digital advertising. However, the traditional top profiles still include positions in marketing and communication, sales, product management, etc.
With respect to the Hybrid format, what are the main benefits of this methodology in terms of the Master?
As I mentioned earlier, it blends the best of all worlds because, not only does it capitalize on online and offline formats, but also, in pedagogical terms, it combines real-time classes with independent work, the individual approach with the group dynamic, theoretical lessons with practical content.
Lastly, as well as all the aspects mentioned above, why would you recommend taking EAE’s Master in Marketing Management and Market Development?
In my opinion, it is a demanding, up-to-date and very ambitious master in terms of the content and topics. In other words, it does not settle for put forward a theory, but rather it applies the theory and creates a learning environment that is as hybrid as the world we live in. This program embraces the personal quality of face-to-face learning, because the students meet up in person with their lecturers and classmates, and combines it with the flexibility of online tuition.
The program also puts you in direct contact with people from a diverse range of countries and cultures. Just like working in the marketing department of a global company, this forces you to integrate this multicultural, multi-timetable, multi-leadership within you learning. In my opinion, very few programs enable you to do that right now.
To find out more about the International Master in Marketing and Market Development, the program and registrations, just click here.