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Stay relevant in a new data era
The Kellogg School of Management has a very strong marketing programme, both within the classroom and without.
The conference promised to tell you the secrets of the person in red
This week was the much anticipated annual marketing conference, which sells out in a matter of days: students, alumni and marketing professionals seek insight from marketing thought leaders, an opportunity to network and a stylish goody bag of toothpaste, painkillers and other disposable freebies.
The theme of the conference was “Stay Relevant: Don’t Just Keep Up, Move Ahead”.
One interesting theme at the conference was that we are entering a “renaissance” era in marketing.
In this new era, marketers have greater access to consumers’ actual behaviour, rather than having to rely on inferring behaviour from what they learn through traditional marketing tools such as surveys. Companies that are able to navigate the tidal wave of customer data effectively will be the most successful.
This new data era has come about because of technologies such as the internet, but also less obvious ones such as mobile phone tracking. Here users’ activity, location and communication behaviour are tracked through their mobile phones. Many customers’ don’t spend much time considering what data is being collected on them. When I think about it, I find it quite concerning that Google has every single internet search I have done stored on a hard drive and could theoretically link it back to me.
Some companies such as Amazon have used user data to capture value for years. Every search you do on Amazon is tracked. Based on that you see a customised front page, micro-targeting a selection of products your search and buying history suggests would yield the greatest sales.
There is an implicit contract between customers providing data and companies using this to their advantage. However, the details of this contract are not fully specified and Jean-Philippe Maheu, chief digital officer at Ogilvy and ’89 Kellogg alumnus suggests there will be business opportunities here too. Under the current contract consumers do not get much value generated from the data they provide and by giving back a slice of the value realised from this data, companies will be able to capture a greater share.
The conference was very thought-provoking and particularly useful to help me understand the current marketing battle grounds better. There are many moving parts to this particular story on data. Will customers seek more restrictions on data collected from them? Will sources of data collection such as Facebook, Twitter, your Netflix account, online banking services and mobile phones become better integrated? In any case it is one of the most important of these battle grounds for marketing over the coming years.
Diary of a winter day at Kellogg
I returned to The Kellogg School of Management last week knowing I had a busy winter term ahead. I am doing five credits this term as well as supporting a local non-profit with developing the business plan for a new school in Chicago.
Thinking creatively about China
GIM China class of 2009
Picture this, an American from Cleveland, an Asian Indian American, a student from Poland and myself trying to agree on a research topic on China. That is our challenge over the next few weeks as we start our Global Initiatives in Management (GIM): China class.
GIM is a very popular course at Kellogg with more than 400 students participating last year and involves in-depth study of a country. Students can choose from one of 8 countries or regions that have a GIM class.
Students collaborate with faculty advisors to design a ten-week curriculum on the chosen country. The curriculum is taught in class and includes guest speakers. For GIM China we will study topics such as economics, health care reform, consumerism, culture and many more.
Business school meets business real
View from the office, downtown Chicago
When considering whether or not to embark on an MBA, one of my initial considerations was: how much more could I learn about “business” in a classroom compared with on-the-job experience?
There were two key aspects to the One-Year Kellogg MBA programme that tipped the decision towards the MBA.
First, and the most obvious, was the fact that I could graduate in a year and have almost complete flexibility to focus on the areas most important to my personal development.
Kellogg Cares 2009
Kellogg Cares is an annual event, where volunteers sign up for a day of community service in the Evanston and Chicago area. This year was the largest in its six-year history, with 30 community organisations providing projects, 350 volunteers participating (up 150 from last year), and 20 per cent of those volunteers coming from outside the full time MBA programme – significant others, part time MBA students, PhDs, Executive MBA students, alumni, faculty and staff.
MBA blog
Business students
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Welcome to the Financial Times Business Education MBA blog. MBA students from business schools around the globe are blogging about their experiences.
What is it really like to study for an MBA? How do the students juggle their work load and their personal life? What do they hope to achieve once they have gained an MBA? Read the FT's MBA blog to find out.
Follow the FT's MBA coverage on Facebook
Follow @ftbuseducation
What is it really like to study for an MBA? How do the students juggle their work load and their personal life? What do they hope to achieve once they have gained an MBA? Read the FT's MBA blog to find out.
Follow the FT's MBA coverage on Facebook
Follow @ftbuseducation
To comment, please register for free with FT.com and read our policy on submitting comments.
All posts are published in UK time.
Contact linda.anderson@ft.com about the MBA blog.
Read posts by the MBA class of 2010.
See the full list of FT blogs.
All posts are published in UK time.
Contact linda.anderson@ft.com about the MBA blog.
Read posts by the MBA class of 2010.
See the full list of FT blogs.
Meet the MBA students
The following students will share their business school experiences over the current academic year
Ernest Gyimah, European School of Management and Technology
Age: 26
Nationality: Ghanaian
Background: Ernest gained a first class degree in banking and finance from the University of Ghana before joining PricewaterhouseCoopers, working across Africa. He is a Kofi Annan fellow and hopes to contribute to growing small businesses in the developing world.
Mark Partridge, Foster School of Business, University of Washington
Age: 28
Nationality: Dual (US & UK)
Background: A British-American citizen Mark graduated from University College London with a degree in modern history before working as a journalist in Seattle. He hopes on graduation to work in a venture capital firm.
Mihai Danila, Insead (Fontainebleau)
Age: 28
Nationality: Romanian
Background: After graduating with a degree in international business from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest Mihai moved to the financial sector, working with a private equity fund and most recently as an investment banker in the mergers and acquisitions department of a large Romanian bank. He believes Insead will give him the knowledge he needs to have a greater impact in developing his country's emerging economy.
Aushima Thakur, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Age: 29
Nationality: Indian
Background: Aushima is a Fulbright scholar and has experience of both the corporate world and NGOs. She is keen to develop successful sustainable models for the world's poorest societies.
Hajime Sudo, Bradford University School of Management - University of Perugia: Bradford-Perugia joint MBA programmeAge: 30
Nationality: Japanese
Background: Hajime graduated from the Accounting School of Tohoku University, Japan earlier this year. He wants to become an accounting professional and believes an MBA will supply him with a broad and practical management knowledge and enhance his career portfolio.
Al Kennedy, University of Exeter Business School 'One Planet' full time MBA
Age: 43
Nationality: Irish
Background: Al has a masters in visual communication from the Royal College of Art. He has worked with leading companies on environmental projects and is keen to understand how business and brands can create sustainable strategies and innovate for social good.
Kamal Nagi, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Age: 27
Nationality: Qatari
Background: Kamal has a Masters of Engineering degree from Imperial College, London. He hopes to play a senior leadership role in Qatar’s financial and international investment future and is the first Qatari to enroll on Stanford’s MBA programme.
Karenina Loayza, MBA Cass Business School
Age: 27
Nationality: Bolivian
Background: Karenina moved from Bolivia to Wisconsin in the US at the age of 19. She holds a double degree in economics and international relations and has worked in financial publishing. She hopes to make the career switch into the finance industry.
Andrea Nowack, George Washington University
Age: 26
Nationality: American
Background: After studying
for a degree in journalism and communication from the University of Oregon Andrea
worked for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide in analyst relations. She also
has experience as a digital marketing strategist.
Kelvin Chiu, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Age: 28
Nationality: Canadian
Background: A graduate from the electrical engineering programme at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Kelvin has worked as a project manager for Ontario Power Generation at a nuclear plant near Toronto, Canada. On graduation he hopes to work in consulitng. He is a certified personal trainer and fitness professional.
Julia Steinberg, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve UniversityAge: 27
Nationality: American
Background: Julia has a degree in communications from Kent State University. She has worked as a public relations manager for a clothing group for several years but opted for an MBA so that she could make a career transition into marketing and strategy.
Lucky Sigbenu, Lagos Business School
Age: 28
Nationality: Nigerian
Background: After graduating from the University of Benin in Nigeria with a degree in electrical/electronic engineering Lucky worked as the business development manager of an IT start-up in Lagos. He hopes his MBA will give him a competitive advantage when running and managing a business in an emerging economy.
Katie Cannon, London Business School
Age: 30
Nationality: British
Background: After studying politics at Edinburgh University Katie embarked on a career in the arts. Aware that her skill set is focused on softer skills she hopes her MBA will give her a broader perspective on business.
Brigitte Roediger, University of Stellenbosch Business School, part time MBA
Age: 26
Nationality: South African
Background: Brigitte has a degree in financial analysis and marketing communications from the University of Stellenbosch. She is the assistant brand manager at Spier Wine Farm near Cape Town and will continue to work as she studies which will allow her to repay her business school loan.
Wesley Cole, Executive MBA Cass Business School, London
Age: 29
Nationality: British
Background: A business systems manager for a recruitment company, Wesley was keen to study for an MBA, whilst continuing to work full time. He hopes to be able to develop his leadership skills and apply them to his career.
Andi Caruso, SDA Bocconi
Age: 27
Nationality: Canadian
Background: Having graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, with a degree in journalism, Andi first studied acting before beginning a marketing career in the hospitality and entertainment industry. She wants to move into business development and strategy.
Suhel Banerjee, Kellogg School of Management
Age: 27
Nationality: Indian
Background: After completing his undergraduate degree in business at Calcutta University in 2005 Suhel joined Google's Hyderabad (India) office in advertising operations, before moving to Gurgaon where he became one of the founder members of the Google India sales team.
Anthemos Georgiades, Harvard Business School
Age: 28
Nationality: British
Background: After gaining degrees from Oxford and Cambridge, Anthemos spent three years as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. He then worked as an economic adviser on the Conservative party's election campaign.
Abhishek Ramanathan, Australian School of Business: AGSM
Age: 29
Nationality: Indian
Background: A graduate in computers and business studies from the University of Warwick in the UK, Abhishek has worked in operations and consulting in the insurance and IT industries worldwide. He hopes to become a management consultant.
Aman Modi, IMD
Age: 30
Nationality: Indian/British
Background: Aman has a BA in accounting and a masters in banking and international finance from Cass Business School, London. With more than eight years of finance-focused experience he wants to move into general management via an MBA.
Ashish Rastogi, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
Age: 32
Nationality: Indian
Background: For the past 10 years Ashish has worked for Infosys in various capacities in the US and India. He wants to build a career in corporate strategy and product marketing. He is studying on the Full Time MBA for executives (PGPex).
Aurélie Metcheka, Global MBA Essec
Age: 25
Nationality: Cameroonian
Background: Aurélie left her native Cameroon aged 19 to study at San Diego State University in the US. where she gained a BSc in accounting. She then worked in inventory control for an accessory company before opting for an MBA. She intends eventually to work in the audit department of one of the big four accountancy firms.
MBA blog
Welcome to the Financial Times Business Education MBA blog. MBA students from business schools around the globe are blogging about their experiences.
What is it really like to study for an MBA? How do the students juggle their work load and their personal life? What do they hope to achieve once they have gained an MBA? Read the FT's MBA blog to find out. www.ft.com/mbablog
Follow the FT's MBA coverage on Facebook