At the heart of all good integrated marketing communication is an engaging story that works across a number of platforms. Without it, a brand can get lost in the relentless social media tide. In this context, our students... [ view full abstract ]
At the heart of all good integrated marketing communication is an engaging story that works across a number of platforms. Without it, a brand can get lost in the relentless social media tide. In this context, our students are experts without even realising it. They interact regularly with the products they like, yet they are sometimes hesitant about their own ability to think creatively about brands. What they don’t realise is that, often, they already have a very strong understanding of the personalities behind brands, an understanding that can be harnessed during the brainstorming process.
Our students also often have far more digital knowledge than they give themselves credit for - knowledge that can be hugely useful for learning purposes. Their social media interactions, during class time, are usually surreptitious. Bringing these interactions to the fore and examining them can give them the confidence to create exciting new ideas for the brands they already know and like.
This paper reports on an intervention in a Digital Marketing module which sought to capitalise on this often untapped expertise to develop a social media campaign, using Snapchat and WordPress as the chosen teaching tools. Students took on the responsibility with enthusiasm. They felt comfortable brainstorming on a specific social media campaign that the majority of them had interacted with because they already understood the personality of the particular brand.
They also responded well to being given permission to use their own devices in class. This led to smarter, bolder creative ideas generated by the students themselves. Furthermore, encouraging them to create their own workspaces within labs (e.g. using headphones, notepads and iPads next to their computers) gave them a sense of autonomy and made the writing experience less formulaic.
The role of lecturer became almost like that of driving instructor in a dual-control car. The student, as learner, was very much at the wheel. The lecturer was the observer, ready to offer help and advice when needed.
Key words: Social media; student autonomy; digital marketing; creativity
