Friday, November 7, 2008

How I See It

New media has something to teach the area’s universities

I’ve recently graduated from business school and entered the field of new-media marketing, yet I’m continually surprised that many of the ideas I’m faced with professionally every day had not been a part of my MBA curriculum — not a mention of new-media strategies, ideas or tools in any of my courses. There was no mention of such things as collaborative gaming products, no discussion of free user platforms supported by advertising, or content management and thought leadership, or the software-as-a-service business model. And there was no discussion of new ways to communicate with customers or the great shifts in consumer behavior that have occurred and still are occurring.

There is a certain amount of understandable and unavoidable lag time in academia: Standards, frameworks and case studies are desired before working concepts into a curriculum and teaching them meaningfully. So, if companies want to get ahead in new media, they must pre-empt academia, not wait for it. I can’t stress enough how important this mentality is for those companies that are in or want to be in the new media space: Students are curious. Excite them. Reaching into New England’s top academic institutions will increase the quality of new associates interested in, and excited about, entering the field.

Especially now, in a time of job worries and economic downturns, graduates and companies are looking for stability. They will be less inclined to enter into a field that they know little about. Educate them.

Navigating this space is not easy, and it takes an in-depth understanding of how it works, and how it’s similar to and different from what is being taught now in academic institutions. New England is full of business schools, graduate programs and universities of high caliber. Let’s leverage that advantage in our favor to get ahead in new media.

A few ideas on how this can be accomplished:

• Go into schools to educate — not just recruit. Don’t just make a sales pitch about your company. Take the opportunity to explain a little bit about new media. Get people excited about the general concept. Talk about how your company thinks about new media and where it wants to go. If you’re the ones providing them the information and getting them excited about the field, you’re also the one to whom graduates will likely turn first for an opportunity.

• Go one step further and establish your company as a thought leader in the space, then market that to business schools. Offer an actual New Media 101 guest lecture — or full course — to a school. Detach it from clear brand sponsorship, and be the person exposing students. When it comes time for recruiting, you and your brand will be linked to that expertise. Think of this not only as a benefit to you and your company, but to the field as a whole.

• Take advantage of pre-graduation options. MBA students are eager, and may pursue “exploratory” interests much more readily than they would their actual career. If they become interested during a directed study or summer internship, they may be prime candidates for a position after graduation, with working knowledge of the industry and the field. Icing on the cake? You can often get inexpensive, if not free, high-quality work done for your company.

There’s power in fresh, new graduates. In the new-media space, they could potentially have more power if they’re effectively informed.

Out of school, they have the newest business techniques at their disposal. Combined with a deep understanding of new media, they can provide new vision, smartly combat the reliance on traditional views that may be entrenched, and move companies forward.

 

Kate Brodock is founder and strategic guru of Other Side Group, a marketing strategy and new-media consulting firm based in Boston. She can be reached at kate@othersidegroup.com.