Digital marketing- In class Exercises

While teaching Digital Marketing at IIM Indore, for both executives and regular MBA students, I tried many new things. I was also teaching the course for the first time, so I had kept it to 10 sessions, half the usual.

I like to experiment with assignments rather than just use cases- so I tried an assignment on blogging about Digital Marketing topics, a Bidding game that simulated Keyword-based bidding that happens in real life for each platform, and writing of emails addressed to a specific target segment or Persona (to me, sometimes) as some exercises, besides a website design exercise  only the broad structure) in my digital marketing course. Live exercises and projects are good for learning, in my experience. Particularly when accompanied by presentations with Q and A. I can literally "see" the learning in many cases.

When blogs were given as an exercise, the students were also required to promote the blog on their social media pages. A free blogging platform was to be used, such as Blogger or Wordpress. Quite a few interesting presentations resulted, including viewership statistics at the end of 5-6 weeks.

Youtube ads also were simulated through making a small video to advertise a given product or service, as a classroom exercise or assignment.

Of course, we discussed a couple of cases too, but the hands-on exercises were far more useful as learning tools. 

Teaching Digital Marketing

I always have a lot of fun teaching, mainly because I try and get students to do small activities in class, and enjoy what they come up with in response. This time, thanks to Anjali who assisted me in teaching, we had a new exercise. They had to come up with an endorsement on video for a matrimonial site (of their choice). It had to be only 30 seconds long.

Another activity was to do a podcast, for a brand in a given category. Some came up with very creative ideas for one, using only audio. Of course, I continued with a blogging exercise that student groups have to do through the length of the course, on things to do with Digital Marketing. There were a few interesting ones there too. Viewership stats also had to be shown, and ways in which the blogs were promoted.

There were a few other activities too,  which I will describe some other time.

The Mumbai MBA class also had subscribed to this course, and due to the smaller class size, it was a pleasure to teach it there. I really think our class sizes are too big for anyone's good.

Crowdsourcing in Digital Marketing

Some class exercises to understand how crowdsourcing might happen. Experiential Learning!

Teaching New Courses

Teaching new courses for the first time is an experience. You don't want to do it too often, but you want to try it once in a while.

I mostly taught Marketing Research since I started teaching in Indian Business Schools-and still do. But at times I have taught Business Communication (YES!), Advertising, B to B Marketing, and a Seminar on Thought Leadership. At Indore, I started teaching two or three new courses- Digital Marketing (for several different programs), and for the Ph. D. program, Retailing and Tourism Marketing.

I learnt a lot from these, and that learning continues each time I teach the course. I like to experiment with assignments rather than just use cases- so I have tried Blogging, a Bidding game, and writing of emails as some exercises, besides a website design exercise in my digital marketing course. Live exercises and projects are good for learning, in my experience. Particularly when accompanied by presentations with Q and A. I can literally "see" the learning in many cases.