DEVELOPING WHAT CAN’T BE TAUGHT: CREATING AN EFFECTIVE PORTFOLIO OF STUDENT OUTCOMES THROUGH A STUDENT-RUN DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to provide an extended case study of the development of and early outcomes of a student-run digital marketing agency. Employers are looking to hire graduates who are “work ready.” In the area of digital marketing, this is especially challenging given the rapid pace of change in the industry where new technologies, companies and business processes seem to be introduced on a weekly basis. To build a bridge between the undergraduate marketing curriculum and the practice of digital marketing, an AACSB-accredited business school in northern New England created a student-run digital marketing agency that functions within and alongside the marketing course structure. This required the development of an ecosystem to support the agency and provide the business school’s undergraduate students with an opportunity to work with real clients and industry professionals using the latest tools and techniques. Initially focusing on the application of hard skills of digital marketing and industry technologies, we found that equal or higher value and interest for our students were the soft skills and client interactions they developed as part of the agency experience.