INSIDE BU: BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
According to BU’s very own Questrom School of Business, marketing “take[s] an interdisciplinary approach to develop consumer knowledge.” Ultimately, Questrom believed that marketing illustrated “how value is created, captured, and sustained, and measured in the physical and digital worlds.”
But what did marketing really mean to Questrom students? Where did they see marketing heading in the future?
Freshman Nora Bennett (QST 26’.)
“I was first introduced to marketing while I was running my small business in the previous years. For me, it meant, and still means, finding ways to appeal to consumers, being able to target the perfect consumer base, and figuring out how to serve them with the product that they need and want…even if they don’t know it yet,” said Bennett.
In Highschool, Bennett made sweatshirts on Etsy based on consumers’ favorite music artists, providing her with a taste of marketing at a young age. She learned the importance of making your company or product stand out by finding a unique vantage point and targeting specific fanbases based on their preferred music genres.
Bennett especially admired the marketing strategies of Amazon. “I think that Amazon is genius for Amazon Storefronts,” said Bennett.
It was very common to see influencers with massive social media followings to have their own personalized Amazon Storefronts—they could easily influence followers into buying their favorite products by simply clicking on a link in their bio.
“They already have an audience that doesn’t have to be cultivated by your campaign, as those consumers will already be watching those influencers,” said Bennett.
Bennett believed that social media marketing tactics were on the rise, as iPhones were increasingly dominating our digital world. For her, the short and snappy TikTok ads or eye-catching brand designs on Instagram were the most influential.
“There are countless amounts of data at your fingertips. The ads and promotions I get are incredibly personalized nowadays, something that couldn’t have been done before,” said Bennett.
"In the future, I think that marketing can only become more important. With the increased connectivity between people, finding the perfect audience for your company has only become easier” said Bennett. “The use of technology has completely changed the game for marketing, and the companies that are able to stay up to date on trends and what is happening with their target demographic will be able to succeed more than ever before.”
Freshman Aneesh Hiremath (QST 26’.)
“I would describe marketing as building a relationship. A lot of the time, that comes in the form of providing value. Consumers crave meaningful value, and if a brand can provide that, it creates a mutually beneficial relationship between the two parties,” said Hiremath.
Ultimately, Hiremath believed that marketing was most influential when it felt as if he were kept in mind when the company created its ideal customer profile. When viewing advertisements or brand content that felt disconnected on a personal level, Hiremath found it challenging to resonate with what the company was selling. But, when he saw an ad snippet that felt as if it was directly targeted at him, it created an instant connection, therefore prompting him to look into purchasing their product or service.
According to Hiremath, the marketing tactics of Method Body Wash were commendable.
“Their simple aesthetic and design appealed to me as well as their price point. The other body washes there were 5-6 dollars, but Method Men was 10 which also made them stick out more and showed they had a quality product,” said Hiremath.
Like most Gen-Z, Hiremath believed the best platform for marketers to use if they wanted to reach him was TikTok. TikTok was perceptive of consumer psychology and understanding the brains of its app users. It was highly aware of your interests and video-viewing tendencies—creating a carefully calculated “For You Page” that was rife with personally appealing brand advertisements.
“But I believe as time goes on, marketing will only get more and more customized and personalized. In time you will see exactly what you need to see, when you need to see it, when making a purchase. We will get to a point where brands have so much information about consumers that they will be able to put out the right content at the right time,” said Hiremath.
For Questrom students, marketing was founded on reciprocity—brands delivered appealing and quality products to target consumers in exchange for their business. It was evident that technology was only making this process easier and more individualized, as social media marketing was a game changer.
Written by Juliette Shea
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