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Companies need a deep understanding and expertise in how data is analysed and can be utilised for marketing and business development. The 91����’s new Digital Marketing and Analytics Master’s degree programme, taught in English, meets the need for digital marketing experts in companies.

 “Today, a lot of data is available and it is easy to collect, but even large organisations lack the ability to analyse and use data to support decision-making. That’s why companies need more understanding on how data can be used in marketing and business management,” says Professor of Marketing Tommi Laukkanen from the Business School.

From the perspective of digital marketing and analytics, the Digital Marketing and Analytics Master’s degree programme complements the popular Master’s programmes offered in English by the Business School, the International Business and Sales Management programme, as well as the Tourism Marketing and Management programme.

Familiarisation with digital materials and sensory marketing

The first application round for the Digital Marketing and Analytics Master’s degree programme opens in January 2023. The 20 students selected for the programme will begin their studies at the Joensuu and Kuopio campuses of the 91���� in the autumn of 2023.

The new Master’s programme prepares students for international marketing and management positions, where data analytics is combined with business. The possibilities of utilising data are particularly rich in today’s digital environments, such as social media channels, but also other data collected by companies. That’s why the degree programme focuses on digital marketing.

“For example, grocery stores use loyalty cards to collect lots of data about consumers’ purchase behaviour, which can be used in their marketing actions. The programme provides students with a comprehensive understanding of how companies can use big data to support their decision-making,” says Laukkanen.

The programme also opens up current and interesting perspectives on how digital and virtual environments affect people’s purchasing behaviour. In order to study sensory stimuli, the Business School is currently exploring the possibilities of building a multi-sensory laboratory on campus.

"Sensory marketing is an international phenomenon. We can look at how, for example, visual experiences in a virtual environment or other sensory stimuli, such as a smell of fresh bread, a birdsong or a sound of a stream, or combinations of these, affect consumer behaviour,” Laukkanen describes.

How does the weather affect sales of a retail chain?

The Business School at the 91���� produces strong marketing expertise. Saku Hirvonen, a doctoral alumnus of the Business School, is one of the visiting lecturers of the Digital Marketing and Analytics Master’s programme. Hirvonen works as the Insight Director of the Finnish unit of Dentsu, one of the world’s largest media and marketing agencies.

“We need broader marketing expertise. When there is even too much data, it is difficult to choose which data you want, or which is profitable to use. Today, a marketing degree without data and method expertise falls short. On the other hand, mere knowledge of data and methods is not enough, but a combination of both sides is needed. In my own work, I solve marketing questions with the help of data,” explains Hirvonen.

Advertising and media agencies are highly data-driven, and their customers require analytics. Analytics can be a more simplified measurement, such as how well a brand’s advertising campaign has been noticed, and how it has been viewed among consumers. In demanding sales modelling, data is collected and utilised from several sources. Store chains can take into account such things as the weather or the World Cup in football in their sales.

 “Interesting sensory research is conducted on what people pay attention to in advertisements on different channels, and what they actually do. For example, what people pay attention to in television commercials if they do other activities while watching television,” continues Hirvonen.

“When Master’s studies in marketing include data analytics, it helps a lot later in the work environment,” he concludes.

Read about the Master’s Degree Programme in Digital Marketing and Analytics on the website.

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