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The Digital Marketing Competition is a game changer for academics

Published: October 18, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. CDT|Updated: 27 minutes ago

Hammond, Ind., Oct 18, 2021 / PRNewswire / – The digital marketing competition sponsored by Matthew Hanson and Matthew Wells from Purdue University Northwest in Northwest Indiana, is transforming the game for budding marketers around the world by using a mix of cutting edge educational materials accessible to marketing student teams and their professors to develop digital marketing campaigns for a real company.

Often times, after graduation, students create their resume from scratch with little or no experience in their field of study. The competition was incredibly rewarding for marketing students as they use tools and training materials normally only used by marketing professionals, including Domain Insights with SEO Keywords, Infographic and Creative Template Design Platforms, Hubspot Tools, Paid Search, and SEO – Analyzers, a Copywriting Blunders course, Content Marketing Strategy course, and much more. The students go beyond internships and face-to-face exercises, create case studies for an established company and gain valuable experience for building their professional résumé.

Director of External Engagement and Partnerships Purdue University Northwest, Matthew Wells, said the “Digital Marketing Competition enables students to gain valuable hands-on experience through applied learning initiatives with companies of different sizes”.

Every year, students entering the digital marketing competition create real marketing plans for real companies to see who has what it takes to take home first prize. This year, the competition will have a bigger impact than ever thanks to a new partnership with Lee Enterprises’ digital agency Amplified Digital.

Serving as customer case studies each semester during the competition, the companies receive dozens – if not hundreds – of strategies, initiatives, and creative digital marketing campaign ideas from students studying at some of the most prestigious universities in the country.

The students work with their professors-led teams to solve real business problems. In this way, they can leave class and put what they have learned into practice. The digital marketing competition helped participants find a full-time position upon graduation. In return, the customer case study companies receive digital marketing strategies that have an immediate impact on current and future business goals.

Wells said, “Digital marketing competition is a complete turning point for academics.”

“It’s the future. It’s an applied and experiential learning experience,” Wells said. “It’s not about just reading about a hypothetical customer’s situation, writing a thesis, or taking an exam… It’s about working with an actual customer on their actual business challenges and needs. This is what the students will do in the future, project, work with a team and receive actual feedback from a real company. It’s hard to get that kind of experience and exposure in a classroom. It enables them to present to a real customer. The customer could use or even discontinue these ideas. It’s very different from just doing a theoretical case study. “

Companies are looking for graduates with extensive experience beyond the classroom, and that is exactly what the digital marketing competition offers to participating students.

Wells said other academic fields, such as advertising and journalism, have also started creating competitions with similar initiatives and goals. He believes the Digital Marketing Competition model could also be used for students in engineering, security, e-commerce, robotics, and many other fields.

Since its launch in 2019, the Digital Marketing Competition has grown in popularity. Last year more than 100 colleges and universities took part in the event. As an international event, the competition continues to grow despite COVID-19. Thanks to the new partnership with Amplified Digital, the digital marketing competition will receive more attention in over 70 markets from coast to coast.

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SOURCE Amplified Digital Agency

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