Five Takeaways From a #RapertMKTG Student

As the Fall 2024 semester comes to a close, I have been reflecting on all I have learned these past 15 weeks as a student in Marketing Management with Dr. Molly Rapert. The knowledge I have gained from this course has truly been invaluable and something that I will carry with me for many years to come. From lectures, to guest speakers, to store walks, to projects, this course truly facilitated learning in so many diverse ways and deepened my understanding of not just marketing principles, but life principles as well. While it is incredibly tough to summarize the entirety of my learnings this semester in Marketing Management in just a few takeaways, I have made my best effort to outline 5 key takeaways I have gained in this course below.

Understanding and Identifying Your Values Can Set You Apart From the Rest

At the beginning of this semester, we were promptly introduced to the Values Project, an assignment that prompted us to explore and identify our personal values. While initially this just seemed to be another assignment to add to the to-do list, I quickly learned that it was quite the opposite. I have already utilized/referenced the Values Project multiple times this semester, which shows just how vital having this self-reflection and deeper knowledge of yourself is. Values are the guiding force of individuals and defining what is most important to you not only grants you a better understanding of yourself but allows you to work better with others. Vocalizing your values allows you the opportunity to stand out amongst the “Sea of Same” (per Amanda Roberts) and truly differentiate yourself. As a senior, having these values at the top of my mind is especially important in ensuring that company values match personal values in the job search. I am so grateful to have been allotted this reflective time to identify my own values during this incredibly hectic period of senior year.?

Purpose Facilitates Connection

Another topic discussed in the beginning of this course was the importance of defining your purpose. Similar to identifying your values, identifying your purpose can be incredibly vital in guiding your daily actions in order to support long-term goals. Vocalizing your purpose can allow you to connect on a deeper level with individuals who share similar purposes. One of the very first articles we read in this course described the situation of an individual who lost sight of his purpose by getting too caught up in minor day-to-day activities. That individual lost sight of their long-term goals and overall purpose, resulting in their personal life falling apart. This was an impactful reminder of how vital it is to align your daily actions with your long-term goals while keeping your purpose a top priority. Purpose is also relevant when it comes to brands. On a business level, purpose statements can oftentimes feel overdone, phony, or ingenuine. However, when done right, they can be key to building consumer relationships, defining your brand’s personality, and telling the world what it is that your brand stands for. An authentic purpose statement can be the spark needed to facilitate consumer connection and build sustainable relationships. As with personal purpose statements, a purpose statement should feel genuine to the business. Brands should view their purpose as a way to guide their actions, solidify their values, and connect to causes that consumers care about.

Customer Centricity is Key to Building Loyalty and Fostering Long-term Relationships

One incredibly important concept for brands, uncovered through several readings this semester, is the seemingly simple topic of customer centricity. This involves the idea of putting customers at the forefront of every action within a business. When making important decisions, developing a strategy, or launching a new product, customer needs, experiences, and pain points should be top of mind. As stated by Jeff Metzner in his “Boom or Bust” presentation, a company should be seeking to solve customer problems when launching a new product, not the problems of executives. This is a common shortcoming of companies which can quickly cause catastrophic failure. As learned through our readings, a great example of a company that does customer centricity RIGHT is Chobani. In an effort to make their business more customer-centric, Chobani opened up a feedback phone line (not a customer service line) where they talk directly with consumers, listen to suggestions, get feedback, and make changes. Chobani also frequently has executives travel to different regions of the country and interact directly with customers, grocery store workers, dairy farmers, etc. to gain a perspective on consumers and their common problems/frustrations. By putting customers first in every aspect of the company, a business shows that they are committed to truly solving consumer problems (versus solely making money) and creating a path toward fostering sustainable long-term relationships with consumers.

The Power of Collaborative Discussion

The way that this class was structured was something that slightly scared me. Instead of solely listening to a professor speak every lecture, each reading prompted a discussion among my peers guided by Dr. Molly Rapert . Before this course, speaking up in class was something I frequently avoided, opting instead to emails or one-on-one conversations. As you can imagine, this drastic change was initially uncomfortable for me. However, looking back, I am so grateful that this course was discussion-based. Not only was this set-up more engaging, but I left each and every class with a new perspective or takeaway gained from my peers. This prompted new ways of thinking about topics while also providing the opportunity to build off of classmates' points. The opportunity to turn each class into a collaborative discussion allowed for further learning and deeper dives into the topics being discussed. Having the opportunity to learn in an environment that encouraged speaking up from both my classmates and my professor truly ensured that everyone got the most of each reading. In addition to learning just how powerful discussion can be in expanding knowledge and inciting collaboration, I am leaving this course now comfortable with speaking up.

Building a strong community is invaluable

Throughout this semester, the importance of building a community has been emphasized. In one particular reading, it was mentioned that a brand cannot become a cult brand without having a community to uplift them first. This seems to ring true on a personal level as well. At the beginning of this semester, the #RapertMKTG community seemed to simply be a hashtag. However as the semester went on, the true depth and importance of this community became so very evident. This community submitted weekly articles they thought would be relevant to the class. This community traveled to campus to speak to our class. This community reviewed multiple projects and provided us with valuable feedback. This community helped us to pinpoint our values. This community connected some to job opportunities. This community ensured that we would have a multitude of opportunities to set us up for success. This community stays connected, no matter how many years have passed. While I am still in awe of the depth of the #RapertMKTG community, I am so thankful to this network for shaping this course for the better and actively continuing to uplift students. I am so excited to officially join the #RapertMKTG family.?

Thank you again to Dr. Molly Rapert , the #RapertMKTG family, and my fellow Marketing Management peers for such a fantastic semester! This course has been invaluable in so many ways and I am excited to carry the knowledge learned in this course for many years to come.?