UIC Liautaud’s New MSM Program

The American Marketing Association recently produced a video laying out the seven major problems in marketing today. In response to the rapidly changing demands of the marketing profession, UIC Liautaud will begin offering a one-year MS in marketing in the Fall of 2016. So what kind of challenges do marketing professionals face, and how will UIC Liautaud students solve them?

1. Effectively targeting high-value sources of growth.

In a real market, not everyone is interested in what you’re offering. The goal is to focus resources on targets that are interested. MSM students will find a wide variety of approaches to marketing strategy among UIC Liautaud faculty. For example, Professor Cheryl Nakata explores global product strategy in her recent research on cross-cultural creativity.

2. The role of marketing in the firm and the c-suite.

As the voice of the marketplace in the c-suite, marketing professionals must help firms evolve with new technologies and shifting segmentation. UIC Liautaud’s MSM program exposes students to fresh research in global marketing, marketing technology, and consumer behavior. Check out the recent press around Professor Lan Chaplin’s research into market behavior in children.

3. The digital transformation of the modern corporation.

Marketing executives must be experts on the role of digital technology in the marketplace. MSM students at UIC Liautaud study the effects of digital technology on consumer experience and product development, including digital brand engagement, as in recent research by Professor Yuheng Hu.

4. Generating insight to shape marketing practice

Marketing practice is driven by our knowledge of the consumer. The MSM at UIC Liautaud offers many different approaches to studying consumer behavior. Professor David Gal has recently published research in areas such as biases in statistical analysis and identity-signaling behavior in consumer psychology.

5. Dealing with an omnichannel world.

B2B and B2C relationships have evolved with the internet of things into a 24-7 interaction across multiple devices. The MSM at UIC Liautaud teaches students how to develop data strategies to harness valuable marketing resources, and also trains students in marketing tools across the spectrum; paid ads, SEO, social ads, organic social media, mobile marketing, and more. Read about our Graduate Marketing Association’s recent event with Ajay Pattani, founder of Perfect Search Media.

6. Competing in dynamic, global markets.

Firms find themselves competing with nimble upstarts in emerging economies where customer behavior, channel structures, and business and political landscapes are unfamiliar. UIC Liautaud’s global marketing coursework teaches students to identify subtle shifts across geographic and demographic boundaries, as in Professor DeBerry-Spence’s recent work on consumer experience in developing markets.

7. Balancing incremental and radical innovation. 

Firms have to compete in the present, but they also have to prepare for the future. Gaining advantage means steering the market with innovation. At UIC Liautaud, MSM students are exposed to the latest theory and research on innovation, like the recent work of Professor Anna Cui on customer-driven innovation.

The Liautaud MSM is a specialized one-year graduate business degree designed for students and professionals from all fields. Do you want to gain expertise in marketing and get right back into the workforce? Learn more about the UIC Liautaud MSM program at business.uic.edu.