I’ve just finished the Level 4 Marketing module and here’s what I’ve learnt!
This term we’ve had students from a range of organisations studying on the CIM Certificate in Professional Marketing – Level 4 – Marketing Module including government body Homes England, Fabricom Offshore Services, Citygate and Intu Metrocentre. It’s been great to learn more about these organisations; how they work, the marketing activities students are involved in and the challenges they face.
I’ve learnt from this term’s students how crucial it is to stay curious and enthusiastic about what we do. I know they all rush from busy jobs to attend the class and, barring the odd holiday or conference here and there, they have all really committed to the course and their professional development, they’ve attended every week, listened, asked questions and applied what they learn to their own work.
Asking questions is so important, not just when students find something they don’t understand in the slides, textbooks or past exam papers but for us all to check we know, to extend our understanding even further or just to start an interesting discussion. I’ve learned a lot from asking questions, it helps me to understand how confident students are feeling in the weeks running up to their exam, checks their understanding and helps me learn too when I hear about their work and challenges.
We’ve had some great questions and discussions this term where we can all bring examples of work we’ve done or marketing activities we see around us every day – a Pringles Point of Sale in Tesco, a GDPR email, Northumbrian Water’s Refill Campaign on Twitter. I’ve learned how important it is to apply the theory in the syllabus to the real world and across the very different sectors in which students work.
My favourite question this term which I keep coming back to again and again is “there was 4 Ps, and now there’s 7 will there be any more in the future?” Good question! This has reminded me that the best marketing pushes boundaries and finds new, innovative ways to gain competitive advantage and delight customers.
Learning is a career-long process. The more you do, the less likely you are to stop. So I’m looking forward to meeting my next cohort in September!
Karen Barrie
Karen is a tutor on the CIM Certificate in Professional Marketing – Level 4 and has worked in marketing and communications roles for many years in a range of sectors and organisations.
