Is Online Privacy Beyond Our Control?

A report conducted by the Digital Rights and Governance Project from the University of Sydney has revealed that Australians are very concerned about their digital privacy, especially when it comes to government and corporate violations. The findings showed that 67 per cent of Australians attempt to protect their privacy online and 61 per cent change settings on social media, but only 38 per cent feel in control of their privacy.

The survey of 1600 Australians explores attitudes to online privacy, surveillance, digital disruption at work, and online freedom of speech, while prompting urgent questions about rights issues in four areas: privacy, profiling and analytics; government data matching and surveillance; workplace change; and freedom of expression and speech regulation.

“Our results provide a snapshot of the nation’s attitudes and behaviours in the digital world and show Australians’ clear concerns about how their information is being used and accessed by governments, social media platforms and corporations,” said co-author Professor Ariadne Vromen.

Future transformative impacts. 

One of the top ten countries globally for internet use, the digital landscape of Australia is rapidly evolving as new technologies redefine our lives. In the Master of Marketing Consulting Project, students at the University of Sydney’s Business School are encouraged to consider the ethical issues of digital disruption. The ethical and legal challenges surrounding digital, networked technologies prompts debate surrounding the future impacts on business practices and society on the whole.

Image source: IAB Australia

“Australians’ personal and professional lives are being transformed by digital disruption, while lawmakers, technology elites and corporate boards fail to keep up. Data hoarding and seemingly opaque decision-making has given rise to community concern and an urgent need for our digital rights to be clearly laid out by the government,” said report co-author, Professor Gerard Goggin.

According to the report, almost 80 per cent of Australians want to know what information of theirs is being accessed, by whom, and how to report and correct inaccuracies.

“There is a meaningful desire amongst the community to be better informed and empowered about personal data. The recent Uber data breach emerged after our research was complete, but it nonetheless shows digital privacy concerns are often well-founded,” said co-author Professor Kimberlee Weatherall.

Key Areas of Digital Rights 

Internet Freedom 

Since its creation, the Internet has raised issues about digital rights. There is a concern about consumer’s effective access to Internet, and the threats to Internet freedoms. These include shutting down or disabling access: service blocking, denial of service attacks, content filtering, and the undermining  of “net neutrality”, where all Internet traffic is equal, rather than giving preference to speed and quality to some “premium” or business services.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Central to digital rights, IP concerns new kinds of controls for rights holders. Copying and sharing digital information raises issues surrounding the rights management and because new areas of information, media, and communication have become part of the digital realm, raising new issues of ownership and rights. Copyright laws impact the digital economy and culture, sparking debate about downloading and sharing of digital content, copyright protections on e-books, ownership of information and user-generated content on social media.

Image source: The Wall Sticker Company

Internet Governance

Internet governance emerged along with mechanisms and cultures to assist with the development and coordination of the technical and social operation of the Internet.  It deals with issues in policy analysis, governance, and regulation are essential to understand alongside, or as building blocks of, digital rights.

Digital Citizenship

Originally conceived as a form of political participation, digital citizenship recognises the need for internet literacy and an understandings of networked social relations. The European Digital Framework for Citizens (European Commission, 2016a), mandates the development knowledge and skills in information literacy, communication and collaboration, content creation, safety and problem solving in order to fully participate in society.

Digital Rights for Different Actors

The rights issues for digital citizens must be considered from different perspectives, especially those who may have been overlooked. Privacy can be specific to a range of factors: cultural context; age, class, gender, sexuality, race, disability, and other categories such as income and occupation. The inadvertent release of such information through hacking or the use of information gained from social media raises concerns about safety, security and potential harassment.

Summary of Key Findings 

• Some 47 per cent of Australians worry about government violating their privacy;
• A large majority (78 per cent) want to know how social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are using their personal data;
• Some 79 per cent say retention of phone call information is a breach of privacy;
• A majority (58 per cent) oppose a metadata retention scheme, but support lifts when this policy is framed as a law enforcement, security, or terrorism measure;
• Australians are divided about freedom of speech online. Some 37 per cent agree with being ‘free to say and do what I want online’, but 30 per cent disagree, while the remaining 33 per cent hold reservations about absolute freedom of speech online.
• Half believe they have the right to anonymity online, but opinion is divided on whether people should be free ‘to say and do what they want’, with 36 per cent agreeing and 30 per cent disagreeing with this statement.
• 39 per cent of Australians have been affected by mean of abusive remarks online, and 27 per cent have had personal information posted without their consent, 20 per cent or fewer have been affected by more serious types of attack – such as racist remarks, unwanted sexual communications, and cyber-bullying.
• A third of parents (37 per cent) have advised their child to reduce their social media use due to the behaviour of others, while almost a quarter (24 per cent) have advised their children to delete a social media account due to bullying.

*Digital Rights and Governance is an interdisciplinary research project based at the University of Sydney and funded by the Sydney Research Excellence Initiative (SREI) 2020.

**Original article, ‘Majority of Australians say online privacy beyond their control’, posted by The University of Sydney, 27 November 2017.

View the full Digital Rights in Australia report.

Alyce Brierley
Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Do You Have Soft Skills To Be In The Workplace Of The Future?

As the workforce moves deeper into a the age of automation, why is it so hard to find the right candidates with the right skills? While many graduates have adequate technical skills, a large percentage lack soft skills like innovative and critical thinking, change and stakeholder management, and a drive for results. 

As graduation approaches for Master of Marketing students at the University of Sydney, for many, finding a job that’s the right fit has become the number one priority. According to research from recruitment company Hudson, when it comes to hiring for technology and digital jobs in 2017, almost half of the job market is open to new opportunities. Even more  sobering for employers is the fact that only a quarter of employees are content to stay in their current roles. Do you see a connection?

PwC reported in their 20th CEO Survey that when seeking value, there must be a stronger focus on a business’ ‘human system’, because it’s the human skills that can’t be automated, such as emotional intelligence, creativity and adaptability.

Similarly, PWC’s Workforce of the Future report noted that in an ever increasing automated world, human skills will still be valued. “Businesses are advised to strengthen innovation, creativity, empathy and leadership capabilities in your business alongside critical technology skills”.

Do you know what are soft skills are?

Soft skills relate to your personal characteristics and traits, and also have a very important role in the company’s decisions who to hire for a particular job position. Unlike hard skills, soft skills are much more difficult to measure and quantify. Good examples are communication, leadership, adaptability and problem-solving abilities, but they can also be things like conflict management, human relations, making presentations, negotiating and team building.

As the hard skills are much more evolved, it is easier for the companies to compare job candidates according to their hard knowledge and abilities. Both hard and soft skills are equally important to employers, so it’s important to communicate all of your qualities, certificates and other documents that prove your hard skills. Here is a handy infographic comparing the most common and valuable soft vs hard skills required in a wide number of job descriptions:

Image: Business Phrases

Is there a connection between soft skills and value?

This is a serious hiring challenge for recruiters when it comes to finding candidates with the right technical skills, who fit the organisational culture and who also possess the relevant soft skills. It’s not always easy to find the right people, especially when you consider the competition. According to Hudson, 90% of hiring managers are recruiting to either maintain or grow their headcount.

Image: Hudson

On the other side of the table, candidates are looking for a good working environment, work/ life balance and a role that is also challenging. If for some reason these needs aren’t met or sufficient value isn’t provided by employers, employee job satisfaction falls. 

Developing soft skills for success. 

A good work ethic, optimism, high emotional IQ and the ability and willingness to collaborate with others are just a few of the soft skills that employers look for when hiring. So if you think that these are a few areas  you need to work on, look no further than TED Talks.

Amy Cuddy’s "Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are"

Cuddy explains how your body language affects not only the people around you but yourself as well. By striking certain stances or making certain gestures, we can make ourselves feel confident or passive, happy or sad. Cuddy’s talk will help with your non-verbal communication skills.

Julian Treasure’s “5 Ways to Listen Better”

“We’re losing our listening. This is not trivial. Because listening is our access to understanding. Conscious listening always creates understanding.” -Julian Treasure

Treasure teaches us that if we listen closely to each other, we can understand each other better. Soft skills—particularly listening—creates mutual respect. We respect those who respect us. If you respect people by listening to them, they will in turn reciprocate. 

Tali Sharot “The Optimism Bias”

Optimism can change your mindset and body. It can affect real life outcomes, keep you motivated and lower stress levels. In this talk, learn to develop the soft skill of remaining optimistic. 

Kelly McGonigal “How To Make Stress Your Friend”

In her Ted Talk, Kelly discusses how to turn stress into a positive, opening up the conversation of “looking for the silver lining”. Stress can be seen as a positive thing- a moment of courage that can help with productivity and positivity. 

Just like hard skills, soft skills can be learned. Developing these skills can help in all parts of your life, both professional and personal. So if you think you are someone who is lacking in these areas, don’t tell yourself that they don’t matter. When automation in the workplace becomes ‘the norm’, chances are, a little bit of humanity will go a very long way.

Alyce Brierley
Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Australia says, ‘YES!’ to Same-Sex Marriage!

I’ve never been so proud to be an Aussie. After a hard slog of heated debates and intense rallying, finally the postal vote survey results have given LGBTI+ Australians the right to same-sex marriage with a majority vote of 61%. As a student in the Master of Marketing Program, my mind automatically wonders, ‘What’s next?’. How will same-sex marriage affect people’s perceptions of brands? What will be the effect on the economy? And will there be changes in the workplace environment?

Image source: ESSA. 

At the University of Sydney, students are encouraged to ‘unlearn’ old thought processes and open their minds to a world of openness, empathy and tolerance. Finally, Australia has decided to take a similar stance by choosing to ‘unlearn’ the previous notion of love. An incredible, 80 per cent of adult Australians participated in the voluntary postal vote that started hitting Australian letterboxes back in early September.

Now the future of LGBTI+ Australians is in the hands of the federal parliament and will require federal politicians to agree with the voice of the majority of Australians. So with the battle won and the fight still far from over, will the greater society choose to accept this change in culture? And will brands choose to change along with them?

Photo source: Bandt. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (middle) with two Marriage Equality supporters in Prince Alfred Park.

Supporting the cause is set to pay off.

During the campaigning, many brands who decided to publicly show their support can now rejoice because they aligned themselves with the winning cause. Prominent ‘YES’ supporter, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, gave the keynote address at a results reveal party in Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park, asking Malcolm Turnbull to “get on and do it”. The Irish-born Joyce said, “I was so proud of Ireland when they were the first country to vote for marriage equality, but today I’m proud of Australia its an amazing outcome.”

Qantas has been a staunch supporter of marriage equality for some time, going all out by furnishing the exterior of a plane in rainbow regalia for Mardi Gras. Joyce even personally donated $1m to the ‘Yes’ campaign.

Image: The official Qantas Twitter page

The benefits of the pink dollar.
There’s no doubt that marriage equality will do wonders to boost the bottom line for brands who supported ‘YES’. But what about the benefits to the Australian economy? The economic activity that will be created by gay weddings is sometimes called the pink dollar. From increased spending in the Australian economy, improved labour productivity to betterment in social and mental health, not to mention expenditure on weddings, the new legislation will bring a range of positive benefits.

Image: Facebook

The proof is in the pudding. Just look at the USA, where same-sex weddings resulted in a boost of $111 million over five years in the economy of the American state of Massachusetts alone. If only 50% of same-sex couples choose to tie the knot and then half of those couples get married within twelve months of the marriage equality legislation being passed, ANZ calculated that expenditure on weddings alone could add at least $500 million to the economy. Assuming that a wedding costs $51,000 on average, expenses include; venue hire, catering, waitstaff, alcohol, decorators, dress and suit shops, photographers, receptions, wedding planners and florists, just to name a few.

Cherelle Murphy & Mandeep Kaura, Co-head of Australian Economics & Economic statistician from ANZ, take a more optimistic view of the benefits to the economy, claiming, "If half of the population of same sex couples chose to marry within one year, the benefits to the economy in the first year of the legislation would be over $1bn."

Image: A wedding cake with Lego men was part of an advertising campaign pitched at Australians wanting to get married in New Zealand. 

In addition to the benefits for a wide range of industries, state governments will also receive a new source of revenue with more marriage licence fees and secular wedding ceremonies.

In fact, all the local businesses that have previously missed out on earning the pink dollar due to same-sex marriages being conducted overseas will now be able to share a piece of the pie. Commonly, Australians who are in a same-sex relationship often go abroad to tie the knot. Now we should see a drop in Australians travelling overseas for marriage purposes, giving way to a rise in reinvesting funds into industries at home.

Is this the end of irrational social discrimination in the workplace?

The knock-on effects of marriage equality could also benefit Australian businesses through increased productivity, higher talent attraction and decreased chance of consumer backlash. Marriage equality is a step towards overcoming irrational social discrimination against LGBTI+, which according to UBS economist, Paul Donovan, acts as an inhibitor to increased labour productivity and labour potential.

“At least part of the growth of income inequality in recent years has been about the higher rewards to higher skills — the market place more value on maximizing skills than in the past,” writes Donovan for Australian Business Insider. “This is why any form of prejudice is bad economics. Irrationally discriminating against a section of society will deny an economy the full value of that group’s skill set.”

“Legalizing same-sex marriage is a means of reducing prejudice and through so doing should help to raise productivity in an economy,” concludes Donovan.

According to Donovan, legalizing same-sex marriage helps to promote trend growth in the following three ways:

• It removes the limits on labour mobility that come with states not recognising gay marriage. If someone’s marriage is not recognised in a certain state, then that person’s desire to move to that state is weakened by the prospect of economic and legal disadvantages.
• It helps to overcome the problem of “irrational” social discrimination — specifically at work. Since marriage is as much a social thing as it is a legal institution, denying this social rite-of-passage to one group suggests that that group is somehow socially inferior. In the workplace, this nurtures “irrational discrimination,” according to Donovan.
• It helps overcome the problem of economic underperformance resulting from the mental strain of being an inferior group. Donovan writes that there’s strong evidence that creating an “inferior class” negatively impacts the economic performance of that group.

Considering that 1% of all couples are same-sex couples in Australia, the passing of this legislation is huge in comparison. There is no price that can be put on the economic benefits, decrease in discrimination, and overall improvement to the lives and well-being of same sex couples. I hope, with all my heart that with the results in, this bill can be passed quickly so that we can leave all the ugliness of the debating from the last few months behind, working together to build a better future for all Australians.

Alyce Brierley
Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Stranger Things: From Content to Merchandise

Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to is losing their mind for Stranger Things. There’s just something about the nightmare nostalgia that millennials can’t get enough of. Which is why it makes sense that Netflix are following in the footsteps of Disney and Lucasfilm to bless the world with Stranger Things merchandise.

Image Source: Marketing Mag (Topshop)

Netflix is cashing in on the release of Stranger Things season two by partnering with Hasbro and Topshop to bring the world merch like Monopoloy and vintage-style apparel. For Netflix, merchandise looks as though it will be just the beginning of a lucrative revenue source.

After a quick search on google, I found a array of figurines, card games, T-shirts and ‘what about Barb?’ memorial paraphernalia on sale with a range of vendors, from Etsy and Ebay to Target. Not all of them are official though, which could explain why Netflix decided to break with tradition, instead deciding to explore the realm of consumer products.

Image Source: Christmas sweater from Target. Marketing Mag

A new distribution model
If you are one of the few people who hasn’t watched the show, the retro sci-fi hit, which is soon to go down in history as a cult favourite, plays on nostalgia to combine storytelling entwined with numerous references to popular culture from the early eighties.

Starring 80s actors like Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine, the narrative begins on 6 November 1983 in a small Indiana town called Hawkins, where a 12-year-old boy disappears in the woods while out cycling past a secret government research facility. Following the disappearance, Indiana suffers visitations, monster sightings and the sudden appearance of a strange young girl called Eleven, who looks to be the victim of either scientific or supernatural interventions.

According to data provided by the US media measurement company Symphony AdvancedMedia, during the first 17 days following the program’s release on Netflix, Stranger Things averaged 8.2m viewers among millennials aged 18-49.

Netflix may a long way off from becoming a merchandise empire, but they are certainly making a significant investment in their new distribution model. The success has seen a rise in cross-media friendly projects, hiring Jess Richardson, formerly of World Wrestling Entertainment, to take charge of licensing shows for books, comics and toys. There has been the acquisition of comic book publisher Millarworld, the adoption of young adult pop culture franchise Chambers and popular video game franchise The Witcher.

Image Source: What’s on Netflix?

It’s a simple case of supply and demand.
Netflix's top content executive, Ted Sarandos, said the decision to start selling merchandise for Stranger Things was because of the "huge demand for people who want a T-shirt with Eleven on it."

Merchandise has always been a cash cow for certain media companies like Disney, but for Netflix the focus has always been focused on video content. However, since Netflix became the leading global OTT television provider, it has ventured into genres like reality TV, late-night-style talk shows, and live-audience sitcoms.

Only now have they also transitioned into merchandise because unlike may of their other titles, Stranger Things is title is free of any outside ownership complications. As the first original series Netflix developed and produced entirely in-house. Other Netflix's originals have been developed with outside production companies or studios, meaning that those production companies get the rights to the intellectual property.

Image: Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos. Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty

Here are three lessons, as described by Forbes Magazine , that show that Netflix are leading the way with strategic customer experience:

1. Content is now the opiate of the masses: “super-users of Netflix care more about storytelling and experiences than things, and a great way to deliver these experiences that take you somewhere else is rich content and storytelling.”

2. Lead with storytelling, follow with product creation: “it’s much easier to test different content and later create a community around the content. After an understanding of the viewer, Netflix can figure out what products customers will enjoy.”

3. Bring great user experiences to everything you do: “Netflix knows a lot about you, and it cares about your seamless experience. Now it will use that knowledge to seamlessly sell you products.

So what kinds of shows can we expect from Netflix in the future? Well, your guess is a good as mine, but I can tell you that they will continue to make shows and movies that their audiences will fall in love with. And so they should! With the amount of information that Netflix knows about their audience, we can expect nothing less than ‘awesomeness’.

The “nostalgia strategy” in Netflix’s fiction, will bring us back in time to revisit remakes of Ghostbusters, Twin Peaks, Fuller House, an 80s family sit-com, and The Get Down, Baz Luhrmann’s drama set in New York in the late 1970s.

Whether the fascination with nostalgia has to do with extended adultification for millennials, or simply embracing the ‘inner child’, Stranger Things resonates with its audience on a deep level because of its ties to pop culture, toys and growing up. What can we learn from Netflix is that nostagia has the ability to go much further than content. Stranger Things’ entire storyline is founded on toys, so it makes sense that their merchandise should be too.

Alyce Brierley
Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Making a statement at the Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup. It’s the race that stops the nation. Celebrated by Australians both young and old, the Cup is as a big a part of Aussie culture as Vegemite and Pavlova at Christmas. Although it’s come under criticism for many reasons in recent years, it still remains a huge opportunity for big brands and small businesses alike, to tap into the race-time celebrations with marketing and promotions.

If you aren’t an Aussie, you’re probably wondering what the big deal is. It’s just a race, right? Wrong! The Melbourne Cup is traditionally the one day of the year where employers actively encourage their employees to excessively drink and get dressed up to the nines. Even in schools, teachers enlighten children as young as three years old how to gamble, by betting on horses to win icy poles. In my school, I remember letters going home asking parents to allow their children to come to class with $2 to participate in sweepstakes. Those were certainly different days...

There are a lot of mixed feelings surrounding the Melbourne Cup Day, but for the most part it’s seen as being just a bit of harmless fun. Every single business in the country takes part in the promotions that target customers who’ll be entertaining, as well as guests bringing something to a friend’s or workplace’s event. It’s an opportunity for everyone to get involved including fashion retailers, hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons, restaurants, pubs and bars, cafes, patisseries and caterers, bottle shops, pharmacies, dry cleaners, supermarkets, delis and even grocery stores.

Welcome to an era of everyday luxury.

Why am I talking about the Melbourne Cup? From a marketing perspective, the Cup is an interesting choice for brands, especially those sponsoring marquees in the Birdcage. For those who have been living under a rock, or are from another part of the world, let me explain that the Birdcage is the ultimate luxury experience, available to an exclusive audience. Tickets cost around $2K and unless you are on the list, there is no way you are getting in.

Earlier in the semester, in Innovative Marketing Strategies, Margaret highlighted the importance of having a strategy when selecting partnerships sponsorships and influencers and ensuring that they share the same values and essence of a brand. So cashing in on the celebrations may not be the right move for everyone, but for premium brands like Mumm, the Melbourne Cup is an attractive event.

Image source: Financial Review

According to the Financial Review, ‘The Birdcage is considered a sort of barometer of how well corporate Australia is travelling. Although this year's 28 marquees is down from 34 in 2009 and 53 in 2007, the marquees have become multi-storey and grander than ever in an ever increasing art of one-upmanship.’

Take for example the 59-foot yacht at the Melbourne Cup Birdcage. What does this say about the Mumm brand? A few words come to my mind, but I will let you make up your own minds.

Image Source: SMH. Elyse Taylor in the Lexus Design Pavilion in the Birdcage. Photo: Karon Photography

To Bryan Fry, the managing director of Pernod Ricard Australia, the millions spent by the 28 brands in the birdcage including Emirates, Lion Nathan, Sensis, Tabcorp, Myer, Kennedy, Lavazza and Lexus might appear excessive but there is a marketing strategy at play. Signing up high-profile influencers like celebrities, politicians and CEOs are also part of the plan.

Fry talks about his experience in the luxury space to the Financial Review. According to Fry, Australians are eating and drinking better. They are looking for more experiences, and are willing to spend more for special events.

"There has been a real premiumisation in terms of beer, wine and food," Fry says.

"When I left (Australia), champagne was quite expensive and considered rarefied air. Now you have more people enjoying it more regularly. It is still premium, but it's a taste of everyday luxury."

Everyday luxury? That sounds like an oxymoron if I ever heard one. In fact I’m seriously confused. As someone who is serious about fine dining, wine and the occasional luxury purchase, Mumm’s choice to ‘make a statement’ at the Melbourne Cup kind of puts me seriously at odds with the brand.

Some say exclusive, others say excessive.

The excessive displays that can be seen at The Birdcage weren’t always this way. In 1986 the first corporate marquees were established and for a decade it remained an exclusive event. Apparently, less was once more, when it came to entertaining in The Birdcage. Now it’s a circus display of bourgeoisie mixing with cashed-up bogans. The Sydney Morning Herald accurately puts it as ‘the place to be- to see this decadent scene while being seen.’

Image source: SMH. Last year’s Mumm marquee incorporated a swimming pool. Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen

Deeta Colvin, a long-time premium brand strategist, who organised marquees at the event for 12 years spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald of how things have changed since setting up for, Louis Vuitton back in the day.

"Single-storey, fresh flowers, antique furniture," she says. "Beautiful bar, great food. Simple, elegant – like a very upmarket picnic races. The guest list went from the PM to the top CEOs and chairmen, and our French visitors. It was the AAA-list – a very sought-after ticket."

"We set the scene. Little did we know what would happen," she said. "They jammed marquee on top of marquee. You don't even see a blade of grass anymore."

"We had a fantastic decade," says Colvin, "but the dynamic and target audience totally changed. For our clients, we felt, sadly, it was time to go. For our last one we just served Krug and caviar on the lawn, then we left."

When you consider the expense of an investment in a marquee, it’s important to consider whether it is indeed the right strategy for your brand. In 2011 Emirates reportedly spent roughly $1500 per guest, totally around $1.5 million. To get a marquee on the front row, a brand practically sponsors a race.

It’s a big risk when you consider all of the potential PR catastrophes that might occur which could potentially damage a brand sponsoring the event.

Public opinion of the event is falling.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who has some issues with the event. In the article, Melbourne Cup: Here's what you don't like about the race that stops the nation, the ABC asked punters at the races what their thoughts were on the event.

Image Source: ABC. Everyday luxury at the Melbourne Cup

For some it highlighted everything that was wrong with humanity:

"I worked for a few years as a bar attendant within the corporate 'birdcage' [which] represents all the most noxious parts of colonial, consumerist, corporate, misogynist and small-minded Australian culture. If an alien came to Melbourne and wanted to understand the where we need help as a culture, I would take them to the Melbourne Cup. Excessive consumption. Sexist beauty standards and rigidly policed gender boundaries. Class divide and corporate culture. Binge drinking. Animal abuse and exploitation. Sexual harassment. Anti-intellectualism and attention-seeking. Littering and total disregard for the environment. And I haven't even mentioned the gambling yet." — Jodie K

Others just didn’t see the point:

"It all seems to be a money grabbing scheme to the detriment of the horses and the consumers." — Hannah L-S

Personally, I have mixed feelings. And I’m speaking for myself here. After living in Paris for many years and attending the races at Longchamps, I really noticed the difference in approach to race day in Australia, I really think that the excessively vulgar displays hurt certain luxury more than help them. Everyday luxury? I’m sorry, but that just really isn’t for me.

Alyce Brierley

Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

A Graduate's View: The Master of Marketing Capstone Project's Role in Transitioning from Study to Work

A Conversation with 2017 Master of Marketing Graduate Chris North

Image: Chris North (left), recent graduate of the Master of Marketing (Beta Gama Sigma) with his father and brother. 

The graduations for the recent 2017 Master of Marketing cohort have now ended for another year and it is time catch up with the graduates as they make the next step in their career journey.  The Master of Marketing ends their degree on a very practical note by requiring all students to complete a capstone project.  In this project all students procure their own business client, identify a strategic marketing issue to investigate, complete their own research and then devise marketing recommendations to best address the issue. Students say it is the most rewarding part of the degree as they get to apply the skills they have learned throughout their degree into a real business life situation.  Chris North has just graduated from the program and talks about his experiences in his complex project for the Virgin Velocity Frequent Flyer Program

MoM: How would you describe the overall experience in completing the capstone's project marketing audit, project proposal, completing the research and then presenting the final report to your client?

Overall, it was exciting, like an amusement park ride. I could see the track, just not all the loops and turns! Some of the challenges I did not expect initially were around the depth of research required for the original project proposal. I had to uncover and then work through the complex issues impacting the Velocity program. I underestimated this at first. However, as students are working with an academic supervisor, I was guided deeper into the research to find more data that explained both the Velocity program, and the consumer trends in their market. Another hurdle was my own bias. I was not just a student, but a customer to Velocity. I have gold status with both Velocity and their main competitor (Qantas), so I was being swayed by my own views. Therefore the challenge with my research was to use my personal insight to my advantage as background knowledge, but at the same time be conscious and aware of my personal biases and not allow them to limit my information search and analysis.  The research really opened my eyes to the size and complexity of the loyalty market. I could see real opportunities for Velocity to better engage with its members and stand out in a very cluttered marketplace.

Image source: Mumbrella

MoM: What challenges did you find in your client's business that had to be overcome to get your project enacted and then communicated to Velocity's management team?

The main overall challenge was that Velocity is going through a period of extraordinary growth with many new members joining the program because of the many benefits they added to the program.  Velocity has been so successful in acquiring members and working on getting them integrated into the program that they had not had a moment spare to stop and evaluate what has happened and see if this was the best way to grow.  My research evaluated this period of growth and gained deep insights from a wide range of customers on their value perceptions and experiences with the program.  As you can imagine, the research revealed both problems and opportunities. The main challenge was putting all the insights together in a manner to distinguish the underlying causes of customer problems and then devising recommendations that aimed at improving member engagement with the program as a basis for future growth.  After a period of extraordinary growth, it was a challenge to deliver my project as a new way to perceive Velocity’s current situation and to increase their customer’s relationship with the program. 

MoM: We could describe your project as an arduous yet rewarding journey. You completed extensive customer research including both in-depth interviews and a broad-based customer survey to inform your recommendations. You had a plethora of findings showing a great depth of understanding of the customer's mindset. How challenging was it to deliver such deep findings to your client in a succinct way to support your recommendations?

This presentation was confronting, on a number of levels. I was presenting to an established and ongoing business, with people far better qualified than me to tell them about their customers. At the same time, I wasn’t walking in only to walk out as a student. I’ve worked in senior roles in media and investment banking, and only once have I seen a student present to a group of senior leaders in an organisation. I spent weeks crafting my presentation so they saw me, not as a student, but as an asset. Slides and text content was kept to a strict minimum (15 slides, no more than 20 words on a slide), and I spoke to them in their language. The delivery needed to challenge their current way of thinking, to shift their paradigms to show them their business faced ongoing challenges. 

MoM: The business environment changes more rapidly now than it ever has, so changes to the scope of works in the consulting project do happen.  That’s life!  What were the key things you focussed on that allowed you to consider your client’s instructions, and then quickly devise a realistic and achievable project that was in accordance with their instructions?

I went back through some of the old lectures, especially those around Brand Loyalty and Customer Lifetime Value. I knew they were the two main areas to focus on in this project. The business wanted to improve its internal marketing, while providing a more relevant product to the customer. I researched the Business Canvas Model, it provided me with a succinct representation of the customer experience, and what the customer wanted from their interaction. The Bain and Co Elements of Value Pyramid was the most valuable. It exposed the true touch points of the Velocity brand to its membership base. The strategy for Velocity over the next couple of years is to be Australia’s most loved loyalty program. But what is love? And what do customer’s actually love, and not just put up with? The models helped define the disparity between the aspirations of the customer and the aspirations of the business. The Value Pyramid is exceptionally good in showing how valuable it is to step into the customer’s shoes.

Image source: Bain

MoM: Your report was very illuminating for your client with telling marketing implications.  Can you tell us about how some of the main findings (even unexpected findings) that was valuable to the business?

The real eye opener was to see where the customer relationship with the brand was not necessarily in line with their long-term strategy. There were some members that loved the brand, but many who weren’t engaged, or weren’t given what they consider to be tangible benefits. The main takeaway was that all members need relevant benefits, not just the valuable top tiered members. The research uncovered an interesting insight whereby a recent marketing initiative designed to grow Velocity members had unintended consequences.  That is, comments saying “I’m now loyal to Brand X, thanks Velocity,” were most telling – the Velocity campaign provided more customer attachment to a partner brand, and not for themselves.

MoM: You have talked about the benefits to the business, what were the main benefits you received from completing the capstone project?

This project required a lot of preparation. Every subject in the course was used in creating the final report. In particular, the Evaluating Marketing Performance, Decision Making & Research, Contemporary Consumer Behaviour and Marketing in the Global Economy subjects were very valuable. I went through the subject revision notes and read the articles again. I wanted to be sure I could support any of my recommendations to the client. That to me is worth more than anything: being disciplined and researched well enough to make an informed marketing decision about a consumer’s behaviour in the global economy. 

Finally I was able to learn from my contemporaries and the academic staff. I was in constant contact with my mentor, and I formed a small group where we supported each other, and helped maintain perspective on the workload. We’d meet once a week to share the challenges and wins, and we walked away with learning outcomes that helped shape a better individual project. 

Photo: Lise Lehto, Master of Marketing Graduate October 2017

MoM: What advice can you give those students who are about to commence their projects or are now working through their projects?

1. Be led by the overall business challenge and not nuances of a single marketing campaign. If I was to anchor my work to an idea, instead of a business challenge, then it would end in disaster. Focus on the challenge to the business, provide them with what they need. The Super Bowl as can always come later. 
2. Be a solutions person, not a problem person. Put each challenge into the sentence “you know the problem with this company? (insert problem here)” and then imagine being the CEO listening to that. Your marketing career will go nowhere fast if you’re the ‘problem person’.
3. WWALT? (what would a layman think?). This seems weird but it makes perfect sense because it forces you to use everyday, simple language, and not get hooked up into management speak. Does the business face disconnected and imbalanced mission synergy? What does that even mean? If you want to say “the business needs to become more customer focussed”, then just say that.
4. One thought per slide. What? Really? Yes. It’s an old radio adage “one thought per microphone break”. It forces me to be succinct and relevant. I put every slide, every recommendation, and every info-graphic through the filter: what is the one thing I want them to remember? If I’m asking them to remember too much, they’ll lose interest. 

Colin Farrell

Industry Specialist Lecturer in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School

Chris North

Graduate in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School