New Semester, New Journey

August is nearly upon us, which means the end of studies for many students from USYD's Master of Marketing program. Not the end of the road per se, but the beginning of a new exciting chapter in their lives, careers and future projects. For the rest of us, the journey continues in semester two and we are ready to welcome many more new students into our MoM family.

New students, here's your chance to get involved. 

If you can dream it then you can do it. That’s why we’re all here, right? We’re here because we have a dream and we were gutsy enough to take control of our lives in order to make it happen. With this new semester about to embark, we have an opportunity to get the most out of our master degree. Sure, you can do the bare minimum and just come to class or you can get involved in the community. Our student cohort is full of bright, up and coming stars with a wealth of experience to learn from.

That’s why we can’t stress enough the importance of becoming a member of our student run Facebook group, ‘Master of Marketing USYD’, as well as the closed LinkedIn group by the same name - for students, alumni and industry professionals. You should already know that networking is important and all of these people want to help you achieve your goals.

Marketing Matters want to hear your voice! So if you have a way with words or an opinion to share, get in touch because there’s no better way to strengthen your personal brand or increase your online presence than to contribute to the Master of Marketing blog.

Add your fellow students to your LinkedIn profile, endorse each other for skills, share articles, job postings, ideas, videos ANYTHING! Just don’t waste your time here and sit by on the fence because one year goes incredibly fast and before the blink of an eye this amazing experience will be over and it will be graduation time and that moment may have passed you by.

But before you start thinking about graduation, I hope you will enjoy this welcome video made by current student, Bowie Chen, with tips shared by current students from Master of Marketing program.

Go out there and do amazing things. 

For those students who are about to finish their studies, we just wanted to tell you how much we have enjoyed learning with you. You have become almost like family over the last semester and we hope that you will continue to be active members of our community; sharing stories, experiences and opportunities. We only get out of the program what we put in and just because you have finished, doesn’t mean that you are now on your own.

Remember, no matter which path we choose, we shall never fear the roles we play now, nor those we will play in the future.

Finalists for the Marketing Consulting Project, Alice Xie Yifan and Sarah Homewood, along with the winner of the award, Jessica Farrell, presented their projects to the audience.

Be engaged with the industry. 

Honorary Associate Professor, Dr Terry Beed, reminded us on Tuesday evening that both the University of Sydney’s Business School and the Dean, Associate Professor Geoff Frost, place a great deal of importance on engagement with the marketing industry. The receptions held for incoming and continuing students, are designed specially for this reason, with leading executives and marketing professionals as well as alumni, often invited to provide opportunities for students to network. 

We believe that’s what sets the University of Sydney’s Master of Marketing program apart from other programs of its kind. We are the most connected and engaged program on offer for experienced marketers. 

MoM students: Chris North, Honorary Master of Ceremonies, and Alyce Brierley, Social Media Manager of Marketing Matters.

What you missed at the welcome reception. 

On Tuesday 25th of July, orientation began for the commencing students, many of whom attended the evening welcome event at the Abercrombie Business School’s Refectory. Acting as Honorary Master of Ceremonies for the Reception, the event was hosted by current Master of Marketing student, Chris North, who in keeping with his reputation for comical relief, had us all thoroughly entertained throughout the evening. 

The opening speech delivered by Honorary Associate Professor, Dr Terry Beed, and Associate Professor Geoff Frost who is also the Associate Dean (Graduate Business), as well as a special message from Pennie Frow, Program Director of the Master of Marketing. Explaining how the Master of Marketing program can ‘pave the way’ for students to excel in their careers, Pennie highlighted how successfully completing the program can take students to the next stage in their career, opening up new opportunities across a broad spectrum of marketing roles.

Professor Donnel Briley; Stephen Jenke, Guest Lecturer and recently elected fellow of AMSRS; special guest Ms Margot Priday, CEO of NewsMediaWorks; Andrew Baxter, CEO Australia and New Zealand for Publicis.

A number of the program’s professors and lecturers also attended along with esteemed industry leaders and special guests such as Linda McGregor, Founder and Owner of ALL ABOUT EVE. Linda’s speech on Brand love demonstrated how, as marketers, our craft is to translate input from our target audience into true insights about their behavior, which can in turn give us clues on how to influence it. Only then can we hope to build the bridge between consumer’s needs and our brand offering. To achieve the lofty, lucrative goal of brand love. By using the analogy of a horse whisperer, Linda demonstrated how to interpret consumers’ behaviour to create bonds of trust between customers and brands.

The University of Sydney's MoM students - past, present and future.

It might be hard for new students to understand Brand Love from Linda at this moment. But, as we just mentioned, never let setbacks or fear dictate the course of your life. With the great Master of Marketing program at your fingertips with professional professors and lecturers from Master of Marketing program, all students will be guided by force, nurtured by expertise. 

If you missed out on attending this event, be sure to attend the End of Year Reception, which will be held mid to late November on a date to be announced. There will be awards for best performance in the program and some exciting guest speakers in the line-up for this event. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Notes on the special guests who attended the Master of Marketing Welcome Event 

Stephen Jenke is a Guest Lecturer in the Masters Program who was recently elected a Fellow of the Australian Market and Social Research Society.  He has held global roles with TNS and Kantor in the APAC countries for 10 years prior to returning to Australia recently. 

Ms Margot Priday is the wife of the late Dr Paul Priday a brilliant teacher in the Masters Program and contributor to the its design. Paul was one of Australia’s most respected Creative Directors before embarking later in life on a stellar academic career.  

Peter Miller, newly appointed CEO of NewsMediaWorks and former Global Head of Marketing Strategy for Adstream. Peter is an alumnus of the University of Sydney and a strong supporter of our Master’s Program. 

Andrew Baxter, CEO Australia and New Zealand for Publicis, a multinational advertising and marketing agency. Andrew is one of Australia’s most senior marketing executives and his wife Angela is a Tutor in the Discipline of Marketing’s undergraduate programs.

Alyce Brierley and Hazel Chen

Current students from Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School