Reebok's win-win relationship with business school

Recently, five teams of MBA students at the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University conducted extensive marketing studies for Reebok on different aspects of marketing in the digital age. This research and analysis was performed as part of a term-long project in an elective marketing class entitled “Digital Marketing,” taught by Prof. Fareena Sultan.

Students examined such cutting edge new media phenomenon as:
· Mobile Marketing
· Second Life
· Marketing Options in Video Games
· You Tube
· Online social networks (MySpace, Facebook etc.)

They examined trends, opportunities for marketing, and presented examples of best practices of using these trends for marketing purposes. Students also made specific recommendations to Reebok as to how they could take advantage of these new digital marketing trends. They wrote extensive reports and made oral presentations to senior executives from Reebok.
The fact that MBA students were conducting market research and analysis for a Global 500 company is not unique. What is? The fact that the very people conducting the in-depth analysis and research make up the very audience companies like Reebok are trying to target through expanded digital marketing efforts.

For Reebok this was an ideal collaboration situation. “We are dedicating an increasing percentage of our marketing dollars to reaching young consumers where they live: on mobile devices, video games and on the Internet. Digital marketing is a relatively new discipline, and , we are constantly striving to uncover the most effective ways to communicate with consumers via these new media that is relevant to our brand,” said Catherine Thomason, Director, Global E-Commerce & CRM in Digital marketing at Reebok. “Working with bright MBA students studying the latest techniques in digital marketing to analyze our existing efforts and recommend improvements enables us to get direct feedback from the audience most affected by these new marketing tools and techniques.”

“In addition to the research they conducted for Reebok, students in my digital marketing class also benefited from studying new business cases addressing hot topics, such as Addidas’ ‘Brand in the Hand’ mobile marketing campaign.” says Prof. Sultan. “Our aim is to provide students content on the latest trends in marketing as well as to train them in skills necessary for marketing in today’s competitive environment,” she adds.

In Prof. Sultan’s view, marketing students at Northeastern reap the unique benefits of working with, and learning directly from, corporate marketing executives via collaboration such as the one with Reebok. Additionally, Reebok is a member of the newly formed Marketing Track Advisory Board in the MBA program at the CBA.

“Our Marketing Track Advisory Board is made up of senior marketing executives from companies such as Reebok, Blue Cross Blue Shield, EMC, Intel and Coca-Cola, among others” Prof. Sultan adds. She is the chair of the Marketing Career Track in the College of Business Administration.

“Our heritage at Northeastern has been one of close collaboration with the corporations that hire our students, and the retooled MBA we launched last Fall has only sharpened that focus,” Prof. Sultan points out. “We have met with the Board, asking them specifics about the skill-sets they are looking for in MBA graduates. We review our marketing curriculum with them to fine-tune it and make sure these skills are being taught and developed in all of our marketing students.” she adds.

MBA marketing students benefit from this close collaboration between the CBA and senior corporate marketing executives in terms of ideas for new courses and emphasis in these courses on marketing skills that will be needed in the workplace.