Every year, I will bring the students from my CS2031 Integrated Marketing Communication class to Jurong Point mall for a whirlwind lesson in the marketing 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion).
We stopped by different retail shops to examine their product category management, brand positioning, retail heat mapping, and seasonal Chinese New Year storefront build-ups. We discussed why certain shops were given priority storefront positions, why most in-mall advertising does not capture the consumer, and why were there so many pawn shops disguised as jewellery shops. I also had to do my spiel quickly at the Best Denki stop because I know that we would get chased away within 3 minutes.
This annual tour is one of the ways that I pass down critical marketing knowledge that I learned over the past two decades to the next generation. Today, many marketers think that it’s enough to just know digital marketing and AI prompts, but to be a true marketer and communicator, you need to compete with other brands in real life!
Yes, I teach Gen AI, but like I always say to my learners: You can’t wield Gen AI well unless your domain expertise is strong. You can’t do great marketing with AI tools unless you know how to engage customers in real life.
