NYU's MS of Integrated Marketing Association (IMA)

The first VIP Lunch Dialogue of the 2007-2008 academic year was held this past Wednesday. If you didn't attend, you missed a great opportunity to listen in on thought leadership in this growing and increasingly complex field. Panelists were all heavy-hitters in the field of Online Media and Market Research:

In addition to some brief product demos, panelists discussed the importance of research in an industry that is becoming saturated with data but is still lacking consistent metrics and ultimately actionable intelligence and information. The most memorable quote for me was "the frustration of [online] being the most measurable media is that it is the media with the most measures." After the panel was over, I spoke to all participants and it was pretty clear to me that all companies present were scrambling to establish leadership positions beyond research and analytics but really are trying to be considered a key part of what is evolving into the Holy Grail for marketers- the Marketing Dashboard (a standardized set of technologies, metrics and data sets that will enable marketers to effectively segment and precisely target their audiences).

Even though the deluge and confusion may seem frustrating- where some see blood others smell opportunity. All areas of analytics promise to be high growth markets. The job outlook for Market Research Analysts (a profession typically seen as slow growth or administrative) alone is very promising. Marketers who understand how to conduct research, dissect and digest data and ultimately create thoughtful analysis will be able to open many doors. The good news for us as students in the program is that there are many opportunities to learn some of these techniques in class: Database Mining and Modeling, Web Mining and Advanced Online Marketing.