Brains are our main asset: 3 international courses for marketers
I usually get rewarded in exchange for the product of my intellectual and creative work. That is, my key asset is the brain. And the human brain, like a muscle, needs regular loads. In addition to work tasks, it is worth paying attention to training. War should not be an excuse, but a catalyst for our development. That's why learning, especially international, is critical right now.
Maintaining cognitive abilities
As soon as the war began, the lion's share of my attention was taken away by the news. The chaotic and uncontrolled consumption of military content from two screens at the same time led to the fact that I felt all the "bonuses" of clip thinking. After the headline, you no longer read the news, and writing something yourself seemed to be torture at all. Is it necessary to say something about books abandoned for an unknown period, purchased for a "covid thousand"?
Therefore, from the consumption of "fast food" content, I switched to a healthier and healthier one in the form of courses. It is absorbed longer, but there is more benefit from it. You can start with Coursera, and then gradually raise the bar.
Recommendation: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour course from Professor Nader Tavassoli from London Business School. Easy-to-learn content, short lectures, simple tests and all the advantages of the MOOS format (Massive Open Online Courses — Editor's note). Experienced marketers will be familiar with a lot of the course, but for beginners it will be as useful as possible.
Who is this course for: marketing students, brand managers and specialists in related fields.
Cost: free of charge.
Reorientation to Western markets
Unfortunately, falling GDP, exchange rate fluctuations and rising unemployment make it clear that the time has come for the active export of their services to Western markets and the attraction of currency in Ukraine. To do this effectively, you need to be in the context of the best world practices, gain knowledge from international experts and eventually pump business English. All sorts of "jobs-tu-bi-dan and "user-expiration" have long been entrenched in our lexicon, so it won't be that difficult.
As a result, it will be somewhat easier to find a common language with foreign partners or clients, understand their mentality and increase their competitiveness in the global market.
International recognition of expertise
There are many great schools and platforms in Ukraine with courses for every taste. But they, unfortunately, are not very recognizable abroad. Therefore, my advice is to go there whose certificate has more weight in the eyes of a Western audience. Well, you need to revive your LinkedIn with something.
My recommendation: Effectiveness Essentials certification from the British Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, incorporated by Royal Charter. The content is really valuable and interesting. But there is no live communication, training and exam are fully automated - this is the main drawback, in my opinion.
IPA certifications are primarily aimed at professional advertisers from the UK, but it is a fairly reputable organization beyond its borders. And the confirmation of your competencies in accordance with British standards will be a clear signal of your decent professional level. Moreover, the IRA has opened up free access for Ukrainians to some of its certifications, so this opportunity should not be missed.
Who is this certification for: marketers and advertisers of middle and senior levels.
Cost: usually £250.00 + VAT, but there is an option to get free access by writing them a letter before 30 November.
Networking
Each live course is always a useful party for students and teachers, among whom you can meet potential partners, clients or employers. Sometimes it is this factor that is decisive when choosing a future place of study. Firstly, you have a common topic for conversation with fellow students, and secondly, you immediately position yourself as a person who develops and improves his skills.
As part of my mini marketing MBA training, each of the students was invited to a closed group on LinkedIn (yes, most of our international colleagues sit there). In the group, it was possible to discuss lectures, get to know each other, briefly present themselves, exchange useful resources, etc. there was also in touch the author of the course — the legendary marketer Mark Ritson, who almost daily joined the discussions, answered students' questions and gave advice on real cases.
And in the comments, you could also meet people of the VP or CMO level of global corporations who are open to new contacts and willingly support the conversation.
So I ardently recommend Mini MBA in Marketing with Mark Ritson not only for networking, but for Mark's invaluable years of experience, which he willingly shares. The course consists of 10 modules and 5 Q&A sessions with Mark. The cherry on the cake is an exam, a conditional case for 14 pages. Taking into account the data provided, it is necessary to prepare a marketing plan for the year, based on the logic of the entire MBA course. Market research, segmentation, targeting, positioning, goal setting, selection of communication channels and the final budget with costs and planned profits and justification of the chosen tactics. There is no single correct answer there, so you need to test different hypotheses, play with calculations and finally prescribe the most optimal strategy. No wonder it was given two weeks to perform it.
Who is this course for: strategists, senior-level marketers, CMOs.
Price: €1,875 + tax.
Instead of a resume
Ukrainians are now involved simultaneously on several fronts — military and economic. And on the latter, our weapons are our intelligence, ambition, competitiveness and ability to adapt to a new reality. There are many other reasons for learning besides those listed. Perhaps someone is planning a switch between professions, but for someone it is just a practice to overcome stress. But we must always keep the "pollen natochen" and bring victory closer by all means.
