Emerging Technologies, Divergent Student Competencies: Aligning Marketing Employment Needs with Student Knowledge and Skills in Colleges Today

Today, it is essential for universities to take a close look at both the career needs of their students and how industry partners perceive the preparedness of those students. Technologies such as customer relationship management software, design software, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence software are quickly changing the business landscape. This study investigates the knowledge and preparedness of students at one university relative to their career needs as envisioned by potential employers. Preparedness to conduct work using popular design and customer relationship management software and local employers’ expectations of students relative to being proficient with their most used programs were assessed.

Introduction

In today’s fast-changing marketing environment, much of the work marketers need to perform is being augmented using a variety of computer software programs and technology. From customer relationship management (CRM) to content creation and design, marketers rely on programs to be able to maintain relationships with customers and create promotional and informational materials. With a wide variety of programs available for CRM and content creation/design, university faculty need to assess how to best prepare students for the job market in relation to their proficiency in programs deemed instrumental by potential employers.

What is customer relationship management? The concept can be defined in the following manner:

CRM (customer relationship management) is the combination of practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. The goal is to improve customer service relationships, assist with customer retention, and drive sales growth. (TechTarget, 2024)

Why is CRM software so important? Its major benefit lies in keeping track of customers and their needs, maintaining a line of communication with them, and allowing touchpoints that otherwise may not be available to a firm. CRM helps build relationships and encourages loyalty and retention (Kulpa, 2017). It helps you learn about your customers’ needs and can note trends in purchasing activity (Kulpa, 2017). CRM helps a firm leverage customer data. It helps manage email campaigns, provides for lead development, and can enhance team collaboration (Goldberg, 2023).

CRM is in widespread use today across the business world. There are scores of firms offering their versions of CRM software to the market. Currently, over one-half of firms using CRM claim their CRM software is the most valuable software tool in their offices, and it is the fastest-growing software tool in digital marketing (Fields, 2022). CRM represents a $58 billion dollar market at present, and its growth rate is expected to exceed 13% through 2030 (Kuligowski, 2023). CRM is especially important given the move to remote work (Kuligowski, 2023), and as such, CRM software is becoming an indispensable—and increasingly mobile—tool for many (Schmitz, 2023).

CRM is gaining popularity and is now heavily entrenched in the marketing practices of many employers. Its understanding and use by students is seen as an objective in departmental efforts to improve student skills and curricula outcomes. Do students understand and know how to use CRM software? Are we providing them with the tools and knowledge potential employers expect? Those are questions that drove this research.

To further the research’s purpose, inquiry into knowledge and use of digital design software was investigated. Digital design software is becoming pervasive in the business world today (Ahmed, 2023). Skilled in its use, a student may advance their career further and more quickly than one who is not so skilled. Knowledge of design software has been necessary since the advent of social media since print materials alone may not be enough to adequately market services (Gehred, 2020). Indeed, Gehred believes quality materials serve as an extension and reflection of an institution.

Canva, a leading design software tool, also appears to be pervasive in the marketplace (Aziz, 2022). It is simple to use and appropriate for beginners and professionals alike (Gehred, 2020). In fact, professional users have access to supplemental materials that can improve their efforts. For this reason, the study also investigated the use of Canva by potential employers in the area and the knowledge, experience and skills of students relative to its use.

A part of this study was also directed at the emerging use of virtual reality tools relative to marketing by local employers. While generally referred to as just virtual reality, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), the two concepts can be differentiated by the type of equipment and the level of “virtual immersion” that can be achieved using tools such as virtual reality and augmented reality.

Most people are familiar with VR from the video game industry, where it has been evolving for many years. The main ingredient of a VR system is some type of headset that completely takes over the user’s field of vision, providing an immersive experience. More advanced VR systems provide audio immersion, extremely high resolution, and positional tracking that allows users to move around and use their hands to interact with the virtual environment. (CompTIA, 2024, para. 2)

AR is far less immersive than virtual reality. In AR, some kind of device goes between a user and the physical environment, and information can be displayed while the user still has a normal view of their surroundings. Today, this is usually done with a smartphone or a wearable, such as smart glasses. Moving forward, the technology could be incorporated into everyday eyeglasses, building windows, or devices customized for specific situations. (CompTIA, 2024, para. 5)

The role of augmented reality/virtual reality tools in marketing for the foreseeable future has yet to be fully vetted. What is not in doubt is the amount both large and small firms are investing in its development. For instance, Meta is said to have lost more than $13 billion in research and development funds during 2022, earmarked for AR/VR (Hatmaker, 2023) development. Still, Meta’s commitment to invest in AR/VR appears to be continuing, as Hatmaker (2023) reports an executive saying Meta will continue to provide meaningful investments in the area, given its potential.

Research Design

The overall objective of this study was to assess which marketing-related products, including the Adobe Suite, HubSpot, Salesforce, and other CRM software, design programs, including Canva, and the use of augmented reality/virtual reality products are most desired by marketing professionals hiring the university’s marketing students and the coverage of such programs in the marketing curricula at a university in the southeastern US.

The specific objectives of this study are:

1) To determine the needs of area businesses relative to their use of marketing programs,

2) To determine current offerings of CRM and digital design software instruction at the university in both elective and required courses in marketing curricula,

3) To determine the extent to which businesses in the university’s service area use in-house CRM systems or purchase standard outsourced programs,

4) To determine current marketing students’ understanding of CRM programs utilized in the industry,

5) To determine current marketing students’ capabilities relating to design and content creation programs utilized in the industry,

6) To determine the perceived preparedness of the institution’s marketing graduates by relevant businesses in the local marketing area,

7) To determine the preparedness of the marketing industry for the new venue of virtual and augmented reality marketing,

8) To determine the competencies of marketing students in relation to the emerging market of virtual and augmented reality.

Method

A two-pronged methodology was used to investigate the study’s objectives. A survey of marketing students was performed, as well as a series of personal interviews with managers of area firms who were known to hire marketing students.

Student Survey

A questionnaire was created and tested to survey current marketing students at the institution in question, a regional university in the Southeastern United States. The survey was administered more easily through the use of Google Forms. The survey link and a letter requesting participation were distributed by the department to its marketing majors via email. In keeping with IRB (institutional review board) practices, students could opt out of answering any or all questions without penalty, and no attempt was made to identify the resulting anonymous data with any one student. The survey consisted of 19 questions, 7 of which involved demographic measures. Questions 3, 6, 7, and 8 pertained to CRM programs course exposure and measures of CRM self-perceived proficiency. Questions 4, 5, 9, and 10 related to students’ exposure to design programs and their self-perceived preparedness pertaining to design software. Finally, the researchers asked questions 12, 13, and 14 to analyze student preparedness related to virtual and augmented reality programs. In all, 137 surveys were collected and analyzed from current students.

Employer Interviews

To assess these students’ preparedness levels as compared to that of other student hires and to discern expectations from industry partners, the researchers prepared an interview to be conducted with marketing directors who commonly hire and work with our students/graduates. This interview covered questions similar to those of the student survey while discerning perceptions of employers relative to the ability of our students/graduates to perform their job duties. This survey used open-ended questions for qualitative information to assess employer needs. A total of 7 marketing directors were surveyed for the purpose of this study, providing valuable insights into what employers are looking for in the way of today’s marketing students and their own personal use of these technologies.

Results

Research Objective #1: To Determine the Needs of Area Businesses Relative to Their Use of Marketing Programs

Industry professionals interviewed answered this with two primary needs. Four of the seven employers interviewed stated that an understanding of CRM would be the most important program type to use, with Salesforce being the primary program suggested for gaining experience. The second highest suggested program type to learn is analytical programs, including Google, Meta, and Microsoft Access for databasing, with three out of seven employers suggesting these program types. One last suggestion is that students gain experience with Canva, a simple, user-friendly, industry-standard promotional design program that relates to design questions addressed later.

Research Objective #2: To Determine Current Offerings of CRM and Digital Design Software Instruction at the University in both Elective and Required Courses in Marketing Curricula

The institution does not currently offer a CRM-specific course in its marketing curriculum, but design programs are covered in Marketing 310: Foundations of Marketing Design. 26 of the 137 students surveyed said they had courses in their degree program, with 18 of those responding yes being marketing students. Fifty-six of those who responded stated they were unsure of whether or not they had required courses covering these programs in their degree program. This left 55 respondents who did not have these programs required in their degree program, half of whom were marketing students.

24 of the students surveyed stated that they were sure that program-focused courses were offered as elective courses in their degree program, and 15 of these were marketing students. Eighty-five were unsure whether or not program courses were offered as electives, and 27 said they did not have program-focused courses offered as electives.

Research Objective #3: To Determine the Extent to which Businesses in the University’s Service Area Use In-house CRM Systems or Purchase Standard Outsourced Programs

Six of the seven employers stated that their firms currently use commercially available CRM programs. One employer said they are currently developing a customized CRM program, and there is one firm that uses an in-house program and a customized version of Salesforce. Most of the employers stated that even though they currently use commercially available CRM programs, they do not always fit their specific needs. However, due to not having the capacity to design their own CRM, they simply find the closest CRM to what they need.

Research Objective #4: To Determine Current Marketing Students’ Understanding of CRM Programs Used in the Industry

According to the survey, most of the students stated they were neither familiar nor not familiar with CRM programs, with their responses forming an almost bell-curve distribution, as can be seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Student’s familiarity with CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software programs.

Research Objective #5: To Determine Current Marketing Students’ Capabilities Relating to Design and Content Creation Programs Used in the Industry

Of the four CRM programs students were surveyed, the one students were most proficient with was Salesforce. However, for every program, the students mainly answered that they were not proficient. Despite this, the employers also answered for the four programs surveyed that they, on average, rarely use them. As shown in Fig. 2, while most students are at least proficient with Canva, more than half of the students surveyed said they were not proficient in the Adobe Suite, including Spark, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

Fig. 2. Student’s familiarity with specific design programs.

Likewise, a majority of the employers interviewed stated that they do not regularly use Canva for content and design purposes and instead rely on the Adobe Suite for their content and design needs.

Research Objective #6: To Determine the Perceived Preparedness of the Institution’s Marketing Graduates by Relevant Businesses in the Local Marketing Area

When employers were asked their opinion of the institution’s students’ preparedness compared to other graduates, they felt that the two groups were equal in competency. A few of the respondents stated areas in which the institution’s students were more prepared when it came to computer proficiency and higher exposure to Salesforce. One of the employers, however, did say that the institution’s students were less prepared compared to other graduates.

Research Objective #7: To Determine the Preparedness of the Marketing Industry for the New Venue of Virtual and Augmented Reality Marketing

When bringing up the topic of virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in the interviews with employers, most said they had not looked into using VR or AR but were familiar with the concept. Only two of the seven employers stated that they are currently using VR and AR in their businesses, with the primary use being virtual tours for different purposes. When asked if they expected graduates to have experience with VR and AR platforms, they said not now but in the future, and a majority of them stated that they would see a benefit in students having experience with VR and AR platforms and tools.

Research Objective #8: To Determine the Competencies of Marketing Students in Relation to the Emerging Market of Virtual and Augmented Reality

83 of the 137 students (65%) surveyed stated that they were unfamiliar with VR and AR programs, with only 8 stating they were very familiar with VR and AR programs. As can be seen in Fig. 3, when asked if they were familiar with the Metaverse, only 29 of the students (21%) surveyed were familiar to very familiar with the new Metaverse platform.

Fig. 3. Student’s familiarity with the Metaverse.

Additionally, as shown in Fig. 4, the vast majority of current students at the institution did not believe that they had the competence to engage in marketing a product or service in the Metaverse, with only 12% of students believing that they had the competence to do so.

Fig. 4. Student’s confidence that they have the competence to market in Metaverse.

Conclusion

Students are given many opportunities to grow skills and become real-world ready, but universities can also grow and help them gain the knowledge and skills that they need to be competitive in the job market and provide the most value to prospective employers. According to Walsh (2024), Canva has 135 million users monthly, having surpassed 100 million just two years ago.

Thankfully, there is a lot of room to grow in the areas of program proficiency. With a majority of students having little to no experience with CRM programs and the openness of students to a certification-focused class, as well as employers saying students with CRM experience would help with hire-ability, it would be beneficial to create a CRM certificate course. However, most marketing directors are not looking to hire marketers for graphic design, so the lack of proficiency of marketing students in Adobe Suite is not an area that needs to be addressed. While many students pursue marketing as an avenue to become a content creator, the title of marketer will rarely be a design-focused position in most organizations. The institution should encourage instructors to examine the added value of assigning certifications from entities such as HubSpot and Google as required coursework, as the industry partners from this study do not take those into account when looking to hire for marketing positions. Lastly, in relation to AR and VR programs, the university has enough tune to develop programs for students to be prepared for the needs of employers in those areas. However, it will be incumbent on this institution to quickly respond with technology-based program improvements to better serve its marketing graduates and the firms who will be employing them in the near future.