Grad School Adventures: "The Value of IM4 Partners"

The Value of IM4 Partners:

To me our partnership opportunities are one of the most exciting and important opportunities available to us at MIP, and is a reason it really sets itself apart.

The 1^st edition of the IM4 or Master’s of International Multichannel Marketing Management kicked off in September of 2015. Since starting it has been a flurry of activity, experiences, case studies, lectures, and workshops. This program offers us the students a wonderful insight to real time experiences and examples by working with and hearing from large companies. Our official IM 4 partners are IBM, Nielsen, Universal McCann, and OTB. To date we have had the chance to hear from and workshop with most of them with more workshops scheduled!

Early in the semester IBM came in and delivered an insightful presentation on BI/Big Data and how this concept is constantly evolving. There is so MUCH data, what do we do with? We have to learn and be experts on the multiple tools that help us synthesize the data and we are working as Marketing Manager students to fine tune our intuition. For we have to be experts in the field to be able to make decisions based of the data and not let the data make all the decisions for us. It is very important in today’s data driven and evolving society to be able to understand the data and make decision not only on data but on our intuition and understanding of the market. There is a great TED talk by Sebastian Wernicke “How to use data to make a hit TV show”. Sebastian a Data Scientist used an example of Amazon and Netflix and how they used to data to make decisions.

Nielsen also came in and did an excellent workshop on Pricing. We had the opportunity to learn about price sensitivity and price elasticity and how pricing effects the market, competition, and how it can affect your brand image. We then got to work in teams using one of Nielsen’s pricing tools to have to create scenarios to work towards a desired outcome. This allowed us to change prices, product lines, etc to see how they affected overall pricing and sales. This was an excellent workshop and really brought together our lessons on pricing in the market and gave us that hands on experience you rarely find in other classrooms while getting to utilize and network with Nielsen representatives who are very well established and respected in their fields.

Recently we had the pleasure of welcoming Riccardo Belinni, Executive VP Diesel and Diesel Black Gold and Chief Marketing Officer at Diesel as well as the Global Head of Media Giada Gheno to give us an inspiring and bold presentation of Diesel Strategic Brand Strategy from where they started to where they are now with the #DieselReboot campaign as they look to continue being the market rebels with bold, exciting, and strong inspiring marketing campaigns. One of the areas that I thought was very cool was how they run all their digital strategy through one office in English to ensure that their message across platforms is consistent and strong! As a lover of Brand Management and Digital Strategy I really enjoyed hearing about their current campaign and what is to come next from Diesel!

The IM4 program has been an awesome experience over the last 5 months and looking forward to working with Universal McCann in the coming weeks. The class has really enjoyed these experiences and are making the most of every opportunity. It is partnerships like these and the constant variation in visiting professors from different areas of expertise and backgrounds that make this program rich with experiences and networking opportunities.

Grad School Adventures: Week 10: "Practice Makes Perfect"

Week 10: November 23-28th

Lesson of the Week: “Practice makes perfect”

Now this is nothing new to anyone but for me it came into play this last week. Over the weekend Christine and I hosted some of our friends over for an American Thanksgiving dinner, which was deliciously prepared by yours truly…. lol jk actually it was wonderfully and deliciously prepared by Christine!

My job was to go to the store (bum bum bum) which is daunting as the Italian supermarkets are ALWAYS busy. Doesn't matter a day or time, always busy. And not entirely sure why but whenever I stop somewhere in a store in Italy, to stand out of the way, to check my phone, to cross something off a list, always and I mean always people have to come look at whatever I am standing next too. There could be no one around and when I move boom people. Coincidence?!

So Friday afternoon I embarked on my journey for a pretty long list as Christine has had one heck of a busy week at school, I managed to do well, only not finding 6 items. 

After coming home and sorting through our groceries, Christine and I planned out our attack for Saturday morning to get the remaining items, this time as I embarked on my journey, I was once again met with the challenge of not finding what I was looking for after searching all over. So what was the next logical thing to do, ask for assistance. Now this alway makes me nervous, (yes me, who loves to, and will talk to about anyone) because I get what I need to say in Italian ready, run through my lines to ensure dictation etc, and then I get to ask and freeze, and instead of use Italian, I fumble through in English and trying to talk with my hands. 

But I have been practicing, and on Saturday I was able to ask for what I needed and got it! After that when I went to one of our favorite local Egyptian Kebab places to grab a quick lunch in the midst of cooking a feast, I asked for and ordered everything in Italian only!!!  I have been trying really hard to learn Italian and been taking a class 2x a week that in graciously offered by our school. But as much as I know when doing worksheets and writing, talking is the hardest. Slowly though I am learning and practicing. And this goes to the point that practice makes perfect.If I don't try, I don't learn.

On the school front, classes have continued to pick and we have been diving into some good topics! The other day we were having a discussion around Innovation the skills of innovators. The key takeaways or top 5 skills of an innovator are:

• Questioning- be curious always, learn
• Observing- pay attention to the world around you and what people are doing and using, and how
• Networking- Network, Network, Network! And not just within your field, you need to network with others outside your field to gain valuable knowledge, insight, and ideas
• Experimenting- try and do not be afraid to fail
• Associating

We also had a lesson with the Director of Brand Fashion and Luxury give us an excellent presentation around Brand and the effect of Pricing on a brands equity. This is a big point of emphasis for company want to be positioned as a premium product and high priced, high fashion line. To counteract this and to not diminish your brand equity, companies must diversify their product and brand portfolio. We also discussed the ‘Brand Iceberg’, there is the external brand that everyone sees and knows, i.e. the logo, slogan, etc, and then there is the internal branding. This visual representation, I believe, is spot on! Living in Milano, a city known for being at the center of the fashion world, it was great to see and use examples in class of companies like Armani, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, and others. It made for an interesting and intriguing lesson as the fashion industry is an industry I would be very interested in working in. 

I am excited as next week we will be competing in a Business Game Simulator. The goal is to run an airline and make decisions regarding Marketing, Pricing, Flight Options, Communications, and Network. This will be a great hands on experience putting to use our experience in strategy and positioning as well as getting to work in a multi cultural environment. This simulator will allows to make real world decisions and compete with our classmates! Next post I will make sure to let you know how it goes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving back in the States!

As always I hope that there is a takeaway or two in here for everyone. If you have any questions or would like to discuss some of these issue more in depth feel free to write a comment or shoot me a note at robbynap87@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @RobbyNap and connect with me on LinkedIn at https://it.linkedin.com/in/robert-napoli-a5839119

Ciao Ciao!

Below is the spread from our American Thanksgiving in Milano! We shared with our friends from Egypt, Turkey, Colombia, Taiwan, and the Philippines!

Grad School Adventures: Week 7 and 8: "Finals round 1"

Week 7/8: November 2nd-15th

Lesson of the Week: 

Week 7 and 8- November 2nd- 15th

Lesson of the Week:

Travel- as much as you can! 

There is so much to see and do, go experience it!

DONE WITH FINALS!!! That is how I said it in my head as I walked out of MIP- Graduate School of Business around 12:45 pm on Wednesday afternoon to a beautiful sunny day in Milano, uncommonly warm and sunny as everyone would say for this time of year. 

As I was walking back and waiting on the train I reflected on my view of my performance on the finals. I believe I did well, it wasn't too earth shattering or hard, I wish I would have added a few more diagrams using Marketing tools etc but all in all I left feeling good about how I did. 

Finals week is always a hard week for students, always trying to cram in the last bit of knowledge and hoping it sticks… The thing about our program at MIP is that, it isn't always about the answer, but it is in how you get there. Marketing in essence is about generating profit by providing the customer value. There are multiple ways to achieve this goal but how you go about it is different. Just like companies, for example Apple challenges you to “Think Different” and markets to you as a person creating a brand that you want to be a part of. Where as Samsung targets features and functionality as it doesn't have the same type of brand culture that Apple does. This also makes it stressful for students who want to be able to answer right or wrong, where there is a lot of grey area in this field. But at the end of the day it is about applying principles that allow us to assess and analyze a market, not always easy to condense into multiple choice. Instead we had to analyze cases and discuss our vies, opinions, etc. I find it fascinating to read about how different companies attack different problems. 

Now that our finals over Basics of Management, Marketing Analysis, and Strategic Marketing is completed we now shift focus from Corporate Strategy, BCG Matrix’s, Porter’s Value Chain, 5 Forces, and STP to putting into practice and adding the Marketing Mix, the 4 P’s to the equation in Marketing Decisions. I am looking forward to lectures on Product Management, looking at Trends, and the new age of Digital Technology!

With studying abroad, challenges will arise! Such as back to dealing with the Italian Post Office. My mom sent me a care package full of Hot Tamales and Twizzlers (which I am still waiting on, I cant tell you how badly I want those Hot Tamales), as it has not arrived. Around the same my mom sent that package, her sister, my Aunt also sent a care package full of Twizzlers, beef jerky, and Mac and Cheese! The difference is that with my aunts package I happened to be leaving as the post delivery guy showed up, apparently from what I interpreted (he was rocking Italian and I was trying to listen for key words, while using broken Italian, and a lot of pointing) to show him which button was ours to call down, as he did not ring the right apartment the first time. Clearly the name Napoli on the box and matching it up with the name Napoli on the sticker next to the all button isn't easy. Anyhow I also have to call the Post and figure out why we are receiving much mail as we have been asked from multiple family and friends if we received their letters. I have entrusted an Italian classmate of mine to help in the interpretation as I have not mastered the Italian Language. 

Last week we took an awesome city tour of Milano, it was a guided tour that took us through the Duomo Cathedral, Sforza Castle, through the Brera Neighborhood, which is a beautiful art district (although it used to be the Red Light District of Milano), and finally to see the famous "Last Supper" painting by Leonard da Vinci. We had the absolute perfect weather and it was amazing to not only see Milan, but also be able to learn about it as well!  This past Sunday I traveled to Verona with my girlfriend Christine and her Master’s of Interior Design Class at Scuola di Politecnica and I have to tell you, it was GORGEOUS. Verona is a stunning town with so much charm, from beautiful Piazza’s and fountains, to sweeping views of the city! They also have L’Arena which was constructed prior to the Coliseum that is still in very excellent shape! We also visited the balcony of Juliet from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and singed our name on the walls of the entrance. We made the day trip on Sunday and although a little foggy, still beautiful. Milan is a very good city that is located very well for quick day trips and short weekend getaways. I am here to study and get my Masters Degree but I also want to travel and experience as much as I can now, while I still can!

Have a fantastic week and hopefully I will get to enjoy my Hot Tamales soon!

Duomo Cathedral

Juliet's Balcony

Signed our name on the wall at Juliet's

Verona L'Arena

Beautiful Verona