Sharmin Attarin, Ph.D.
“Our goal is to help students understand how marketing theories and concepts can be amplified using digital tools. We seek to prepare leaders in digital marketing and have each student walk away with industry-recognized certifications and a portfolio consisting of client projects they have not only designed but also implemented," says Sharmin Attaran, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing and lead faculty member for the Digital Marketing program, pictured above.
Digital Marketing concentration responds to increasing marketplace demand
Sep 12, 2019, by Staff Writer
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SMITHFIELD, RI – Bryant is continually evolving and innovating to meet the ever-changing demands of the technology-driven marketplace. Programs in Data Science, Data Analytics—and now Digital Marketing—are attracting students looking for a world-ready education offered through Bryant’s interdisciplinary approach and experiential offerings.

Bryant’s digital marketing courses have been so successful and in such high demand that the University’s award-winning faculty have developed a full Digital Marketing Concentration that launched this fall.

"Growing importance of digital channels, consumers’ demand for interaction via digital mediums, and expertise we have at Bryant in this arena provide us with a perfect foundation to offer Digital Marketing concentration within Bryant’s Marketing department."

In its many forms—including advertising, web, video, social media, e-mail, and more—digital marketing is the primary driver of marketing communications strategies for businesses of all sizes and categories around the world. Bryant’s Digital Marketing program offers an invaluable entry point into this growing field by combining technical skills with competitive insight and hands-on learning. Students are empowered to explore a wide range of skills and strategies to navigate the online world.

“Consistent with Bryant’s tradition of anticipating future trends, the Digital Marketing curriculum, with its strong analytical and experiential components, is designed to prepare students for success in this growing, multi-dimensional industry. We are pleased to add this program to our world-class Marketing offerings,” says Provost and Chief Academic Officer Glenn Sulmasy, J.D., L.L.M.

Bryant’s AACSB-accredited Business and Marketing programs rank among the best in the country, and College of Business Dean Madan Annavarjula, Ph.D., sees big opportunities for students pursuing digital marketing careers. “Bryant’s program and faculty focus on students’ learning needs in the digital marketing discipline. As the industry continues to grow and mature, our students will be well-positioned for opportunities to contribute and to lead effectively.” he says.

Increasingly, digital marketing outperforms more traditional channels, a trend that is expected to continue. According to Forbes, U.S. digital marketing spending will approach $120 billion by 2021. Investment in paid search, display advertising, social media advertising, online video advertising and email marketing will pace to 46% of all advertising in five years, and digital marketing is pacing at a healthy 11% compound annual growth rate between now and 2021, and Millennial buying power will drive increased spend.

According to Marketing Department Chair and consumer behavior expert, Srdan Zdravkovic, Ph.D., “Growing importance of digital channels, consumers’ demand for interaction via digital mediums, and expertise we have at Bryant in this arena provide us with a perfect foundation to offer a Digital Marketing concentration within Bryant’s Marketing department. With this new concentration, students interested in digital arena will be prepared to pursue jobs in this growing field,” says Zdravkovic. 

“Our goal is to help students understand how marketing theories and concepts can be amplified using digital tools. We seek to prepare leaders in digital marketing and have each student walk away with industry recognized certifications and a portfolio consisting of client projects they have not only designed but also implemented. Recommendations are not given to clients based on hypotheticals, but based on real data,” says Sharmin Attaran, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing and lead faculty member for the Digital Marketing program.

What sets Bryant’s program apart?

The diverse curriculum includes the study of social media marketing, digital marketing strategy, consumer behavior, writing for social media, marketing analytics, and marketing research and features the following experiential components: 

  • Faculty-supervised internshipsThrough faculty-supervised internships, students will apply the principles of marketing with expert faculty who are researchers and consultants in various industries and marketing functions.
  • Marketing Research Behavioral Lab: Students will conduct original marketing research using multiple methods and tools including focus groups at Bryant’s Behavioral Lab
  • Hands-on experience: Students will graduate with a market-ready portfolio as they complete real-world client projects and industry analysis. They will also be able to earn industry certifications provided by Google, Hubspot, and Hootsuite while before entering the job market.

Real-world success 

Already, alumni who completed Digital Marketing courses are in demand at globally recognized companies such as Amazon, CVS Health, Dell EMC, Disney, Havas, JP Morgan Chase, Nike, Schneider Electric, and Workhuman, and many more.

“Working with a real-life company solving real-life problems that were impacting real-life profit margins was truly the spark that ignited my passion for digital marketing,” says Brendan O’Connell ‘17, Marketing Automation Specialist at Workhuman, a Boston- and Dublin-based human resources software company. “The University and the Marketing Department challenges students to seek more from their education and it makes a tremendous difference in the real-world.”

For more information about Digital Marketing and other Marketing programs at Bryant, visit https://admission.bryant.edu/academics/courses-of-study/marketing.

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