ADMA and Mark Ritson to deliver WFH Marketing Masterclass

ADMA is partnering with Mark Ritson, one of the best-regarded authorities in the Australian marketing community, to deliver an online course called the ADMA WFH Marketing Masterclass.

Participants will be offered a course in marketing strategy and brand management, says Ritson.

“We are covering all the core topics of marketing in an advanced and applied way, including everything from research design, to positioning, to brands, and communications.”

One of the problems in the local market, according to Ritson, is that not enough managers really understand marketing properly.

That doesn’t mean they are bad managers, he says. Instead, it reflects that they often have no formal training in marketing — or that the training they received was suboptimal.

“The benefit of a course like this is that we can really cover the full spectrum of applied marketing and branding in a way that managers learn from and can apply to their businesses.”

The course is first and foremost an advanced applied course in marketing.

Ritson warned against the rise of quick, poorly constructed courses as some companies look to cash in on the shift to home working — which, he warns, will often prove to be both simplistic and unnecessary.

“We will be using the time managers have at home more fruitfully.”

He described the current pandemic-fueled disruption as a time to study core concepts, so that when the crisis eventually ends marketers can come flying out of the gate better marketers.

“Obviously we will also be speaking to the current strange economic and strategic challenges of Covid-19 as part of the program. There are some peculiar challenges right now that we have to address.”

To do this, each week Ritson will take the participants through a “Covid-19 application” of the key theme of that week. “We will look at the topic and how it applies to changes in the Covid era.”

Ritson has been running online courses for four years, saying he initially viewed it as a convenient way for busy managers to learn, as well as offering him a more profitable way to market.

But, he says, there was a third factor that became apparent as his online programs prospered: “Managers learn more in an advanced online course versus a traditional theatre approach.”

There is skepticism over such claims — something he acknowledges. “But I am amazed at how much more effective and impactful the learning is when an online program is done well. The intimacy and interactions work very well.”

Avoid pitfalls

We asked Ritson what he believes are the biggest mistakes marketers will make in the months ahead, and also the biggest mistakes their peers will make about marketing.

“Clearly there are immediate issues that every business must now respond to. In many cases, it is helping employees and adjusting to the lockdown ahead. We know that businesses that cut everything this year will struggle far more than those that keep the branding light on during the difficult times of 2020.”

“The focus,” he says, “has to be on the long term.”

The course begins on the 20th of April. As the class is 100 per cent online it can be taken from any location in Australia. The sessions will be delivered live and are also available as recorded content for those who cannot make the live stream for a limited time. The course costs $495 for non-members and $445 for ADMA members.