Digital leaders inspire Marketing students at IAB Digital Summit

Two UP marketing students and their lecturer were invited to attend the inaugural Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) SA Digital Summit, hosted by IAB SA in association with the BBC.com on 19 February 2015. The summit marked a day of thought-provoking ideas and 11 excellent international and local speakers, inspiring marketing students Reba Moleki (BCom honours student) and Corli du Toit (MCom student) as well as Dr Gené van Heerden, senior lecturer in the Department of Marketing Management.

The summit focused on the development of the digital industry, drawing the attention to how South Africa can further its own marketing initiatives and capitalise on these developments. The esteemed industry professionals and leaders shared their thoughts and experiences on the developments in the digital industry, while latest trends in the digital world were discussed. Particular emphasis was placed on how South Africa can leverage from these developments.

The event was a well organised and informative, and gave a great deal of insight into the digital world and how it relates to marketing in all aspects. The topics ranged from the concept of citizen journalists – how the digital world has opened up a number of sources, making even the everyday citizen a journalist – and how the source of information in their own right challenges traditional news agencies to think differently and analyse such sources, to an array of digital marketing aspects, such as how thinking and operating in constraints can inspire great creativity and how to converge the physical and digital.

One of the students, Ms Reba Moleki, noted that each speaker shared a considerable amount of practical and theoretical knowledge related to the digital world. “This left the audience to ultimately challenge and rethink their perspective of the digital world today and how it relates to marketing and more importantly to the South African market,” she said. Ms Corli du Toit found the speakers and attendees inspirational for the knowledge and passion they share for the digital industry.

A very special moment was when the CEO of IAB SA, Josephine Buys, personally thanked the UP marketing team for attending this prestigious event. Josephine shared her vision of welcoming our two students to the stage as speakers at one of these summits in a few years’ time.

From the left: Dr Gené van Heerden (Senior Lecturer in the Department of Marketing Management), Ms Reba Moleki (honours student) and Ms Corli du Toit (master’s student).