Stern Stories

Converge Possible

Part-time MBA student Carolyn Coyle pursues NYU Stern's new Digital Marketing specialization, taking a mix of marketing and technology courses to add value to her PR clients’ business goals.
When part-time MBA student Carolyn Coyle learned that NYU Stern was launching a new Digital Marketing specialization, she was excited to sign up. As a senior account supervisor at an international public relations agency, she originally planned to specialize in Marketing, but, “In the last two to three years, ever since I started at Stern, I have increasingly heard from clients the need for people with digital marketing and communications expertise. The new specialization aligns with what is happening in the real world,” and as companies increasingly embrace social media and other digital marketing strategies, “the underlying brand management and digital strategy will become more and more integrated.” From her view, digital marketing is becoming a fundamental foundation, and she sees the changing landscape as an opportunity to help her clients connect with their customers is new ways: “I’m taken by the fact that everything in social media has changed dramatically in the last two years, transforming the way people do business and how they live their lives.”

Carolyn is embarking on the specialization coursework this semester, beginning with “Digital Marketing” taught by Professor Scott Galloway, who is a pioneer in the digital marketing arena and creator of the “Digital IQ Index®,” and Vasant Dhar, head of Stern's Information Systems Group, director of the Center for Digital Economy Research and an expert on predictive analytics, data mining and data governance. As Carolyn continues with the specialization, she is eager to apply what she learns in the classroom to her job, particularly how companies are most effectively using social media and implementing digital marketing strategies. Carolyn’s clients, many of whom are in the pharmaceutical industry, require a unique approach. “Like all organizations, pharma is looking for creativity in digital, but they also need a deep understanding of the space to ensure that these ideas are executed in a meaningful way within the regulatory environment. Having the digital marketing specialization will equip me with the right tools to add unique value to my agency and my clients.”