MKTG 6800: Customer Experience Design is a course as dynamic and innovative as it is popular. Led by leading consumer design theorist Professor Markus Giesler, the course provides students with exciting opportunities to engage in dialogue about their exploration of consumer experiences. (Like writing for the American Marketing Magazine blog and producing a digital video showcase, for example).

This term’s Customer Experience Design class will be included in an exciting new feature on the CED website called CX17 Leaders, which the GradBlog will showcase on a regular basis. To see the full series, head over to the Customer Experience Design website.

This piece was originally published on Markus Giesler’s Customer Experience Design website. You can view it here.

What attracted you to MKTG 6800: Customer Experience Design?

When deciding to pursue an MBA I was determined [to choose] a school and program that would prepare me for the marketing world of tomorrow. Prior to applying to Schulich, I attended Professor Markus Giesler’s session during the “Experience Schulich” Event. After this initial experience, I knew Schulich was the place for me, but more importantly I knew I HAD to take Customer Experience Design. I was introduced to the “Juila” framework during this brief session, and I will leave it there, not to spoil it for future students. CED promises students the opportunity to change their way of thinking, and I can whole-heartedly say I am a better marketer today than I was six weeks ago. Traditional marketing courses will teach you how to react to the market; Customer Experience Design teaches you how to drive the market. This is not your grandmother’s marketing course. This is marketing the way it should be: innovative, proactive, and disruptive. 

What’s the biggest design challenge you want to tackle this fall?

I have always been interested in the Film industry. I consider myself a film aficionado and view the movie going experience to be one that is near and dear to me. It provides us with escapism and entertainment. With products such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Disney’s soon to be released platform, there are more ways than ever for consumers to enjoy a film. Exhibitors in North America will have a challenging time getting customers into their theatres going forward. Industry experts believe that the cinema as we know it today, will no longer be relevant in 20 years. However, I believe if exhibitors can address the concerns of customers and the marketplace, they may prove to be more relevant in 2027 then they are in 2017. My time in Customer Experience Design will be spent exploring what exhibitors can do to not just react to the market, but drive it. 

“Traditional marketing courses will teach you how to react to the market; Customer Experience Design teaches you how to drive the market. This is not your grandmother’s marketing course.”

What are you looking for in a future employer?

I would like to be apart of an organization where words like “innovating” and “forward thinking” are not buzz words used in hiring materials, but are actions practiced in every decision the organization commits to. This does not mean every product or endeavour will be a market disruptor, but it is important for me to be apart of a culture where our next success is not measured against the competition, but measured against our own capabilities and competencies. I am interested in creating new market needs and wants. If this sounds like your organization, let’s talk!