MARK – Marketing expertise is the key to growth in the AI era

Founded in 1928, MARK is an expert organization in marketing and communications that helps marketers and marketing-oriented companies succeed and grow, while also engaging in societal advocacy to strengthen the position, understanding, and appreciation of marketing.

Through partnership, Haaga-Helia and MARK aim to develop the expertise of marketing and communications students as well as alumni. At the same time, the partnership strengthens dialogue between students and companies and creates excellent opportunities for networking.

Targeted support for continuous learning

The partnership with MARK supports the learning of Haaga-Helia’s marketing and sales students in many impactful ways, including through the provision of educational materials, scholarships, collaboration on courses, RDI projects, and company visits.

– We organize office visits for students, sponsor scholarships for graduating students, and exchange expertise through RDI projects, says Sanna Laakkio, CEO of MARK.

– We also make sure that we closely understand future generations of marketers and their perspectives. Cooperation with educational institutions strengthens our understanding of young marketing professional’s viewpoints and lowers the threshold for engaging in discussions with them, Laakkio says.

Through the partnership, Haaga-Helia also gains access to MARK’s training content, which is utilized in marketing education. In addition, Haaga-Helia’s marketing lecturers can maintain and develop their own expertise through the benefits offered by membership.

In the AI era, true marketing expertise stands out

Artificial intelligence has made marketing accessible to more companies than ever before. At the same time, the value of genuine human expertise has increased. MARK and Haaga-Helia support students on their path to becoming marketing professionals.

– The need for experts is growing in the age of AI. AI is a useful tool, but without critical evaluation of content and data, the results can easily go wrong, says Susanna Bäckström, Marketing Manager.

– Marketing studies are always valuable, regardless of your career path. In fact, a lack of marketing expertise is one of the most common challenges in business, Bäckström adds.

Marketing and sales are closely connected. When they work together seamlessly, they create a strong foundation for growth. Marketing should always support sales goals and create real value for the business.

– The role of marketing is to create demand. Demand drives sales, and that is essential for economic growth. Now is not the time to cut from marketing, Bäckström emphasizes.

Sanna Laakkio giving a toast at MARK’s housewarming event.

Marketing degree offers versatile business knowledge

A degree in marketing from a university of applied sciences (UAS) provides an excellent foundation for a wide range of business roles. Laakkio describes his own career path to the role of CEO:

– I have a UAS degree in marketing, and it has served me very well in all my roles throughout my career. A degree in marketing provides a strong foundation for a CEO role and, in fact, for all kinds of business positions, Laakkio emphasizes.

Jenni Brisk, a senior lecturer in marketing at Haaga-Helia and an entrepreneur, is a member of the board for MARK. She is also a strong advocate for marketing expertise and a great example of a versatile professional with marketing background.

– The role of marketing in business is so central that no company can succeed without investing in branding and marketing. It is also important that marketers are able to justify the strategic importance of marketing and communications within the organization, so that the entire company works together toward the same goal. In principle, every employee of a company is one of its marketers, says Brisk.

More information

The goal of MARK is to make marketing expertise an integral part of every Finnish business professional’s skill set to create growth, jobs, and more Finnish success stories. Learn more about MARK’s services for companies and professionals.

Is marketing really the key to growth? Read the Marketing Manifesto written by MARK and discover more reasons why marketing expertise is needed now more than ever.

Is your organisation looking for stronger brand visibility among students or ways to engage with them? Learn more about our Partnership programme or get in touch: [email protected]. 

Article image (from the left): Sanna Laakkio, Jenni Brisk and Susanna Bäckström at MARK’s housewarming event.