Master of Management, Marketing Analytics: Meet the Faculty

By Caroline Barnhill

Before joining the world of academia, Donnie Hale spent nearly 15 years working in the field of marketing analytics, particularly in the financial services industry. He has seen the demand for professionals who can collect, analyze and interpret data grow year after year. As data insights become increasingly sought after across industries, Poole College’s new Master of Management program with a concentration in marketing analytics will train the next generation of marketing leaders able to capitalize on this valuable resource.

“Analytics can reduce uncertainty and help organizations use their resources more effectively, which is incredibly important in today’s marketplace,” Hale explains. “Organizations that use data to reach consumers are the ones that will win in competitive spaces. Companies can either embrace it and become more efficient or eventually they’ll be left behind.”

This fall, Hale will work with the first cohort of students, teaching courses such as data-driven managerial decisions and predictive analytics for business and big data. 

“There is demand for these types of skills across industries – financial services, manufacturing, consumer goods and more. Data and information help all these organizations better understand and target their customers,” Hale says. “These companies need folks who understand not only the importance of data and information but also how to leverage it within their organization.”

Hale believes Poole College is an ideal place for a program like this to be housed. Business schools are uniquely positioned to provide students with a technical understanding of data and information, while also showing them how to tie it into an organization’s strategic goals in order to make better decisions.

“Information is good, but there need to be individuals who know how to use it in order to advance the strategic objectives of the organization,” Hale explains. “Data has to drive and support strategy.”

Particularly in a post-COVID era, companies need tools to understand how consumers are likely to respond to long-term changes, patterns and behaviors and incorporate that into the planning and deployment of resources.

Hale wants students who graduate from the program to be able to understand the concepts and ideas that undergird the process of gathering, analyzing and utilizing data to more effectively serve customers and consumers. They will also learn a variety of tools and techniques that will help them visualize and analyze data and information.

“This program is an excellent opportunity for marketing professionals to make an investment in their careers and build the skills necessary to make their companies and organizations better able to serve their customers,” Hale concludes.