Newsletter Archive

Online Learning

 As many of you know, I am an adjunct instructor at three colleges on both the undergrad and graduate levels. Lately, about a third of my courses have been purely online (I’ve even written a couple and taken two others online), and I’ve had a chance to see what works and what doesn’t.

A recent New York Times article indicated that the movement towards online higher education has stalled. Some programs are thriving (Cornell’s ILR certificates, University of Phoenix, Mercy College’s degree program in Direct Marketing) and others are dead in the water (NYU Online). Why? For starters, many colleges had unrealistically low expectations of the money and expertise needed to build and deliver a worthwhile e-course. There may also have been ridiculously high expectations of the number of students who would actually partake of such online options.

But, from my limited vantage point, a major problem is that there are very few filters to help students decide whether they are best off in an online or in-person course. So, for whatever it’s worth, here is Neil’s list of pros and cons regarding online courses:

Pros:

• the ability to do your work at any hour
• the ability to self-pace yourself through the course
• the opportunity to repetitively review the material until it is mastered
• the ability to pick and choose from hundreds of colleges

Cons:

• it is difficult for an instructor to change the course in midstream to adapt to student nuances, thus giving the course more of a “canned” feel
• students must be highly self-motivated, since they do not “enjoy” the discipline of having to face the instructor each week
• students must be internet-savvy (this seems obvious, but I have actually had online students ask me how to use a mouse, or what a browser is)
• without visual and synchronous feedback, it is difficult for the instructor to judge how well each student is grasping concepts
• outside of a mandate, it is hard to motivate students to spend time in chat rooms or post to bulletin boards
• there is limited socialization and cross-fertilization of ideas within the group

It appears to me that online learning works best for entry-level and refresher courses, which tend to involve substantial reading and memorization. My IT students tell me the approach also works well for many certification courses. However, I haven’t seen it work as well in upper-level courses, which typically are oriented towards concepts, and which depend more on exchanges and defenses of ideas and opinions. White boards and chat rooms just aren’t effective substitutes for the in-class experience at this point.

Czech Republic – An Interesting Case Study

 My wife and I enjoyed a week in the Czech Republic in the middle of March, taking advantage of the opportunity to visit our son during his studies in Prague this semester. The country is absolutely beautiful, and we recommend it highly.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the Czech Republic, and most of eastern Europe, for some years to come to see how they develop economically. This should be a great situation for any student of economics, politics, or marketing, because of the convergence of these events:

1. It has only been about 15 years since Czechoslovakia emerged from being one of the Soviet satellites. Many effects of 42 years under Soviet rule are still obvious.
2. It has only been a little more than a decade (1992) since the Czech Republic was created by splitting Czechoslovakia into Slovakia and the C.R. This “union” was initially enforced in the aftermath of World War I.
3. This past Saturday (May 1) was a momentous day in Europe – 10 countries (including the Czech Republic) joined the European Union. Our son tells us that the politicians were more impressed by this than regular citizens, which is understandable given what has happened there in the last half century.

There should be great opportunities for U.S. companies in Europe, where the E.U. now comprises 25 countries and a total population of some 450 million (roughly 50% greater than that of the U.S.). On the other hand, this common market (to use an old term) may also use its combined strength to provide some formidable competition, economically and politically, to the U.S.

From a marketing viewpoint, here are some not-so-random thoughts about what jumped out at me during our week in the C.R.:

• People tend to keep to themselves, being very introverted. This makes sense, after so many years under Soviet rule.
• America is not held in high esteem there or, for that matter, in most of Europe. We were there during the Madrid bombings, and it was very interesting to see the differences between how the American and European press followed and portrayed the event. For the most part, we are perceived as the proverbial 900-lb. Gorilla that will get its way regardless of the cost.
• Despite the dislike of the U.S. (or, at least, what it is perceived to stand for), individuals from anywhere are welcome and received politely.
• Advertising seems to be everywhere, even extending to the vertical faces of stair steps in train stations. While the variety of brands is less than we see in the U.S., those brands that do exist seem to be everywhere.
• Teens and tweens, in particular, seem to be highly brand-conscious. No surprise there.
• Like here, there is a vast gap in wealth and income. The average take-home wage in the C.R. is currently the equivalent of $550 USD per month. While the cost of living is also low (a good-grade restaurant meal can be had for $3-4), it’s obvious that low disposable income will restrain discretionary spending for years to come.
• Unemployment (currently 10%+) will also be a drag on the emerging consumerist mentality. However, their crisis in pension funding is probably about 30 years down the road, as opposed to 30 minutes for much of Europe, and this may act as a relative boost for consumer spending.

All in all, eastern Europe should be a very attractive place for investment.

“Leave-Me-Alone” Lists

Recent studies indicate that the American consumer is becoming ever more annoyed by advertising….from the fact that it seems to be everywhere, to the 3,000 messages a day that we each encounter, and from the disregard some marketers display towards their potential customers. As a result, marketers are now fair game for any legislative body.

We’ve seen action on this front in the form of the “Do Not Call” telemarketing lists started by the FTC last year, to the implementation of the CAN-SPAM legislation early this year. (sidebar – initial studies indicate that marketing professionals have signed up for the Do Not Call list in greater percentages than citizens in general. I’m sure this was only for research purposes, right?).

Many of the rules for these consumer privacy laws seem confusing and, candidly, our courts will be busy sorting them out for years. But, following some general guidelines, and checking with your legal counsel (sorry, but I’m not a lawyer), will keep you out of hot water with both the FTC and your customers/prospects. For example:

Do Not Call: This law is relatively simple – you are not allowed to place calls to prospects across state lines if they have placed their phone numbers on the DNC list, and if you do not have a business relationship with the prospect. Some of the finer points are:

• the statute does not cover intrastate calls. Since Ohio refuses to pass similar legislation, all of the in-state telemarketers are still free to call you.
• The statute does not apply to politicians (isn’t that convenient?) or charities. Prepare to be bombarded in this election year.
• The definition of a “business relationship” will be settled by the courts. Of course, if I buy a product from you, we would all agree that this is a business relationship, and that the DNC law allows you to telemarket to me for 18 months. But, is requesting a brochure about your company sufficient to establish a business relationship? What about if I look at your web site online?

The telemarketing industry continues its fight to weaken the law. For example, a major magazine subscription telemarketer is trying to claim it is a charity because X% of sub sales are given to the sponsoring not-for-profit. Personally, I find it astounding that any telemarketer would WANT to call a person who has firmly stated that they don’t want to be called.

CAN-SPAM: A poorly-named law – candidly, since most spam originates overseas, and any intelligent spammer is quite adept at avoiding traces, this statute is worthless. But, it is a minefield for legitimate email marketers. Of the (average) 280 emails I receive daily, I’d estimate that 70-75% are spam.

Again, with the caveat that you need to check with your legal counsel, following these guidelines on your commercial emails generally fit the law’s intent:

• do not use a false subject line (e.g. a subject of “The Information You Requested” when sending a promo to a list you rented).
• Supply a valid address to which recipients can send their demand to be removed from your list
• Respond quickly and totally to removal requests – if a person is on more than one list with your company, treat a single removal request as covering all lists
• Do not hide the identity of the sender.

Quick Shots

I seem to give this warning in every newsletter. But, if you are planning to purchase media for use during 2004, I suggest you do so soon. Between the summer Olympics and the most costly round of elections in history this year, demand will be higher than normal. Add to that a (possible) strengthening economy, and shrinking inventories could send prices up quite dramatically over the next few months.

NEED HELP OR HAVE A QUESTION?

 Of course, there’s no way we could let an entire newsletter go by without one bold, self-serving pitch. We’re here to be your marketing experts whenever you need it, whether it’s for an entire project or just a few hours to give a fresh perspective on a situation. We’ve recently completed projects for new approaches in self-propelled transporters, high-class educational vacations, online banking, non-profit fund raising, software marketing, and education, and we’d love to put some of that expertise to work for you. Even if you just have a question you’d like to discuss, or see addressed in the next newsletter, email or call us at your convenience.

Have a safe and happy May.

Neil Brown, President
Stratamar, inc.
neilbrown@stratamar.com
614 946-4614

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