CBS International Business School, 11 June 2019

Digital Media Trends - Expert interview with Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz

As windows to the world, digital media have changed the way we inform ourselves about issues and interact with people from around the world. In the run-up to the Open Campus Day, we spoke to Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz, Academic Dean of the Digital Media Management Department, about the advantages and trends of new media and the certificate programme of "Digital Marketing Managers" at the CBS.

Digital Media Trends

CBS: What do you personally appreciate about the new media - for society and your teaching at CBS?

Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz: Digital media stand for fast and mobile access to information, interactivity, unlimited networking possibilities, efficient exchange and the merging of physical and online interaction environments. Personally, I appreciate the intensifying trend away from text-based communication towards audio-visual communication. Particularly interesting in this context is the progressive use of image search, voice search and the integration of chatbots, for instance in e-commerce. At CBS, for example, we have just developed teaching materials for an e-learning certificate on the subject of digital marketing - here we have implemented a large part of the course content in the form of teaching videos shot with our lecturers. We moreover offer Chatbots and Conversational Design as one of our elective classes to our Master students.

CBS: What trends will the use of media by us as private individuals or entrepreneurs be dealing with in the coming years? To what do you attach them?

Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz: In the EU context, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in May 2018, will inevitably influence media use by both entrepreneurs and Internet users. The GDPR aims to protect the personal data of Internet users, i.e. any form of data relating to the individual. In addition to an individual's name, date of birth and credit card number, this can also include, for example, data on personal search behaviour on the Internet - or even the biometric features of a face that can be accessed via posted photos or videos with face recognition software. The General Data Protection Regulation stipulates that the personal data of Internet users may not be stored, processed and passed on without the individual's consent to the use of her/his personal data for a specific purpose.

This regulation will lead to more transparent business models. Those who wish to minimise the use of their personal data will be given the option of paying for a product or service on a regular basis and not having to pay with their data.

However, if an Internet user were interested in an individualised service, the respective provider would have to provide the information as to which of the user's personal data must be accessed in order to provide this service.

CBS: As Academic Dean of Studies in the Digital Media Management Department, you are training the next generation of "Digital Marketing Managers". Which focal points do you set in your lessons?

Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz: The Digital Marketing Master's programme informs students about current Internet, media and digitalisation trends and their effects and potential for the truly fascinating field of digital marketing. The students deal with the development and implementation of digital marketing strategies and design transmedia campaigns, i.e. campaigns in which different communication channels are combined in order to convey the previously defined overarching story in the best possible way. For this purpose they also learn to produce videos and snack content, especially for social media. The focus of their studies is on social media marketing, content and influencer marketing, search engine marketing and data-driven marketing. The course is very practical and creative and also teaches the necessary software skills.

CBS: Thank you very much for the interview!

If you have any questions about the English-language Master's programme in Digital Marketing and its career prospects or other CBS programmes, e.g. the Digital Management and Digital Transformation Management specialisations of the General Management and International Business programmes, you can meet Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz on Open Campus Day as part of Meet a Prof in the cafeteria of the CBS.

CBS International Business School

CBS International Business School is a state-recognised private university of applied sciences for business. We offer accredited Bachelor's, Master's and MBA degree programmes in German and English on a full-time or part-time basis. Throughout Germany, the university is represented at three locations in Cologne, Mainz, and Potsdam.

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