Sri Jayawadenapura University signs MOU with Neo@Ogilvy for digital knowledge sharing

The Sri Jayawardenapura University signed a landmark MOU, with Sri Lanka’s foremost digital and social media agency Neo@Ogilvy, to introduce digital marketing as a subject in their marketing management BSc degree course. Neo@Ogilvy is a subsidiary of Phoenix Ogilvy. In terms of this MOU, the curriculum for digital marketing will be formulated, designed and developed by Neo@Ogilvy. Its senior specialists in digital and social media will also join the faculty. The course will also feature guest lecturers from Google.

The course in digital marketing will become mandatory for final year students in the faculty of management studies and commerce. It will expose the students to the different components of digital marketing ranging from digital advertising, social media management and digital influence on CRM.   Speaking at the occasion, the Dean of the faculty of management studies and commerce Prof. Sampath Amaratunga, said: “The University has taken a timely step to enlist the support and expertise of the corporate sector to introduce digital marketing as a subject for the Bsc degree in marketing management. This in fact is a significant academic recognition of the latest technological development in the field of digital marketing and making this knowledge available to student community.”

Addressing the gathering, Neo@Ogilvy Chairman Irvin Weerackody said: “Digital and social media have taken the world by storm and there is hardly anyone who could escape this stark reality. With all the developments in mass media; still the interpersonal communication or simply put, ‘word-of-mouth’ is considered the most effective and most powerful. Now what we see and what has really happened is this word-of-mouth has acquired a fascinating technological garb. In other words, word of mouth is now clothed in fascinating technology. The internet, digital, Facebook, blogs and Twitter are some of the garbs it manifests itself in. Now these different digital manifestations have assumed an awesome power. The Arab spring and the jasmine revolution are some of its avatars.”

“Digital will continue to transform the way we do business in the way we buy, the way we sell, the way we learn, the way we teach and the way the world is. Five years ago, our digital penetration in this country was around 5%. Now it stands at 15% and it continues to grow,” he added.

While the digital penetration continues, Weerackody stressed that digital literacy is lagging behind, hence creating a vacuum, adding: “It is in this context that we are happy to facilitate the introduction of digital marketing in the Bsc marketing management course at the Sri Jayawadenapura University.”

Speaking at the event, Google Country Consultant Rohan Jayaweera stated: “The country’s internet penetration is growing exponentially and the impact of this and future marketing strategies will be profound. Sri Lanka’s business community has evolved within the digital marketing space over a span of just two years. This is an exciting time for our students because they will be exposed to knowledge and situations that did not exist before. The digital marketing curriculum will open tremendous opportunities in the future.”