Alumni Spotlight: Jill Atcheson

What's your marketing strategy? If you ask marketing achiever Jill Atcheson '14, she's "laser focused" on data, digital and dollars.

Jill Atcheson

Jill Atcheson '14

Jill Atcheson '14 was motivated to pursue an advanced business degree because continuous learning is a critical component to professional success.

She wanted a very specific master's degree that aligned with her long-term career aspirations. For her, only a master's degree in marketing would do. That's when she discovered Eastern Michigan University's fully online master's degree in integrated marketing communications in its nationally recognized College of Business.

"I wanted to pursue a degree that aligned with my professional strengths. For me, the beauty of marketing is the powerful output that can result from the integration and orchestration of both traditional and online marketing activities." said Atcheson, vice president and regional head of market management for Euler Hermes based in Maryland. "Eastern's IMC program allowed me to advance my studies in this area in order to strengthen my contributions to the business community."

"The curriculum is perfect," she continued. "It's well-organized, hits every facet of an integrated marketing program, fosters digital savvy along the way and is built to mimic real world problem solving."

Atcheson sees the networking component of the curriculum as one of the biggest value-adds of the IMC degree. "With this program, I connected with peers in similar roles across the world. It diversified my business network and allowed me to build meaningful relationships I maintain today."

"Marketing is changing rapidly these days. A degree that's dedicated to building the next generation marketer is important to the businesses we serve. As marketers, we need to know how and when to listen to our customers and be agile enough to understand their needs and solve problems for them when it matters most. Developing a marketing plan is still relevant—you should always have a vision—but the savvy marketer will be agile and learn to adapt as you strive for results. That is the key to marketing's success."

Atcheson said she is an innovator at heart. She loves marketing because it's synonymous with creativity and idea generation. "I'm a huge proponent of ideas and innovation," she said. "I like to white board with my teams and I often promote creative sessions."

For prospective students considering an advanced marketing degree, Atcheson sees the IMC degree as setting the stage for future success.

"What better time than now to explore what an advanced degree can bring to your professional growth? It's worth the investment in order to be a well-rounded marketing leader of the future."

 

 

Jill is now Director, Global Partner Marketing Experience at Cisco.