Matthew Tallis

BA (Hons) Digital Marketing student

What types of projects did you get involved with on the first and second year of the course?

There was a really diverse mix of projects set out by our lecturers, which has seen us work on briefs for companies such as Adidas, BBC News, Starbucks, Ordnance Survey, Universal Orlando Resort and the UK film industry. Some projects were more research-focused, others were more focused on the creative and deployment stages. For my dissertation I have the freedom to come up with my own brief too.

What has been the most fun or interesting project or activity you have been involved with?

The BBC News assignment was great because the project had a strong focus on the creative side of things, allowing us to use the photography and green-screen studios to create our work. I also presented my work to two senior members of the BBC’s marketing team and it felt great to receive complements and advice from such experienced industry professionals.

What trips have you been on so far, and what did you do on them?

We will be visiting a recruitment firm in Birmingham later on in our current module, where we’ll receive help on securing a job after completing university.

Have you had any opportunities to work with people from the digital marketing industry and if so, how?

We’ve had a large number of guest speakers from digital marketing agencies come and share their knowledge with us during our time here, and our lecturers recently organised a networking event – Forward 2020 – which was great. We had speakers from companies such as Buzzfeed, Unruly and Fanbytes come to the university, and were able to make some useful connections.

What do you enjoy most about your course?

I’m glad I chose to undertake the two-year fast-track course because I am constantly working on new tasks and developing a wide range of skills. Some of my friends felt their progress was disrupted by the long summer holidays on their three-year courses at other universities but that isn’t an issue here as we study through to the end of August.

Have you had any work experience/ placement opportunities? If so, what did they involve?

Due to our course running through the summer periods, we don’t go on placement, although a number of us have part-time jobs in marketing while we study.

What is the community like?

Thanks to our course being small and the frequency of group projects, there’s a great sense of community due to us mixing together regularly. If there’s a skill you’re weaker at (e.g. Photoshop), there’s a good chance it’s a strength of someone else in your group, so you work together and combine to create higher-quality work.

Are there many social events for students/ clubs/ societies to join and if so, are there any that you would recommend? 

Across the university there’s a huge number of societies students can join, from sports to DJing, so you should be able to find one that appeals to you and helps you meet people with similar interests. There’s also a Facebook group and our course goes on quite a few socials throughout the year too.

What one piece of advice would you give to a student about to start your course?

The lecturers are experts in the industry, so I’d just say to avoid skipping class or you’ll miss out on really useful information from them.