Advanced Digital Acumen for Business Communicators Master Class Series

This 3-part advanced webinar series, led by Dr. Lilian Ajayi-Ore, Ed.D, Lecturer and Research Scholar at Columbia University, is designed for seasoned professionals aiming to excel in digital communication. An award-winning Chief Learning Officer, Data Scientist, and Marketing Executive with over 17 years of experience, Dr. Ajayi-Ore has collaborated with Fortune 100 and 500 companies, driving business growth through innovative digital strategies. In this interactive series, she will guide participants through cutting-edge digital communication techniques, audience engagement strategies, organizational digital transformation, and sophisticated performance measurement tools. Central to the course are The Hawke Method and Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), both of which will be integrated with broader concepts in digital strategy and transformation to create a well-rounded learning experience. Upon completion, participants will earn a certificate and leave with actionable insights for immediate implementation.

Session Objectives: By the end of the webinar series, participants will be able to:

• Develop advanced digital communication strategies, balancing insights from The Hawke Method

and UGT to address diverse audience needs.

• Leverage theoretical frameworks and data-driven techniques to optimize digital communication efforts across various media channels.
• Apply organizational transformation strategies to ensure digital adoption, considering both user-centric approaches (UGT) and marketing principles (Hawke Method).
• Utilize performance measurement tools to evaluate campaign success and inform ongoing digital strategies.

Pre-work: Participants are required to the assigned readings ahead of each sessions.

Huberman, E. (2022). The Hawke method: The three principles of marketing that made over 3,000 brands soar. Morgan James Publishing.

• Required Reading: Chapters 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15.

(Focus: Marketing funnel, audience engagement, nurturing, performance measurement, and selecting the right advertising channels.)

Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509-523. https://doi.org/10.1086/268109

• (Focus: Understanding the audience’s active role in media consumption and applying UGT to meet specific digital communication needs like entertainment, social integration, and information seeking.)