Brand for Success

Professor of Marketing Andrew Rohm’s brand of teaching is an exceptional mix of academic excellence and true innovation. As Co-Director of LMU’s M-School Institute of Marketing since its launch in the fall of 2012, Rohm’s expertise in marketing strategy and analytics guides students across the ever-changing landscape of advertising, branding and digital media with transformative outcomes.

“Many of our students are able to land their dream job upon graduation,” Rohm said, pointing to the M-School’s rigorous curriculum and industry connections. “We aim to help our students become ‘future proof’ and real world ready.”

Touting a five-course curriculum custom crafted for marketing majors, Rohm says that the program is now twice as big as when it began back in 2012 with two distinct tracks: Strategy & Brand Management and Content Creation. The latter explores the creative process and production, while the Strategy track focuses more on the business side of branding and advertising.

With a focus on Marketing majors but open to receiving applications from other majors, Rohm describes the ideal M-School student as “curious, collaborative and an excellent communicator.”

Drawn to teach at LMU in 2011 for its stellar reputation and top-ranked LMU College of Business Administration, Rohm previously worked in aerospace engineering before making the switch to marketing, receiving his Ph.D. in the field from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“LMU is truly a wonderful learning community aligned with social justice,” the Detroit, Michigan native said, adding that the M-School is no exception.

For example, the M-School’s ‘Marketing for Good project’ provides an opportunity for students to develop and execute a marketing campaign that aims to make their community a better place though partnership with brands such as Dollar Shave Club and TOMS shoes.

Moreover, Rohm says that LMU’s close proximity to the tech hub of Silicon Beach has helped students bridge the gap between classroom and ever-changing marketing skills needed today; creating a wealth of industry partnerships, internships and career opportunities with companies such as TOMS, Google, Facebook, RPA, Electronic Arts, Deloitte Digital, Deutsch L.A., Ignited and many more. Additionally, students can take part in a custom apprenticeship program custom created for M-School at Team One, an advertising agency in nearby Playa Vista.

Rohm’s slate of courses includes “The New World of Branding and Advertising,” taught alongside M-School Co-Director Matt Stefl, “Production Tools and Techniques,” with experts from the film and creative tech industries, and “Full Funnel Marketing” as well as “Adaptive Media and Analytics” taught with experts in growth marketing and analytics.

Looking to the future, Rohm predicts some exciting marketing trends on the horizon, including the rise of more artificial intelligence and voice activated marketing.

“Imagine if Amazon's ‘Alexa’ was your personal assistant and was keeping track of what you buy, where you vacation, etc.,” Rohm said. “Everything we use and buy will be become part of a personally-identifiable database.”

As for what advice he has for the marketing gurus of tomorrow?

“Stay curious and on top of trends-- consumer influences and interests change so fast,” Rohm said. “And get to know your consumer.”

Rohm’s marketing insights have appeared in such scholarly and managerial publications as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing Education and Sloan Management Review, among others.