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25 Must-Follow Marketing Blogs for MBA Students in 2020
Updated: Jun 28, 2020
If you're a marketing enthusiast, especially an MBA Marketing student looking for the best blogs and websites to read in 2020, here is a list of the top 25 resources which will bring to you the latest updates of the marketing world. Following them on a regular basis can enhance your marketing knowledge which will help you during the 2-year MBA program as well as in the corporate life which will follow it.
FMCG CAMPAIGNS
1. Activation Ideas - This website is extremely helpful if you're looking for ideas to design a marketing campaign. It collates ideas adopted by different brands, from unpopular to super bowl. I used several of their ideas to frame the recommendations of my marketing internship at Mondelez.
2. MarketingSherpa - A research oriented website, it used to be my go-to place for reading marketing case studies and research papers to learn from real-life marketing problems that challenged companies. It also has a free resources section which has some quality readings, tools and templates for you to use.
3. MarketingProfs - This website aims to train marketing enthusiasts and hence is mostly used for getting updates about conferences and FMCG training programs. But you can also use its resources to filter topics and read about a wide arena of topics like Customer Loyalty, Marketing Strategies, Mobile, etc.
4. Marketing Land - I love this website for the insights it is able to draw out of the trending topics. It also links to a library of white papers which you can refer to if you like reading the research which goes behind marketing campaigns of the world.
5. WARC - WARC aims to ensure that marketers stick to fair techniques of advertising and marketing and thus, it is a rich resource of case studies on the ineffective marketing practices adopted in the past, their results and why marketers should avoid them. You can also receive a lot of reading material upon subscribing to it.
MARKETING NEWS
1. Adweek - With a special focus on the advertising news, Adweek brings to you the latest happenings around the world with a marketing point of view. If you don't like to read, it also has a Podcasts section that does an equally good job, I just wish it was more frequently updated.
2. Marketing Week - Very similar to Adweek, though some of its content is limited to subscribers and subscription would cost around $8-9/week. Nevertheless, you can enjoy its free content, which is extremely insightful and often comes with expert opinions.
3. Mashable - One of my favourite resources for getting the marketing updates of the world. Excellent interface, quality content and handpicked pieces received over e-mail if you subscribe to it. I've shared the link to its global website because a lot of its useful content is non-region specific.
4. AdExchanger - Love data? This website analyzes news pieces and ad campaigns using data and more. None of its content pieces will be thin, you will get rich fact based insights every single time. Also has a Podcast section with over 170+ episodes.
5. PR Daily - An extensive news feed that covers marketing pieces across the world. Often shares analysis penned down by marketing bloggers, enthusiasts and experts. I personally read only its marketing section because that interests me the most.
ADVERTISING
1. Ad Age - One of the best resources to use if you are into ad analysis. Along with the marketing news of the world, this website shares a host of creative advertisements and current trends in the advertising industry. You must check out their creativity section for some inspiring ideas.
2. Adland - Heard of super bowl commercials? Adland prides itself in having the largest collection of super bowl ads. You can even filter them country-wise and read the details on who conceptualized the ad, when was the ad run, what was the intent, etc. A must visit for ad analysis.
3. Ads of the World - One of the world's largest archives and collections of advertisements from across the world, Ads of the World should be a bookmarked website if you like ads and analyzing them. It can be called the Netflix of the Advertising World.
4. AdForum - AdForum is a global advertising agency, but its otput speaks volumes about the creative minds that work there. It has a large repository of its work in the form of videos and ad copies for you to explore and get inspired from for designing campaigns.
5. Ogilvy - If you're an ad enthusiast, you cannot skip coming across this brand's produce. With a collection of the world's most creative advertisements, this website displays unique and creative ideas and also explains the work that went behind creating them.
DIGITAL MARKETING
1. Neil Patel - If you see yourself getting into digital marketing in the future, then you need to keep a close watch on this guy's content. He is also known as the Digital Marketing God of the modern era. I've personally read several of his blog posts and what I love the most about him is the detail with which he builds on a topic.
2. SEJ - Lately, I've been hooked to this platform to learn more about SEO. Search Engine Journal was started in the wake of 2003 by Loren Baker and is one of the most fun websites to learn SEO from. Loren has a way of writing which will inspire you to the core and being a veteran of the industry, he knows a great deal!
3. Moz - Who hasn't heard of the Moz Pro tool used by SEO experts of the world? But, what we're interested in today is the Moz blog which regularly brings to you the latest updates of the Search World. You can also subscribe to its e-mail updates for never missing a beat.
4. HubSpot - Content is to SEO what inbound marketing is to HubSpot. A term coined by HubSpot, inbound marketing is the method of attracting customers to your website using the power of quality content. If you're anywhere close to content, you wouldn't want to miss reading the HubSpot blog.
5. SEMrush - An online visibility management platform which offers exciting SEO tools for practitioners. With one of the most active blogs in the industry, SEMrush provides insights about on-page optimization, link building, keyword research and all things SEO.
INDIA SPECIFIC
1. Mashable India - This is the only resource in this list which has been repeated but its India version is too good to be ignored. I find this website to be one of the most quality sources for reading up on the latest trends in the marketing industry within India.
2. Campaign India - A mix of content, ideas, news and opinion pieces on marketing from all corners of the country presented to you by Campaign India. A little outdated, but its in-depth section used to be my favourite for deeper analysis of the Indian campaigns.
3. Social Samosa - An absolute delight to visit this platform on a regular basis. Social Samosa was founded by Ankita Gaba and Aditya Gupta, who have now moved out of the company. But, their portal remains to be an excellent repository of marketing campaigns from across the nation.
4. Afaqs - One of the oldest marketing websites in India, Afaqs is known for its content pieces on interactions with CMOs and CEOs of the best brands in India. The interviews are extremely insightful, especially if you wish to get into FMCGs as brand managers in the future.
5. Mad Over Marketing - If you're from India and you like marketing, you would have heard of M.O.M. Its Facebook Page is one of the most happening places to look for creative ads and campaigns. Its team often edits the famous ads to bring in a touch of their own marketing vibe for the readers.
Hope these 25 marketing blogs help you stay updated about the marketing news during your MBA. I loved scrolling through them during my 2-year MBA program at IIM-A, so if you like marketing, I promise they will help you a lot in your academic as well as professional journey.
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