Marketing the Future

We took a few moments to connect with our Online Analytics & Measurement course Instructor Gene Black who is currently Faraday Future's Sr. Manager of Business Development & eCommerce Sales to get his take on education, modern marketing, and leadership.

How we tell our story depends on dozens if not hundreds of shifting variables. The advent of digital media has created an interconnectedness between people, brands, and communities that (for better or worse) gives all of these actors influence over the other's story. Everyone is a marketer, everyone is a critic.

With all of the noise in our professional and personal lives, it's no wonder that the actual marketers are having a harder and harder time capturing the attention and interest of their audience. Gene's matter-of-fact approach to messaging and career growth is inspiring to learn from.

Here's a few of our favorite notes:

Gene, from the looks of your background, I assume you like cars. Would you say that cars are a passion of yours and can you talk about where that started and why?

[Laughs] I DO like cars, but funny enough it was never a true passion of mine. My passion is people. I've sought to help the people I work with and the people who work for me grow to realize their own potential. The fact that I've worked for car companies has just been the vehicle (pun intended) for me to help realize my own passion of helping others.

We really appreciate you helping our students. How have you kept growing professionally and moving into roles beyond your previous skill set?

Do what other people don't want to do.

By not resting on only what I currently know. But chasing after what I don't know. Another piece of advice I provide is, don't ever stop learning. I've watched colleagues and counterparts resist the digital aspects of Marketing which hinders them from realizing their full potential. When you stop learning…you stop growing.

With all the analytical tools out there today, it's easy to get caught up with all the bells and whistles of digital marketing. What rules of the game are still the same?

At the end of the day, no matter the advancements in technology, people still want to feel that you have a message directly for them in your product or service. We will never (hopefully) lose the human element of our business. So understanding the audience, catering to their needs and communicating with them in the way they prefer remains intact.

What's one actionable take-a-way that our students/readers can start now to improve their careers or work performance?

Whether on your job or during your scholastic career, identify what gives you the most pause. What responsibility or task makes you the most uncomfortable in your job or what class is it you're currently dreading? Identify and attack it. Attack it with the expectation that you will master it.

When you approach work, college or life with this being your first step, that thing you're concerned or worried about loses its power over you. And you grow and are a better person for it. Each time we do this, the next challenge we face is less daunting and the one after that and on and on until you lose your fear, worry, and anxiety and you simply KNOW you are more than capable.

Gene's company Faraday Future is intent on disrupting the traditional auto industry by focusing on the user and the specific technology that moves them. They plan to leverage our ‘connectivity’ with the world to offer a seamless and authentic experience for everyone. His Online Analytics and Measurement course is a digital marketing student favorite and we couldn't be happier to have Gene sharing his passion with our community.