I was pretty honoured when I was asked by my old school, Fontys in Eindhoven, to be one of the opening speakers for the opening of their academic year.
Honoured but also a bit troubled.
To be honest: schools aren’t necessarily the best place to acquire the skills to make brands act remarkable in a digital age. Failing while trying? Yes. Connecting with others via the interwebs or offline events? Yes. Schools? Nope.
Of course, every year there are 2 or 3 students that really make the difference. But, for the rest, reading Kotler and being inspired by tired teachers who don’t have a clue what the internet is about won’t get them beyond creating concepts for hair dress salons and local community centers. And we desperately need skilled communication specialists.
