Dr. Simone Kurtzke Robert Gordon University, UK

Dr Simone Kurtzke is a lecturer on Scotland’s first practice-led MSc Digital Marketing at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. She believes that in the digital economy, the marketing curriculum must evolve to teach practical digital skills (e.g. Search Engine Optimisation, Digital Analytics, Social Media Marketing) and soft skills alongside strategic marketing... read moremanagement (see also Finch et al. 2012; Parker 2014).
Simone’s digital career started in 1999, as project manager and web designer for genderInn, the first online database for Gender Studies (University of Cologne, Germany). Inspired by Haraway’s (1991) Cyborg Manifesto’, her interest in new digital media eventually led to a PhD (awarded in 2007) investigating early online video production and consumption.
Her industry background spans strategic and practical digital marketing (client and agency-side), and this combination has provided her with a unique insight into the marketing skills and knowledge companies require in the digital age. Simone’s passion is to work both with industry and academia to jointly deliver a marketing education consistent with the student and business needs of the 21st century.
She is currently an external examiner for the Dublin Institute of Technology’s PGDip in Advertising and Digital Communications and blogs about digital marketing in Higher Education on socialscotland.com.