Sri Jayawadenapura University signs MoU with Neo@Ogilvy

Sri Jayawardenapura University has signed a landmark MOU, with Sri Lanka's foremost Digital and Social Media Agency Neo@Ogilvy to introduce digital marketing as a subject in their Marketing Management BSc Degree course. Neo@Ogilvy is a subsidiary of Phoenix Ogilvy.

Prof. Sampath Amaratunga	Rohan Jayaweera	Irvin Weerackody

In terms of this MOU the curriculum for Digital Marketing would be formulated, designed and developed by Neo@Ogilvy.

Its senior specialists in digital and social media, would also form the faculty. The course would also feature guest lecturers from Google.

The course in Digital Marketing would become mandatory to final year students in the faculty of Management Studies and Commerce. It would expose the students to the different components of Digital Marketing, ranging from digital advertising, social media management and digital influence on CRM.

Speaking on this occasion Prof. Sampath Amaratunga, Dean of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, Sri Jayewardenepura University, said, "The University has taken a timely step to enlist the support and expertise of the corporate sector to introduce Digital Marketing as a subject for the BSc degree in Marketing Management.

This, in fact, is a significant academic recognition of the latest technological development in the field of Digital Marketing and making this knowledge available to the student community."

Addressing the gathering, Irvin Weerackody, Chairman of Neo@Ogilvy said, "Digital and Social Media have taken the world by storm and there was hardly anyone who could escape this stark reality. With all developments in mass media, still the interpersonal communication or simply put the 'Word of Mouth' is considered the most effective and most powerful.

Now what we see and what has really happened is this word of mouth acquiring a fascinating technological garb - in other words, word of mouth clothed in fascinating technology." Speaking further Weerackody said "Internet, Digital, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter are some of the garbs it manifests in. Now these different digital manifestations have assumed an awesome power.

Arab Spring and Jasmine Revolution were some of its Avatars." Weerackody further said, "Digital would continue to transform the way we do business - the way we buy, the way we sell, the way we learn, the way we teach and the way the world is.

Five years ago, our digital penetration in this country was around 5%. Now it stands at 15% and it continues to grow.

While the digital penetration continues, Weerackody stressed that digital literacy is lagging behind, creating a vacuum. It is in this context that we are happy to facilitate the introduction of Digital Marketing in the BSc marketing management course in the Sri Jayewadenapura University."

Rohan Jayaweera, Country Consultant Google, said "The country's internet penetration is growing exponentially and the impact of this and the marketing strategies would be profound.

Sri Lanka's business community has evolved within the digital marketing space over a span of just two years.

This is an exciting time for our students - students because they would be exposed to learning's and situations, before you did not exist. Digital marketing curriculum would open tremendous opportunities in the future.