This digital marketing exercise guides student groups through “customer journeys” in five different categories: home goods, clothing, office equipment, car insurance, and groceries. Students assume the role of a customer completing the steps necessary to buy specific products online to solve a particular problem—from the initial search to post-purchase follow-up.
Using the included PowerPoint template, students create a presentation that recounts and evaluates their customer journey via Jim Lecinski’s marketing mental model, which includes four steps: stimulus, zero moment of truth, first moment of truth, and second moment of truth. For the first part of the presentation, students create a customer journey map, noting the actions necessary to complete the purchase and rating aspects of the buying experience and company, such as the efficacy of paid search ads, company social media presence, website design and loading speed, company return policy, and product reviews. For the second part, students propose interventions and alternative paths they believe would serve the company better.
“Customer Journey Map” has been used in the first part of a second-year MBA elective and executive MBA course called “Digital Marketing.” This exercise works in-person or in a synchronous online class of 85 minutes. Most students tend to have a rudimentary knowledge of digital marketing, although some may be more experienced, having worked in the field.
