How do you teach Marketing Technology when the technology keeps changing? I’ve been grappling with this challenge for a couple of years now, dating back to my work with The Lumery building a MarTech education platform and now at RMIT running new MarTech courses.

So when Danny Tyrrell and Michael Bridgeman (DataCo Labs) invited me to come on their podcast to chat about my approach, I jumped at the chance. Danny himself was part of my solution, very generously giving a guest lecturer to my class on the evolution of data management, so it was great to return the favour!

We got into a few things, from how to teach MarTech fundamentals, keeping up with trends, and even the shared experience Danny and I had playing in the National volleyball teams. Loved this one!

Event Details

• Event: Data COnversations Podcast
• Date: June 17 2025
• Format: Podcast Interview with video
• Hosts: Danny Tyrrell and Michael Bridgeman (DataCo Labs)
• Topic/Focus: Teaching Marketing Technology in a rapidly evolving landscape; RMIT’s new MarTech specialisations for undergraduate students
• Role: Guest expert discussing MarTech education innovation

What We Discussed

After spending a lot of time on the ‘host’ side of a podcast mic, both for my previous show SHOPOLOGY and to create guest lectures for classes, it was fun to be guest side! We explored one of the most pressing challenges in MarTech education: how do you teach marketing technology when the technology itself is constantly changing?

The conversation centered around the “pathways problem” in MarTech, including the lack of clear routes into the industry and the critical shortage of domain knowledge among practitioners. We traced my journey addressing this challenge, from my work at The Lumery with Rajan Kumar, to the current initiative at RMIT College of Business and Law where we’re tackling the problem even earlier by creating brand new MarTech specialisations for undergraduate students.

key themes and insights

• The Pathways Problem: There’s a critical lack of structured entry routes into MarTech careers, with professionals often stumbling into the field rather than being intentionally trained for it (credit to Juan Mendoza and Keanu Taylor for highlighting this)
• Domain Knowledge Gap: Many MarTech practitioners lack foundational marketing knowledge alongside technical skills
• Co-Design Approach: Our new undergraduate specialisations blend theory, frameworks, case studies, and extensive industry input to create truly relevant curriculum
• Industry Integration: Rather than teaching in isolation, we’re bringing industry leaders directly into course content, ensuring students learn from current practitioners facing real-world challenges
• Going Earlier in the Pipeline: By creating undergraduate pathways, we’re developing MarTech talent from the foundation up rather than trying to retrofit skills onto existing professionals

why this matters

This conversation gets at the heart of my mission: enabling MarTech knowledge for everyone involved. By addressing the pathways problem at the undergraduate level, we’re not just filling an immediate industry need, we’re fundamentally reshaping how the next generation of marketers thinks about technology.

The challenge of teaching tech that keeps changing isn’t actually about the technology. It’s about teaching strategic thinking, frameworks for evaluating new tools, and the marketing fundamentals that remain constant even as platforms evolve. When students graduate with this foundation combined with exposure to current industry practices through our co-designed content they become adaptable professionals rather than tool-specific operators.

This approach also reflects my belief that MarTech education requires bridging academic research and industry practice. The frameworks and theories provide conceptual anchors while industry partnerships ensure practical relevance. Neither works in isolation, but together they create education that’s both rigorous and immediately applicable.

Full Episode

Interested in discussing MarTech education challenges for your organization?

View my speaking topics to explore workshops, keynotes, and consulting on developing MarTech talent and building educational programs that bridge academic rigor with industry needs.