SMG, NTU and Facebook initiate social media education programme

Starcom’s social and content division SMG Social, the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Facebook have teamed up to develop social media talent in Singapore.The partnership aims to address the industry’s demand for talents in the media industry.The objective is also to raise awareness and attendance for WKWSCI’s recruitment programmes in 2015.SMG Social Connect, a programme developed with Facebook since 2014, mentors and trains students to prepare them for positions in the media industry. The collaboration with WKWSCI is the second long-term academic-industry partnership for SMG and Facebook.The programme teaches students how to develop social media strategies and campaigns, as well as identifying key social media platforms for campaigns. In addition, the programme educates students on how businesses can leverage social media to its full potential through the “Define, Design & Deliver” framework.Students also learn how to design a content strategy for social media campaigns using the 4Cs (Community, Currency, Content & Conversation), tone of voice, and best in class brands on the social web.Facebook and SMG conducted several workshops during the content planning stage of the campaign to demonstrate to students the concepts in community management, how to create online content calendars, campaign reviews and measurement, conversation moderating and monitoring, and crisis management.Ian Loon, regional director digital leadership of SMG in Southeast Asia, said: "SMG Connect uncovers greater meaning for SMG's talent and partnerships through contributing to the academia of Singapore and the rest of the region.”Eunice Tan, senior manager at SMG Social, said, “We are proud to pioneer this initiative where we go beyond the traditional industry practitioner/guest lecturer model and implement a practicum with real deliverables and bottom-line impact.”WKWSCI’s chair, professor Charles Salmon, said, "Social media is an increasingly integral part of good marketing and communication practice and this programme will ensure that our NTU graduates have a good balance of theoretical and practical skills that are highly valued in the communication industry.”Matthew Drury, agency development lead for Facebook in Asia Pacific, said, "Attracting, developing, and retaining digital media talent in Singapore is imperative in fostering innovation within the local media industry."