STEFANO BOCCHINI | PROFESSIONAL MASTER IN DIGITAL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION

12 May 2022

Today, Stefano Bocchini, Alumnus of the Professional Master in Digital Marketing and Communication, is Digital Marketing Strategist at Webranking, the largest independent Italian agency of the sector. His point of view about the Master? A multidisciplinary path that helped him to give value to clients and their projects, creating strategies focused not only on business objectives, but also on ethics, tangible quality and innovation. In this interview he tells us about his approach to the labor market and the importance of the Master.

Digitization is, together with sustainability, one of the key factors for the economic and social development of the Planet. How much did this kind of consideration influence your choice of the Master?

I remember that one of the things that struck me right away when choosing the Master’s program was the presence of one course in particular: “Business Ethics“. It was something different, something that stood out among the other educational offerings I had seen around, and that certainly influenced my final choice. Often in our industry there is a tendency to think of profit first, or even worse, sustainability and issues more related to social issues are used as marketing leverage. As a consumer, I’ve always hated all those greenwashing phenomena that some brands implemented just to be talked about or to attract a wider audience, and now as a consultant I try to propose strategies that do not distort the brands I work with, always pointing out that yes, many competitors talk about sustainability and tie much of their communication to this issue, but that they risk losing credibility (and money) if they do not accompany what they communicate with tangible actions.

The type of specialization offered by the Master opens a lot of doors, both in traditional companies and hi-tech agencies. What path has opened, is opening, or do you hope will open for you?

I will always be grateful to the Master I chose, and I will not stop recommending it to anyone who asks me about it, because it offered me the opportunity to join one of the best workplaces I could aspire to. Webranking is an example of Italian excellence, which has always stood for innovation and foresight since its birth, anticipating the times and becoming the largest independent Italian agency of the sector. I can proudly say that among the many certifications we have, the one I’m most proud of is the Great Place To Work that we have obtained for 5 consecutive years coming in fourth place in Italy this year. My journey in Webranking has been fantastic, and it was with great pleasure that this year I had the opportunity to return to BBS as an instructor. Coming back to teach a course at my own Master after only two years was really exciting, and in my opinion, it is an indication of the trust that Bologna Business School has in its students, as well as a sign of the quality of the courses and of the work and professional opportunities that the School offers.

The strong interdisciplinary nature of the course, which is a hallmark of BBS, greatly enhances the role of marketing and communication as a strategic meeting point between the various company areas. Have you had the opportunity to experience this aspect in practice? If not, how do you imagine it could apply to your future career? 

Unfortunately, in some companies there is still a lot of fragmentation between departments and even competition. For example, it can happen that the marketing department is not seen in a good light by the technical or IT department and vice versa, and the lack of communication or willingness to collaborate leads to real actions of obstructionism that damage the business. I remember that during the lessons at BBS we had the opportunity to analyze several case-studies where in the end it was the marketing and communication department that saved the face and the profit of the companies due to failures or errors generated by the lack of collaboration and coordination between different departments. My task as a consultant today is precisely that of proposing strategies that always keep in mind what the business objectives are, and that break down the silos between the various teams in the company, precisely because if marketing is the fuel for any development strategy, the pillars that support it are based on skills and key actions of other departments.

Which are the practical skills you have acquired that most show the approach oriented to the transformation of theoretical knowledge into practical activities offered by the Master’s program?

In general, what characterizes the Master I attended at BBS is precisely the presence of many experts in their field who manage to pass on key skills that can really open the doors to different roles and work contexts. In my specific case, having already had contacts and having already familiarized myself during the lessons with the specific topic in which I specialized at the beginning of my path, helped me to settle in and acquire more in-depth skills much faster at work. In any case, despite my specialization, having had training at the Master that had also covered other topics helped me in my everyday work life not only to better understand the needs and requirements of my colleagues in other departments but also to understand what I could receive from them in order to achieve a definitely better quality of work.