David Edmundson-Bird CMBE FRSA

I currently support knowledge exchange around digital marketing practice with A KTP at Breathe Tech

Why study ‘Digital’ and Digital Comms?

Digital is the most exciting place to be in the world - and I’ve lived here since the early 1990s. The future prosperity of this region and the nation depends heavily on our ability to compete creatively in this domain. Students who study within Digital have the chance to learn and work in a fast-moving environment, with new ideas every day. Being digital requires you to be curious, constantly learning and trying things out - that don’t always work. But there’s never a boring day and our commitment to making learners curious and critical in digital sets them up for great careers for life.

Degree apprenticeship units

• I’m the unit leader for Principles of E-Commerce on our Digital Marketing Degree Apprenticeship, which provides our degree apprentices with an understanding of the main principles of E-commerce and their application in an E-commerce and Retail setting

• I’m the unit leader for Audience Acquisition on our Digital Marketing Degree Apprenticeship, which gets our degree apprentices to explore the operationalisation of channels and tactics used to acquire customers to a business proposition

• I’m the unit leader for Key Issues in the Digital Environment on our Digital Marketing Degree Apprenticeship, which introduces our degree apprentices to issues unique to organisations that operate in a digital environment and shows students how to prepare for issues when developing new business or new products

• I’m the unit leader for Digital Comms Strategy on our Digital Marketing Degree Apprenticeship, which allows our degree apprentices to develop digital comms strategies to support business and marketing objectives in order to guide campaign planning.

Postgraduate teaching

• I’m the unit leader for Organic and Paid Digital Practice on our Full-Time MSc Digital Marketing Comms which provides our postgrads with practical insight into search and social channel tactics so they can create cost-effective organic and paid campaigns
• I’m the unit leader for The Next Big Thing in Digital on our Full-Time MSc Digital Marketing Comms which allows our postgrads to explore and experience emerging trends, technologies, processes and practices that will underpin digital marketing communications in the near future.
• I’m the unit leader for Acquisition for Organic and Paid Channels on our Part-Time E-learning MSc Digital Marketing which drives our postgrads through the features of different channels and show practitioners how to plan for their use in customer acquisition in their organisations.

I have supervised a significant number Masters students to completion with distinction. In the last 2 years, this subjects covered include the us of AI and machine-learning in the sales process, the use of digital comms tech within SME supply chains, improving the use of search for a large events business, and the difference in player behaviour and attitude in e-sports personas in comparison to real-world behaviour.

My supervision focus is usually within action-learning/action-research, consultancy projects and empirical studies of the use of new tactics and channels for organisations.

I am currently supervising projects involving the development of new digital strategies for a CIC, value proposition designs, and rethinking social media practice in specific industry sectors.

I work with a number of businesses and non-for-profit organisations, as part of the University remit to engage with the City region industries. 

I am currently in receipt of a Developing Educational Excellence award. I have led the development of a novel approach to synchronous remote learning - Synchronous E-Learning Development Model (SEDM) - as part of an action learning response to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. I am currently working on supporting colleagues in law education on repurposing digital marketing platform capability as a novel learning and assessment tool, as well as creating a curriculum to develop digital literacy in law students and create a culture of digital innovation in that profession.