KPUMA reinvents itself, aims to make marketing more accessible to students

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Gone are the days of assuming that marketing is just craft ploys to sell products. 

With the advent of social media, marketing is not only relevant but essential to many professionals outside of just the business sector.

To keep pace, the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Marketing Association (KPUMA) wants to reinvent itself and get a fresh start by opening its doors to a wider audience.

“I’m thinking of revamping the whole thing,” says Abdullah Khan, who took over as club president in January.

Khan says many business clubs at KPU have struggled with membership and declining engagement, but the new leadership team at KPUMA is carefully planning the club’s return from hibernation.

Although past members of the KPUMA have mostly been business majors, Khan says the club wants to expand membership to include anyone with an interest.  

The way he sees it, marketing is a much broader field than we often think it is.

“Anyone can dabble [in it] anywhere,” he says. “Advertising, publishing, promoting, content writing, content designing, content creation, social media management — there’s various [paths] where people can go and do stuff.” 

Social media has become a key aspect of our lives, and a survey by The Harris Poll has shown that a majority of employers conduct social media screenings of candidates during the hiring process.

While it was always important for freelancers and creatives to know how to market themselves, personal branding has become an important part of job hunting for everyone, Khan says. 

The KPUMA often brings in industry experts for workshops, but its members want to look beyond typical marketing professionals going forward. Khan says he wants to bring in established content creators who are “already in the game” to speak to the club.

“[They could] present their experiences and how they have gained followers. [They could discuss] what goes viral, what doesn’t go viral, [and] how do you build a personal brand,” he says. 

The skills gained from marketing can give candidates a competitive edge over those without marketing knowledge, research by the Point Loma Nazarene University found. Besides analytical skills, a marketer understands how to self-promote or build their personal brand.

Whether you’re a business major or not, studies show you don’t necessarily need a post-secondary degree in marketing to learn marketing skills. A 2024 report by the Digital Marketing Sector Council found traditional post-secondary education doesn’t equip graduates with essential skills such as social media, search engine optimization, or content creation and management.

That’s what Khan’s vision for a new KPUMA aims to emphasize — marketing outside of its textbook definition, or marketing made accessible.

“My major is in entrepreneurial leadership,” Khan says, adding he thinks this could be what helps him in leading the KPUMA. “I thought, why not give it a shot and use my expertise or knowledge in this leadership role.”

The entrepreneur in Khan is already on a mission to make the club feel more inclusive.

The KPUMA wants to host more casual events like game and trivia nights to give members a low-pressure environment for networking.

Khan says the flexible nature of studies at KPU means students “may or may not make connections,” which is something the team at KPUMA wants to help foster. 

The club plans to conduct surveys after its events to learn and listen to members, allowing their responses to influence club activities.

“I’m just trying to be different to bring in more people and have more of that personal touch,” Khan says.

Students interested in the KPUMA can sign up by visiting www.bit.ly/KPUMAform.