(Photo courtesy of the Temple University’s Fox School of Business)
As marketing evolves at the speed of technology, Rebecca “Becca” Smith helps students keep pace—and think critically about where the industry is headed. A faculty member at Temple University’s Fox School of Business and senior vice president of marketing at the Philadelphia-based creative marketing agency Electric Kite, Smith brings a unique blend of academic rigor and agency experience into the classroom. Her teaching is grounded in the work she does every day—building strategy, managing clients and leading creative teams—giving students a front-row seat to what marketing looks like right now, and where it’s going next.
How does your professional experience shape your instruction?
My career has spanned nonprofit leadership, strategy consulting and agency work. Running a nonprofit for a decade while earning my MBA at the Fox School instilled in me a deep sense of empathy and the importance of listening—skills I bring into the classroom to build a community-focused learning environment. I often survey students mid-course to gather feedback and, when possible, adjust my teaching in real-time. This adaptability helps students feel heard and invested.
My consulting and agency roles have allowed me to bring current, real-world insights into the classroom. For instance, I’m working with performance TV vendors, such as streaming services, that can target IP addresses for Electric Kite clients—in my classes, I can share that type of cutting-edge work with my students, discussing how such strategies are implemented and their effectiveness across different organizational sizes.
What marketing trends are you most excited about right now?
I’m particularly intrigued by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing production. At Electric Kite, we’re exploring how AI tools can enhance efficiency and elevate our production capacity. In my classes, I have students train AI models like ChatGPT using provided documents and templates to develop content strategies for selected companies. This hands-on approach allows them to experience the speed and capabilities of AI, while also emphasizing the importance of human oversight and creativity to ensure quality and uniqueness in the output.
“While technical proficiency with AI tools is important, soft skills like creativity, empathy and strategic thinking will differentiate successful marketers.”
Are there other tools or trends you’re exploring?
Beyond ChatGPT, I’m examining AI tools that assist with audience targeting for paid media, data integration and analysis. With increasing privacy regulations and the decline of cookie-based tracking, traditional methods like lookalike audiences are less effective. We’re investigating alternative strategies, such as deeper retargeting and utilizing AI tools that aggregate data from multiple sources to identify customer interests more accurately.
How do you incorporate real-world campaigns into your teaching?
I regularly start classes with open Q&A sessions, encouraging students to ask about current trends or tools they’re curious about. This approach allows me to share up-to-date insights from my agency work, such as AI tools or the aforementioned affordability and effectiveness of performance TV vendors. By discussing these real-world applications, students gain a practical understanding of how marketing strategies are implemented across different industries and organizational sizes.
What skills do you believe will be essential for digital marketers in the next five years?
Understanding and effectively integrating AI will be non-negotiable—specifically balancing human characteristics like creativity with the execution of AI tools. While technical proficiency with AI tools is important, soft skills like creativity, empathy and strategic thinking will differentiate successful marketers. AI can handle many production tasks, but it’s not empathetic. It can’t listen, can’t read facial expressions or make broad complex connections between ideas—our ability to innovate, connect emotionally and think holistically remains irreplaceable.
Bridging Industry and Education
Through her work at Electric Kite and in the classroom at Fox, Becca Smith continues to bridge the gap between industry and education—helping students not just adapt to a changing marketing world, but shape it.
Interested in learning more about the Digital Marketing Master’s Program at the Fox School of Business? Learn more here.