Most MBA students might have a hard time imagining their distinguished faculty members as fast-dealing card players settling in for a gritty game of Texas Hold 'em. Marketing professor Robert Blattberg from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, however, definitely enjoyed the occasional game of poker in his day—and recognizes that some of the appealing qualities of the game are similar to what draws him to the field of marketing.

"What I liked about poker is that it was statistical, but there was also a human component to it," he recalls. The fact that Blattberg liked to use probability to calculate his odds of winning may seem very, well, college professor-like, but like many mere players he was also attracted to the psychological components of reading people's behavior and trying to pick out the bluffers at the table.

It is this amalgamation of quantitative analysis skills with the "softer" components of being able to understand consumers that will characterize the next batch of successful marketers. With corporations holding their marketing departments increasingly more accountable, proposing a marketing plan is no longer enough—marketers must now also prove that their creative handiwork will be profitable.

THE TECHNICAL SIDE.

It is this recent demand for marketers with a strong background in finance and data analysis that presents the newest challenge for both students and professors. Blattberg thinks not all programs are adequately preparing grads for the quantitative analysis abilities that are increasingly in demand in real-world positions.

He puts equal responsibility on faculty and students, saying part of the problem is that many marketing professors do not have enough of a finance background, while many students enjoy the creative component and tend to avoid subjects that are uncomfortable for them.

"If I was starting out in marketing today I would take courses in accounting, statistics, and marketing research," he says. "I would try to focus on developing my quantitative skills even if it was painful." He reminds MBA students that GPA doesn't really matter in the long run. What does, however, is that they are developing the skills they need to compete in the real world.

LEARNING BY DOING.