STUDENT PROFILES
Students Prove Work and Play Can Mix
WRITTEN BY ALLY KENNEDY
SUMME R 2 018
For most people, a trip to an amusement park is an annual summer tradition. For Dan Dipiazzo, a College of Media Data Marketing Communications (DMC) graduate student, it’s just a day on the job.
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“It’s hard to imagine a business more fun than theme parks, so I’m very lucky to work in this industry,” said Dipiazzo. “It’s really rewarding to know that the day someone spends with us will probably be one of the most memorable days of their life.” As the vice president of marketing for SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica, Dipiazzo is responsible for all marketing and sales functions for the flagship theme park. In the highly competitive and amusement park-saturated Orlando market, Dipiazzo is responsible for determining ways to set SeaWorld apart. With a main goal of driving attendance to the parks, he oversees advertising, public relations, digital marketing, direct marketing and promotions. “There are really no two days alike in this job. While sometimes that can be difficult, it’s also what makes it fun and exciting. The most gratifying part of my career is helping to launch new business opportunities,” said Dipiazzo, who was part of the communications team that unveiled and helped launch the new Discovery Cove theme park. Dipiazzo has been working in the theme park industry for nearly 20 years – first, as a public relations consultant at AnhauserBusch’s theme park division, then as a marketing vice president for Busch Gardens and Water Country USA. Previously, he was the senior vice president and partner in the consumer practice at FleishmanHillard. Dipiazzo began his career as a reporter and then editor at a daily newspaper in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Even with his career already established, Dipiazzo yearned to expand his professional knowledge, which led him to enroll in the College’s online DMC program. “The media and consumer landscape is constantly changing, and it requires a marketer to stay plugged in and always able to come up with new solutions,” said Dipiazzo. “That’s actually one of the reasons I was most interested in pursuing the Data Marketing Communications degree—because it’s critical to understand data and unlock the power it can provide marketing communications professionals.” Dipiazzo recently completed the Brand Data Collection and Visualization course—something he does on a daily basis as part
of his career. He came into the course believing he was already pretty well-versed on the topic. “I have actually learned so many things I didn’t know that I can put into practice right now,” he said. Other DMC courses include audience segmentation, message customizations, social media optimization and campaign metrics and assessment. Balancing work, school and life can be a challenge, but for Dipiazzo, prioritizing is key. He credits the WVU DMC program with keeping him engaged and motivated by providing practical knowledge he can immediately put to use in his career. “The DMC master’s program isn’t just theoretical; this is the real world of marketing communications today,” said Dipiazzo. “And, we don’t have to wait until our degrees are completed to start reaping the benefits.” The Data Marketing Communications graduate program is the first master’s degree in the country that specifically focuses on how to use data to drive and shape marketing communications. DMC students complete the program in a cohort, beginning their first semester with an introductory course and taking courses in sequence that build to the creation of a comprehensive marketing communications campaign for a real-world client of their choice.
