In a world where trends change by the hour, social media marketing can’t just be something you read about in a textbook. At the University of Dayton School of Business Administration, it’s something you do with AI at your side as a co-pilot, not a replacement.
That’s the mindset behind MKT 351: Social Media Marketing, taught by Dr. Andrew Edelblum, marketing professor and AI fellow in the School of Business Administration.
Learning social media by actually running it
From day one, Marketing 351 is immersive and portfolio-building. Students don’t just study famous brands; they engage with them. This semester, they’re working with Brooks Running, a major player in the athletic apparel world.
Brooks came to the class with a real challenge:
How can a brand connect with Generation Z on social media in a more authentic, relatable way?
In this class, students pair empathy with data as social media strategists in a semester-long project. They analyze Brooks Running’s presence on TikTok and Instagram, study competitors such as Nike, Hoka and On, and dig into what Gen Z actually wants to see in their feeds.
“What is it about a particular piece of content that’s going to sustain my attention for more than 5 seconds? More than 15 seconds?” Edelblum said. That is what his students will try to do. Along the way, they build skills in:
- Trend analysis and market research
- Brand voice and storytelling
- Audience empathy and the psychology of attention
- Data and analytics (views, retention, engagement and more)
“The important lesson is that AI shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for us, it should be treated more like a colleague or collaborator, something that supports our work rather than defines it, “ said Quinn Herron, senior marketing student. “In Dr. Edelblum’s class, it was interesting to see how this idea plays out when we learned what AI is great at, and what it can’t replace, like our ability to think ethically, understand context, or connect emotionally.”
Where AI comes in: A co-pilot, not the driver
Generative AI is woven into each phase of the Brooks Running project, but always in a human-first way.
Students use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and other creative platforms to:
Research the landscape
Chatbots help students organize large amounts of information about the athletic apparel market, refine frameworks, understand the audience and surface credible sources to explore.
Brainstorm content series ideas
Brooks Running asked for a repeatable social media series made for runners and Gen Z. AI helps spark initial concepts, but students are expected to push further to shape something original.
Create and optimize content
As they prototype vertical videos and social posts, students use AI tools for editing, captioning and scaling content more efficiently, which are skills they will use in internships and future roles.
Edelblum describes AI as a co-pilot. “I’ve used AI to try to come up with creative ideas. The results are good, but not great. If you’re working for a company like Brooks, you need to be great,” he said. “You can’t settle on the first thing the AI spits out. It will only reiterate what already exists. True innovation, creativity and greatness come from that human touch.”
The payoff is a semester of bold ideas and real-world work culminating in a final, high-impact presentation delivered straight to the client.
Building AI literacy, adaptability and ethics
Marketing 351 doesn’t just teach how to use AI. It teaches students to think critically about it.
“AI made me more efficient with repetitive tasks like editing, copywriting, or analyzing analytics,” said Herron. “Because AI, I had more time to do what matters, which is designing campaigns, understanding audience behaviour and thinking about brand identity.”
- AI literacy as a journey: Students learn how to write stronger prompts, carry on effective back-and-forth conversations with AI tools and evaluate what’s useful versus what needs human refinement.
- Resume-ready skills: Just like listing Excel or analytics tools today, Edelblum believes tomorrow’s marketers will show fluency in platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini and creative AI tools on their resumes.
- Ethical decision-making: The class talks directly about copyright, deepfakes and regulation. Students are challenged to use AI in ways that respect intellectual property and uphold UD’s commitment to business for the common good.
Ethical decision-making is especially important when discussing AI with students and how they can apply it in their college and post-graduation careers. “We talk about how AI is the ‘wild west,’ in the sense that this technology is escalating faster than regulators can reasonably respond to it,” Edelblum said. “We don’t have a legal or regulatory framework for a lot of these technologies, and a lot of the ethical decision-making comes from top-down institutions.”
Advice for future Flyers
For students eager to build AI agility, Edelblum’s advice is simple: experiment.
Try tools. Play with prompts. See what AI can do and where you still need to take it the last mile. In Marketing 351, you won’t just learn about social media and AI; you’ll practice using them to solve real problems for real brands.
Learn more about the University of Dayton’s School of Business Administration and its marketing major.
AI in the Business Classroom: About the AI Fellows Initiative
This article is part of the AI in the Business Classroom blog series, highlighting how the University of Dayton’s business faculty is shaping the future of business education through artificial intelligence.
The AI Fellows Initiative at the University of Dayton’s School of Business Administration equips students with hands-on AI experience and the ethical mindset needed to lead in a rapidly evolving business world.