MKTG 490 Promotion Project – MWF 3:10 to 4 p.m.

Course Overview:
This is an experiential learning course in which you and your classmates become a marketing agency working for a real client. Over the course of your project you will plan and implement a promotional event and an associated advertising and public relations campaign designed to achieve your client’s objectives. In addition, you will manage a budget, conduct market research, make agency-style presentations to sell your ideas and communicate your outcomes to your client, and produce materials that document the implementation and results of your campaign. This course can help you improve your skills in marketing, HR, operations management, public relations, oral and written communication, event planning, time management, and teamwork. All students admitted to the course are expected to strive for excellence. This course requires substantial effort, but the rewards are great!

Who can take this course?
This course is open to business students of any concentration as well as non-business students (e.g., digital marketing, promotions, public relations, broadcasting, and communications majors).

Why should I consider this course?

• It fulfills up to 3 Broadening/Experiential credits required for business majors or may be used to fulfill the 3 upper division elective credits for Marketing concentrations. It also may be used to fulfill 3 elective credits for the Promotion and Advertising minors.
• Developing marketing strategies for today’s consumer marketplace is exciting and challenging. This course provides an opportunity for you to synthesize what you have learned in various courses. You will put your skills to work for a real client. You will have a chance to interact with business executives and see what it’s like to actually “do” marketing.
• Prospective employers value teamwork, communication skills, a sophisticated understanding of your area of interest, and evidence of project completion. By the end of the term, you will have practical marketing experience and a finished project to talk about and take to job interviews.

How do I get permission to enroll?
Submit a hard copy of your current resume and cover letter to Connie Lipsker by Friday, Nov. 16 at 5 pm. (You can drop these off with the business school administrative assistants.)

In the letter, please indicate the following:
1. Which project areas (project coordinator, promotions, advertising, public relations, market research, communications) are your first and second choices
2. Why those areas are particularly attractive to you
3. Any experience (work, volunteer) or qualifications (including coursework) you have in those areas

Course enrollment will be capped at 16 students per project; therefore, it is in your best interest to put together a solid resume and cover letter. You will be notified by Dec. 4 whether you have been accepted into the course so that adjustments to your spring schedule can be made, if necessary.

The primary purpose of the application process is to make sure that students have course preparation in order to benefit from and contribute to the course and its outcomes. I will be looking for students who have coursework and perhaps some work experience related to marketing research, advertising, promotions, personal selling, graphic design, digital marketing, public relations, and communications. If you plan to take any of these courses concurrently with the Promotion Project course, you should find many opportunities in the project to apply the concepts you are learning. The project work is demanding (but fun!), and the expectations regarding the quality of work are very high. Therefore, we will also be looking for students who have good academic records and who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work.

Project Areas: These areas represent the organizational structure that has generally been used in the past. It may be reconfigured to better suit this project, as needed.

• Project Coordinator/Budget Director—overall team leader and liaison with instructor and client, oversees the budget and use of project funds (Note: the Project Coordinator is elected at the beginning of the semester. Please indicate in your cover letter if you are interested in this position.)
• Market Research—oversees pre- and post-campaign research design, data collection, and analysis
• Promotions—oversees all facets of any promotional event(s), including logistics and sponsorships
• Advertising—oversees design and placement of advertising for the campaign, including social media
• Public Relations—oversees media coverage and publicity, charity initiatives, prize donations, and correspondence
• Communications—oversees the layout and content of the marketing proposal and recap presentations made to the client as well as producing written documents.

Reflections from past Promotion Project students:

• “This project has given me the opportunity to learn what a classroom setting couldn’t offer me.”
• “Seeing all of our hard work come together on the event day was so exhilarating. Despite a few mishaps, I was so proud that we had the strength and determination to pull off an extremely successful event.”
• “Being in this agency has been an excellent opportunity to expand and fine-tune talents that have been four years in the making.”
• “This is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.”
• “Through this project, I gained valuable experience, made new friends, and created life-long memories.”
• “The Promotion Project was the best way to wrap up my college career. It gave me a chance to take all of the knowledge I had gained in the classroom and apply it in a practical setting.”

Questions? Contact Connie Lipsker
lipsker@gonzaga.edu or 313-7042