Students in an advertising class are working with clients on local and national level campaigns to prepare themselves for careers in advertising and marketing.
Students in the Marketing 425: Advertising Management class are responsible for researching and planning the marketing strategies for Tucson businesses. To do so, they analyze the businesses’ budgets and set a deadline for creating the strategy in hopes of quickly spurring funds for each business.
Although the class goes through normal academic routines like textbook reading, sitting through lectures and taking quizzes, they also complete two major projects that apply real-world knowledge and experience, said Edward Ackerley, a marketing adjunct professor. It gives them a taste of what it would be like to work in the marketing and advertising industries, he said.
This semester, the advertising class is working on Mr. K’s BBQ restaurant campaign and a national contest for Honda. The class has 62 students, divided into eight different agency departments that each play a logistical role in the campaigns. This way, every student gets a chance to take part in the campaign and practice their skills with clients.
“I enjoy being creative. We are not just sitting in a computer lab,” said Katharine Linebaugh, a marketing junior. “It’s a very interactive class that works with the community and clients.”
The class works with a budget, set by the client, to advertise their company. The students also plan how to advertise events for the client, conduct research on best advertising practices, present a marketing technique and create a report that lays out the project’s process, according to Janea Laudick, a marketing senior and public relations director for the campaign. The report is then presented to the client, Laudick said.
The class allows students the opportunity to step out of the comfort zone of their classroom and work with real world clients, said Julian Allen, a marketing senior and agency director of the campaign.
Mary Myles, a junior studying marketing, management and entrepreneurship, said she has learned a lot about advertising from the class. Her role in the class is in the public relations agency department, where she contacts other agencies and informs them about business’ upcoming events. This has helped her develop contacts and learn how to use appropriate marketing language, she said.
“What excited me about our campaign is that what we are doing can have a real impact on people, since we are working with real budgets and real money,” Linebaugh said. “It’s an exciting opportunity for us to learn and apply it in life.”
On Feb. 28, the class will have an event on the UA Mall from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. benefitting Mr. K’s BBQ. A second event called “Battle of the Clubs” will follow on March 2 at Mr. K’s BBQ from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
