Marketing students generating buzz for local businesses
Students in a fourth-year business course are creating a buzz for some local businesses, utilizing their social media literacy and combining it with key concepts discussed in class to create engaging online marketing campaigns.
The course, Innovative Approaches in Marketing (MKTG 4436) covers topics ranging from diffusion of innovation to social media to content marketing to mobile marketing to search engine optimization. The core project involves students creating a viral buzz marketing campaign.
Teams of students are working on three separate projects: North Bay Symphony Orchestra and their student discounts; North Star Diner and their delicious, organic and vegan menu; and the North Bay Humane Society to raise the awareness about homeless pets and encourage people to donate time, money, or supplies.
“The students have done some fantastic work this year. There is definitely a buzz around their campaigns,” said Dr. Anahit Armenakyan, associate professor in the school of business, who teaches the course. “The businesses have received a strong positive feedback on the students’ work. The Symphony campaign grew out of a previous project completed in the fall, and it is very rewarding to see this continuation of the knowledge acquisition and skills application.”
“For the Symphony campaign, we wanted to increase awareness of the student discount, which is pretty amazing. It averages to about 73% off regular pricing,” said student Abbey Thompson. “Our creative strategy for played on the nostalgia of the original Apple iPod ads with the silhouettes and brightly coloured backgrounds. We felt this would help students reimagine the symphony as a modern choice for their music needs. We had a lot of fun filming the ad with volunteers from the North Bay Symphony Orchestra and creating a campaign for a worthy local organization.”
The campaigns are running for the month of March. You can check out the student’s work on social media here:
North Bay Symphony Orchestra
North Star Diner
North Bay Humane Society