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Experiential Learning at Elmira College, Part 2 of 4: Doing Real-World Marketing

Elmira, NY (08/01/2019) — What is the best way to learn and understand marketing research and strategy? According to Elmira College Associate Professor of Marketing and Corning Incorporated Foundation Chair in Business, Alison Wolfe, a big part of the answer is to get out of the classroom and do real marketing work for actual local clients.

Guthrie Healthworks, a 45,000-square-foot wellness and fitness center in Painted Post, New York, was developed as collaboration between Guthrie Health and Corning Hospital to promote wellness, health education, clinical rehabilitation services, and fitness opportunities for the people in Guthrie's communities. From the Fall Term of 2018 through the Winter Term of 2019, students in three classes worked with professionals from Guthrie HealthWorks to learn from and assist them with real-world market planning, marketing research, and creative advertising-promotional strategies.

Working in collaboration with Guthrie HealthWorks, students in course MKT3810 (Market Research) conducted a survey-based market research project for Guthrie, where they collected, processed, and analyzed information using both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, while students in MKT4000 (Marketing Planning) prepared and presented a proposed 2020 marketing plan, and students in MKT3910 (Strategic Advertising and Promotion Management) developed their own agency to prepare and present a 2020 creative strategy for communicating and enhancing Guthrie's message.

In the process, students were exposed to the real implications of pedagogical concepts in marketing - for example, the market research project report involved a summary of the organization and its strategic focus, a situation analysis, a literature review, and a methodology summary of the qualitative and quantitative research to be done, together with findings and recommendations. Other course projects exposed students to tools such as creating SMART objectives, market segment analysis, and a completed marketing plan.

Perhaps most importantly, students had the opportunity to create real results for their client, including submitting a written research report and oral presentation. The students themselves clearly realized the value of these real-world experiences to their education and future careers, as evidenced by testimonials such as these:

"Working as a student consultant for Guthrie HealthWorks was truly a rewarding experience. From being able to learn the process of market research to implementing the research we gathered into a marketing plan, it really helped me understand as an aspiring marketing professional what it takes to be on a marketing team." - Jesse Adelson, Class of 2020
"During the capstone Market Planning class, Professor Wolfe created a once in a lifetime opportunity for my classmates and I by securing a client such as Guthrie HealthWorks. Throughout the course we compared HealthWorks with its competitors through hands on in person experience at locations as well as compared marketing strategies that were successful in the local areas. Having the experience of creating this market plan through the research, then presenting it to Guthrie employees and receiving feedback, is an experience that truly defines my reasoning for coming to Elmira College." - Anthony Parrucci, Class of 2020

These projects were a very positive experience for the professionals at Guthrie as well as Wolfe's students - according to Guthrie Corning Hospital President Garrett Hoover, "Partnering with Elmira College on experiential learning opportunities such as this is not only enriching to their students' educations, but also helps us better deliver on our mission to provide the best health care possible to our region."

Moreover, the results of these student consulting projects provided a real benefit to this organization: as Guthrie Rehabilitation Services manager Holli Childs notes, "Their enthusiasm throughout this project resulted in some great learning opportunities for everyone, and their final presentation was professional quality."

(This is the second in a four-part series of articles on experiential learning for business and marketing students at Elmira College.)