Marketing class working with the FBI

Students enrolled in Practicum in Advertising and Promotion Design (MKT 406) are helping to find the next generation of federal investigators here at USC.

To gain practical experience in marketing, students enrolled in the class have been developing their skills by implementing marketing campaigns for various clients — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

MKT 406 is a class that allows students to get hands-on experience running real marketing campaigns. The class partners with EdVenture Partners, a non-profit organization that helps find clients interested in working with the class. This year, the FBI has chosen to utilize the class’s resources to promote a campaign it hopes will enhance the number of applicants to the agency.

Professor Therese Wilbur, who has taught the course since 2006, believes the class is vital for students preparing for a career in marketing.

“We execute campaigns for clients,” Wilbur said. “This course really stands out on a résumé.”

At the beginning of the semester, the school gave the class a budget of $3,000 to run an effective campaign for the client. The FBI hired the class to run a marketing campaign to recruit 100 applicants for the FBI — 50 forensic accountants, who have similar responsibilities to financial analysts, and 50 for the specialist investigation division, who gather intelligence and perform physical surveillance.

“The overall objective is to develop an integrative communication program that delivers on two objectives: investigative specialists and forensic accountants. The class has to research and develop a campaign that emits those objectives,” Wilbur said.

To start, the class conducted primary research on student perceptions of the FBI.

Using that information, they brainstormed ideas for the campaign and condensed them into a campaign message and final strategy.

FBI representatives arrived on campus at the beginning of March to provide feedback for the campaign’s direction. The campaign was launched shortly after.

“We executed the campaign across the West Coast,” Wilbur said. “After we execute, we will evaluate the results to see how or if we met [the FBI’s] objective.”

Lauren Peterson, a senior majoring in communication and a student in the class, said three different campaigns were originally pitched: “Investigate your Future,” “You’re the Missing Piece,” and “Think. Do. Live.”

“Now, we are doing ‘Think. Do. Live.,’ which was our strongest point,” Peterson said. “That’s what will be on all the posters and T-shirts, which are meant to recruit applicants.”

Benjamin Gutierrez, a senior majoring in public relations, said he thinks the class promotes marketable skills.

“This class provides real world experience for students,” Gutierrez, who is the public relations director for the class, said. “It demonstrates why it’s important to have good writing and communication skills. That’s what employers are looking for.”

Gutierrez said the class operates like a real public relations agency.

“Students understand how to deal with conflict and the clients’ boundaries,” Gutierrez said. “The class is almost like a full-time job.”

The students said running the campaign taught them about what works and what doesn’t in marketing campaigns.

“Trying to get donations during a tough economy is hard,” said Tobi Ogundipe, a senior majoring in music industry, and a member of the class. “Our budget is pretty small to reach who we want to reach — undergraduates. So I’ve learned to utilize the contacts we have, from campus representatives to local businesses.”

The class also benefits the client, Gutierrez noted.

“The FBI gets hardworking students. I feel like they get really great results from qualified students,” Gutierrez said.

Peterson noted that one benefit of the class, aside from gaining valuable experience, was addressing FBI stereotypes.

“It’s interesting to know what the FBI actually does. Everyone has this image from the media of what they are about,” Peterson said. “They are secretive about a lot of things, but you just have to work around it.”

Gutierrez embraced the stereotype as another obstacle to tackle through the campaign.

“It’s a challenge for us to break down the stereotypes of FBI agents and communicate that to everyone else,” Gutierrez said.

In fact, he said he has seen what makes the FBI so rewarding to work with.

“It’s every public relations agency’s dream client,” Gutierrez said, “They don’t shoot everything down, they have constructive criticism.”

Ogundipe said she saw firsthand the FBI’s intelligence in working with USC students.

“I think the FBI is really ahead of the curve when it comes to teaming up with college students,” Ogundipe said. “They need to use undergraduates to put the word out there.”

As part of the campaign, events will be held on campus April 6 and April 8. The first event will be for investigative specialists, and the second event will be mainly a meet-and-great for graduate students interested in applying to the FBI.

Wilbur said the benefits of taking the course are long-lasting.

“This course has really opened doors for previous students in terms of getting interviews,” Wilbur said. “It’s all a potential employer wants to talk about.”

Students currently taking the course are not surprised.

“This is not your typical class,” Peterson said. “This is a group of USC students putting on an entire campaign for the FBI. This proves that USC students can do real-world work. How often do you get to prove it?”