Enhanced Junior/Senior Program - Marketing Enhancements

The Department of Marketing
Junior / Senior Initiatives 2008-2009

Gateways to World Markets – New York

The Gateways to World Markets (currently New York) Maymester class (MKT 495) provides marketing majors the opportunity to learn how major companies implement marketing concepts. During the first week of class, students do an in-depth evaluation, paper, and presentation and develop questions to ask regarding the organizations we plan to visit in New York. Companies we have visited include Ogilvy, Sports Illustrated (the students also talked to executives from People, Time, and AOL, MediaCom), American Express, MTV, the New York Yankees, Henri Bendel, Laforce + Stevens Public Relations, NBC, The Marketing Group (TMG), Playwright's Horizons, News America Marketing, and Appel Public Relations. During the second week of class, students visit the companies and interact with marketing executives and business associates. Students have the opportunity to discuss marketing strategies, careers, and current business issues. After the students return to Clemson, they write a paper summarizing their experience and what they learned and complete an exam and debriefing.

Internships for Marketing Majors

The number of internship opportunities available to marketing majors has increased significantly in the last few years. More importantly, major corporations and organizations such as Disney Wide World of Sports, Powerade, Glaxo Smith Kline, BBDO Advertising Agency, Techtronic Industries North America, UPS, Chick Fil-A, Blackbaud, MTV, USA Today, Dispoz-o, Disney (College Internship Program), Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing, Human Technologies, the Greenville Drive, Deardorff Communications/Solomon Says, Inc., NuRun (Interactive Advertising), Erwin-Penland, State Farm, CSTV, Hilton Head Health Institute, Main Street Events, Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Washington Mystics, Wolseley North America, Active Marketing Group, Target, Walgreens, and Mitsubishi Polyester Films are contacting the Department of Marketing to establish relationships and build partnerships. They not only want to hire interns, but often the internships lead to full-time positions. Multiple positions at different locations exist with many of the organizations.

Industry Night

The Department of Marketing holds Industry Night each spring to provide senior marketing majors the opportunity to meet with representatives from different organizations that recruit on a national and regional basis. Some of the organizations who have participated in Industry Night include Dow Chemical Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Techtronics North America, International Paper, State Farm, General Electric, New America Marketing, Synnex, ATS, Apex, State Farm, Glaxo Smith Kline, Blackbaud, Wolseley North America, KeyMark, and the Advertising Club of Greenville. Industry Night is a very successful event for both companies and students. During the event, company representatives have the opportunity to provide information on their organizations and meet and screen all interested students. Each company may set up a display and/or have promotional materials on their table. Members of the Market Student Advisory Board and members of the Marketing Club help set up the event. Many students obtain interviews and jobs as a direct result of Industry Night.

Career Seekers

The career seekers program provides all marketing majors the opportunity to learn about different career paths by meeting and interacting with representatives from different organizations and hearing presentations on various topics. The career seekers initiative provides an informal setting to help students determine what types of careers interest them and what they need to do to prepare for those careers. Students learn about entry level positions and career progression in different industries. The program also helps students learn more about topics such as pharmaceutical sales that may not be covered in depth in their classes. Some companies participate in a lunch and learn type atmosphere, others may meet students during a reception following a presentation, and others may invite students to visit their offices. Some of the companies that have talked to students include Eli Lilly and Company, Sports Illustrated, Bloom, Dow Chemical Company, Synnex, Erwin Penland, Apex, and Rybobi.

Past Enhancements

Gateways to World Markets – New York
The Gateways to World Markets Maymester class (MKT 495) provides marketing majors the opportunity to learn how major companies implement marketing theory and concepts. During the first week of class, students complete an in-depth evaluation, paper and presentation on the organizations in New York that we plan to visit. The students conduct research and examine each organization's objectives, brands, marketing strategies and clients. They develop questions to ask during our meetings.

During the second week of class, students visit the companies in New York City and interact with marketing executives and business associates. Students have the opportunity to discuss marketing strategies, careers and current business issues. After the students return to Clemson, they write a paper summarizing their experience and what they learned. They also complete an exam to show what they learned during the class.

The overwhelming response from the students (and parents) is that MKT 495 Gateways to World Markets is the best class and best experience that the students ever had in college. The students said they learned more than they ever imagined. The Gateways to World Markets class increases visibility and brand awareness for Clemson University, the College of Business and Behavioral Science and the Department of Marketing.

The companies we have visited or are planning to visit this year include Ogilvy & Mather, Sports Illustrated (the students also talked with executives from People, Time, AOL and MediaCom), American Express, MTV, the New York Yankees, Henri Bendel, Laforce + Stevens Public Relations, NBC, The Marketing Group (TMG), Playwright's Horizons, News America Marketing and Appel Public Relations. One student from the first class now works at Ogilvy & Mather. Other companies such as MTV, MediaCom and Sports Illustrated extended internship opportunities and/or full-time positions to our students.
Internships for Marketing Majors
The number of internship opportunities available to marketing majors has increased significantly in the last few years. More importantly, major corporations and organizations are contacting the Department of Marketing to establish relationships and build partnerships. They not only want to hire interns, but want the internships to lead to full-time positions. Multiple positions at different locations exist with many of the companies.

This year some of the nationally known companies that have actively sought Clemson University marketing majors include Disney Wide World of Sports, Glaxo Smith Kline, BBDO Advertising Agency, Techtronic Industries North America, UPS, Chick Fil-A and Blackbaud. A few of the other companies who have contacted the Department of Marketing include MTV, Deardorff Communications/Solomon Says, Inc., NuRun (Interactive Advertising), Erwin-Penland, State Farm, CSTV, Hilton Head Health Institute, Main Street Events, B. Sheppard Consulting, Bunk1, Aramark, Tiger Paw Productions, Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, Bootleg Essential Culture, Wolseley North America, Active Marketing Group, Mitsubishi Polyester Films and The Retreat of Clemson.

Also, in the past year marketing majors have accepted or completed internships with companies such as USA Today, Dispoz-o, Disney (College Internship Program), Human Technologies and the Greenville Drive. We are actively working with contacts and seeking internship opportunities in the Washington, D. C. area, Atlanta, Greenville, Charleston, Chicago, New York, Charlotte, Nashville and Orlando. Several trips are planned this spring to meet with company representatives and former marketing students in different markets. Developing relationships with the companies has doubled the number of internship opportunities for marketing majors.
International Entrepreneurial Exchange Program
Early in Fall 2007, a team of Clemson students in MKT 314 hosted 12 German students and collectively worked on business proposals focused on new venture creation. At the end of the semester, this collaboration culminated in final project presentations made in Germany to Clemson and Bamberg professors. Students lived with their German counterparts and shared an invigorating exchange experience