Marketing Class Partners with Cottage Grove Humane Society

EUGENE, Ore. – As part of its dedication to promoting social good, Bushnell University’s Marketing 432 class has strategically partnered with the Cottage Grove Humane Society to bring real-world experience to the students and support a local nonprofit organization. 

The collaboration was initiated when the Humane Society, inspired by a news story on KEZI about Bushnell’s new Digital Marketing and Digital Media & Graphic Design programs, reached out to assistant professor Christy Silverthorne, M.A., the lead for the programs. Intrigued by the prospect of working with marketing students, they proposed a partnership that would see the students creating branding services, advertising, and promotional pieces for the organization.

Silverthorne expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “This is such a great opportunity for the students to get some real-world experience creating the marketing campaign for such a worthy cause. It really is a win-win. It’s good for the students and a way to bless the community.” 

Marketing 432 focuses on branding, advertising, and promotion, and aims to provide students with hands-on experience in understanding how to successfully brand an organization. The collaboration with the Humane Society offers students the opportunity to dive into creating effective promotional strategies tailored to meet the specific objectives of a client. 

Recognizing the evolving landscape of online communication and social media, the class plans to explore new digital channels for the Humane Society. Despite the organization’s relative newness to digital marketing, students will be tasked with finding feasible solutions and ensuring recommendations align with the client’s capabilities. 

The success of the branding and advertising campaign will be determined during Bushnell’s Spring Ace Day on May 1, when student teams will pitch their campaigns to the Humane Society. The winning campaign will be adopted for the organization’s future marketing endeavors. While the class won’t actively monitor the campaign post-semester, they aim to equip the Humane Society with tools for effective self-monitoring. 

To foster creativity and innovation within budget constraints, students are challenged to create compelling stories that stand out in a crowded market. Jessica Woods, a student involved in the project, captures the essence of this collaborative project: “Being able to help a place like Cottage Grove Humane Society emphasizes the service aspect of Bushnell’s 3 main pillars [of Wisdom, Faith, and Service]. Learning not just about our degree, but also what we can do with it in the real world is a priceless experience.” 

As the semester unfolds, the collaboration promises not only to enhance the students’ understanding of branding and advertising, but also to make a meaningful impact on the Cottage Grove Humane Society’s outreach efforts. 

To learn more about the Cottage Grove Human Society visit their website at www.humanesocietycottagegrove.org. 

To learn more about Bushnell Universities new marketing programs, see here: 

B.S. Digital Marketing – Bushnell University 

B.S. Digital Media and Graphic Design – Bushnell University