In Sy Syms Social Media Marketing Course, Students Become the Experts
They鈥檙e brainstorming viral campaigns, submitting budget proposals, developing websites, pitching to media and conferencing with clients鈥攁nd that鈥檚 just during this week鈥檚 class sessions.
Sy Syms students in the Social Media Marketing course taught by Professor Steven Chan (center) offer personal finance help in Washington Square Park as part of their campaign.
They鈥檙e students in the new Social Media Marketing course at 黑料社 All鈥檚 Sy Syms School of Business, and if their workload sounds more like a typical day at a marketing agency than a college lecture, it鈥檚 no accident. There are no textbooks and few required readings for this course. Instead, the class operates on one simple principle: learn by doing.
鈥淪ocial media has become a phenomenon in our culture, something that can鈥檛 be ignored by any kind of business or anyone who鈥檚 trying to communicate anything online,鈥 said Assistant Professor of Marketing Steven Chan, who designed and is leading the course. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no foundation to teaching this kind of thing because it鈥檚 a new medium that鈥檚 just come about in the last few years. To me it would be boring and beside the point to teach it in a textbook way.鈥
As Chan considered different models for the course, a call from Jonathan Struhl 鈥09SB, an alumnus who ran a hugely successful social media campaign at his first job out of college and went on to create his own agency, gave him an idea.
鈥淥ne of the challenges undergraduates face these days is how to take the degree they earned and get a job right off the bat with those skills,鈥 said Chan. 鈥淕reat work experience is what鈥檚 going to set you apart when you enter the workforce. We thought, instead of studying case scenarios, why not make an agency out of the class and build teachings around it? It鈥檚 a completely unique idea鈥攈opefully, this course will give students hands-on experience that鈥檚 not only going to teach them social media in a totally new way, but will help them find a job and be good at it when they graduate.鈥
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a cool concept that will help everyone involved鈥攖he students as well as the clients,鈥 said Struhl. 鈥淪ocial media is that one thing right now that the younger generation can do that the C-level executives aren鈥檛 familiar with, but know they need to participate in. I know how to onboard a client, pitch a client and execute a campaign, and we鈥檙e figuring out how to run the students through that process to give them an edge. They have the opportunity to really move the needle on projects for clients, which I find exciting.鈥
So Chan turned an ordinary classroom into a campaign headquarters. In small teams, students develop strategies to help real companies and organizations see real differences in their marketing and brand awareness. Their client list is diverse, ranging from Pint Pal, a startup that makes cozies for ice cream lovers who like to eat straight from the pint, to the Young Israel movement, to an organization fundraising for Ebola research.
The class is also collaborating together on a larger project: the Credit Karma Campus Challenge. Sponsored by Credit Karma and hosted by EdVenture Partners, the competition calls for students to create an integrated marketing campaign aimed at educating the target market鈥攃ollege students and young professionals鈥攐n the value of understanding and managing credit through the Credit Karma site and its resources, and driving them to become members. The class is given a $1,500 budget to implement their plan. If the Sy Syms students win, they鈥檒l fly to San Francisco, California, and pitch their idea to top executives at the company.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win: the company is gaining brand awareness in college audiences, and students experience a real work atmosphere and are able to say, 鈥業 worked with this client and implemented a successful campaign,鈥 鈥 said Chan.
So far, their strategy is as expansive as it is unexpected, including everything from a feel-good viral campaign that dares social media users to pass along acts of kindness (鈥淕ood karma, good credit鈥) to a social media scavenger hunt around campus. The class also set up a whimsical, Peanuts-style advice booth in Washington Square Park this week where passersby can seek personal financial help and learn more about Credit Karma.
鈥淎s a team, our approach at Syms is to make learning about credit and personal finance fun and engaging for college students and young professionals,鈥 said Chan. 鈥淥ne of the reasons this group isn鈥檛 well-educated about personal finance is that it can seem boring and abstract. Our marketing campaign highlights topics like how to get your first credit card, why credit matters for students, and so on, incorporating the Credit Karma resources鈥攁 free credit score and online lessons to manage your personal finance鈥攊n a fresh, fun way.鈥
All that field work on campaigns is contextualized by guest lecturers like Struhl, who share their own experiences in the evolving world of social media and marketing, and insights into consumer behavior and social psychology drawn from Chan鈥檚 background in management consulting and academia.
Jason Wasser, a senior majoring in marketing with a minor in business, feels the skills he has learned in this course will play a pivotal role in his job search when he graduates in January. 鈥淪omething that I have learned so far has been the importance of knowing your target market and their interests,鈥 he said. 鈥淏y providing me with the unique opportunity to work with two real companies, Credit Karma and Pint Pal, this course has better prepared me to interact with clients and fulfill their needs in the future.鈥
鈥淲e actually have a budget from Credit Karma and we have to base our decisions on the amount of money we have to work with,鈥 said Daniel Livi, a senior majoring in marketing. 鈥淔or me, it feels like I'm actually working for a marketing firm that is running a social media campaign for a client. We live in a time where a strong social media presence is one of the most important aspects of a company. I believe this experience will help me in the future no matter what field I enter.鈥
鈥淭his course has been a welcome breath of fresh air,鈥 said Daniel Redlich, a senior majoring in business marketing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all very hands on. I鈥檓 in charge of web development and on the tech team, which runs the campaign鈥檚 social media as well as building and managing our website. We have deadlines from our clients that we have to keep, so handing in your work on time has a different feel鈥攊t鈥檚 a lot more responsibility, but there鈥檚 a lot more opportunity to step up to the plate.鈥
鈥淚t's really a lot of fun,鈥 he added. 鈥淚t's not what you would expect from a business course, but that鈥檚 how it should be.鈥
Check out upcoming events on campus for the class鈥檚 .
Sy Syms students in the Social Media Marketing course taught by Professor Steven Chan (center) offer personal finance help in Washington Square Park as part of their campaign.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a cool concept that will help everyone involved鈥攖he students as well as the clients,鈥 said Struhl. 鈥淪ocial media is that one thing right now that the younger generation can do that the C-level executives aren鈥檛 familiar with, but know they need to participate in. I know how to onboard a client, pitch a client and execute a campaign, and we鈥檙e figuring out how to run the students through that process to give them an edge. They have the opportunity to really move the needle on projects for clients, which I find exciting.鈥
So Chan turned an ordinary classroom into a campaign headquarters. In small teams, students develop strategies to help real companies and organizations see real differences in their marketing and brand awareness. Their client list is diverse, ranging from Pint Pal, a startup that makes cozies for ice cream lovers who like to eat straight from the pint, to the Young Israel movement, to an organization fundraising for Ebola research.
The class is also collaborating together on a larger project: the Credit Karma Campus Challenge. Sponsored by Credit Karma and hosted by EdVenture Partners, the competition calls for students to create an integrated marketing campaign aimed at educating the target market鈥攃ollege students and young professionals鈥攐n the value of understanding and managing credit through the Credit Karma site and its resources, and driving them to become members. The class is given a $1,500 budget to implement their plan. If the Sy Syms students win, they鈥檒l fly to San Francisco, California, and pitch their idea to top executives at the company.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win: the company is gaining brand awareness in college audiences, and students experience a real work atmosphere and are able to say, 鈥業 worked with this client and implemented a successful campaign,鈥 鈥 said Chan.
So far, their strategy is as expansive as it is unexpected, including everything from a feel-good viral campaign that dares social media users to pass along acts of kindness (鈥淕ood karma, good credit鈥) to a social media scavenger hunt around campus. The class also set up a whimsical, Peanuts-style advice booth in Washington Square Park this week where passersby can seek personal financial help and learn more about Credit Karma.
鈥淎s a team, our approach at Syms is to make learning about credit and personal finance fun and engaging for college students and young professionals,鈥 said Chan. 鈥淥ne of the reasons this group isn鈥檛 well-educated about personal finance is that it can seem boring and abstract. Our marketing campaign highlights topics like how to get your first credit card, why credit matters for students, and so on, incorporating the Credit Karma resources鈥攁 free credit score and online lessons to manage your personal finance鈥攊n a fresh, fun way.鈥
All that field work on campaigns is contextualized by guest lecturers like Struhl, who share their own experiences in the evolving world of social media and marketing, and insights into consumer behavior and social psychology drawn from Chan鈥檚 background in management consulting and academia.
Jason Wasser, a senior majoring in marketing with a minor in business, feels the skills he has learned in this course will play a pivotal role in his job search when he graduates in January. 鈥淪omething that I have learned so far has been the importance of knowing your target market and their interests,鈥 he said. 鈥淏y providing me with the unique opportunity to work with two real companies, Credit Karma and Pint Pal, this course has better prepared me to interact with clients and fulfill their needs in the future.鈥
鈥淲e actually have a budget from Credit Karma and we have to base our decisions on the amount of money we have to work with,鈥 said Daniel Livi, a senior majoring in marketing. 鈥淔or me, it feels like I'm actually working for a marketing firm that is running a social media campaign for a client. We live in a time where a strong social media presence is one of the most important aspects of a company. I believe this experience will help me in the future no matter what field I enter.鈥
鈥淭his course has been a welcome breath of fresh air,鈥 said Daniel Redlich, a senior majoring in business marketing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all very hands on. I鈥檓 in charge of web development and on the tech team, which runs the campaign鈥檚 social media as well as building and managing our website. We have deadlines from our clients that we have to keep, so handing in your work on time has a different feel鈥攊t鈥檚 a lot more responsibility, but there鈥檚 a lot more opportunity to step up to the plate.鈥
鈥淚t's really a lot of fun,鈥 he added. 鈥淚t's not what you would expect from a business course, but that鈥檚 how it should be.鈥
Check out upcoming events on campus for the class鈥檚 .
