Penn State Marketing Association (PSMA) 2017-2018 Strategic Plan
Mission Statement: The mission of Penn State Marketing Association is to provide its members with real- world business experience; not just limited to the fundamentals of marketing, but also exploring all professional and rudimentary skills of business. Through personal and professional development, networking and leadership, PSMA offers its members the vital prerequisites needed for any undergraduate to make a comfortable transition to the workforce. Goals: To serve as an extension of the Smeal College of Business s Marketing Department in order to optimize placement and prepare member for immediate success in their entry level career paths by: 1. Providing tangible marketing work through each of our specialized divisions, beginning with software certifications and continuing with tailored divisional projects. a. At the start of the Fall 2017 semester, all members will receive training based on their respective division. Once training is complete and all members receive their certifications, divisional projects will commence. 2. Building and maintaining relations with as many companies, faculty members, student organizations and alumni as possible to maximize networking opportunities for our members. a. Leverage Career and Corporate Connections office for guidance and insight b. Maximize involvement and number of Recruiter- Ready workshops by partnering with various Smeal Student Organizations c. Connect with alumni and corporate sponsors to increase number of workshops 3. Prioritizing AMA- specific resources a. Increase participation across all available case competitions, AMA workshops and certifications b. Increase number of conferences attended by PSMA members c. Rebrand PSMA to be the Penn State chapter of the American Marketing Association d. Remain a Top 5 Collegiate Chapter of the AMA and aim to become the Number 1 Collegiate Chapter for 2018
Strengths American Marketing Association: PSMA is continuously ranked amongst the Top 5 Collegiate Chapters in the AMA. As a highly esteemed chapter, we plan to leverage all of the resources that the AMA offers its members. This includes, but is not limited to, case competitions, awards, internships, certifications and an extensive network of marketing professionals who are willing and able to offer insight and guidance. Each March, top performing PSMA members attend the AMA International Collegiate Conference in order to gain insight from successful marketing professionals, participate in many of these competitions and network with hundreds of other members of the AMA. Opportunities for members: Aside from tangible marketing experience offered at the divisional level, PSMA and the AMA offer members a wide variety of professional development, leadership and philanthropic opportunities. Community Engagement: PSMA has strong ties to the Penn State IFC/PanHellenic Dance Marathon (THON) by raising money each year through canning and canvassing trips, and by hosting our annual PSMA Fashion Show benefitting THON. We also work closely with businesses downtown through our non-profit division. Industry Knowledge: As members of the AMA and with over 15 Corporate Sponsors, supportive faculty from the Marketing Department and a vast alumni base, PSMA members are continuously gaining insight to the ever-changing industry through weekly emails from the AMA, monthly professional development information sessions and networking events. American Marketing Association Events Our efforts within the AMA are directly integral to our success as an organization within the Smeal College of Business. For these reasons, we continuously strive for active involvement in both Smeal s Marketing Department and in the AMA. Doing so will help us maintain our status as a Top 5 Collegiate Chapter in the AMA. AMA Regional Conference: In October we will host a day-long Regional Conference incorporating guest speakers from a variety of companies, accompanying a marketing case competition and a networking luncheon. The attendance goal is 100% active members and 80% general members, along with students from the Smeal College of Business, Penn State Commonwealth campuses, and other AMA Collegiate Chapters. In planning the event, we will contact several potential company representatives of whom our member can gain insight from about the chosen conference theme. We will also determine a case competition best suited for the theme. We will leverage Career and Corporate Connections to contact our partners, along with our Alumni and Faculty network and the AMA Professional Chapters.
AMA Competitions, Awards, and Internships We will compete throughout the 2017-2018 academic year in all of the AMA s intercollegiate competitions, awards, and internships, with the goal of winning at least 1 of them. In October or November, we will host the AMA Excellent Marketing Week competition, a week-long series of events focused on our yearly theme. This will include corporate-sponsored information and training sessions that address a few of the following concepts: SEO, SCM, digital content, sales, brand management, service marketing, retailing, etc. In order to better involve the Penn State Community, we plan to partner with other student organizations when planning the events. In terms of award and scholarship nominations, we will actively seek top-performing members to interview and submit as nominees. Additionally we will consider forming an exclusive sales team to compete at various AMA Sales Competitions. AMA Collegiate Case Competition We will compete in the 2017 AMA Collegiate Case Competition with the goal of being in the top 15% of competing Collegiate Chapters. Doing so will provide team members with valuable practical marketing experience. We will begin in Spring 2017 by recruiting top-performing members to be a part of the competing team. The AMA Case Competition Project Manager, along with our Vice President of AMA Relations, will oversee the selection of our team members and the completion of the case to ensure progression in an effective and efficient timeframe throughout the semester. Relations with Other AMA Collegiate Chapters We will build and maintain relations with members of other AMA collegiate and professional chapters through traditional networking and attendance of at least 4 other AMA Conferences. We aim to mentor one chapter in how they can better grow their chapter, host events they are interested in having, and assist in fundraising ideas. We have and will continue to reach out to other AMA collegiate chapters throughout the summer and fall, inviting them to attend PSMA s Regional Conference where relationships and networks can be built. Any departmental ties with other universities would be desired to be leveraged. PSMA Chapter Events Our PSMA Chapter Events are essential components to both our organization and the student body. It is in these events and progress that our members, and other non-member marketing students receive the resources and experiences that propel them from the Smeal classroom in to the professional world. For the placement and success of our members and other marketing students, we seek as much corporate sponsorship and departmental feedback as possible.
TrendState Blog We aim to increase likes /views on articles by 3% every month, and implement Google AdSense in order to create revenue for the blog to give us more financial leverage. Additionally redesign the site to make it more appealing to readers. Develop a promotions team specifically responsible for promoting the blog on our social media accounts and tracking the daily views. Have 1-2 journalism/writing workshops per semester to help our writers grow creatively and professionally. We will recruit an Editor in Chief and 4 Column Editors for the Fashion/Beauty/Hair, DIY Crafts, Food and Recipes, and Lifestyle columns. Recruit 3-4 writers for each column, with the possibility of opening it up to non-retail members. Utilize the Google AdSense add-on through the Weebly platform we currently use. PSMA Corporate Sponsor Networking Event In September, we will host our second annual Corporate Sponsor Networking Event. Our goal is to have 30 companies in attendance next Fall, an increase from last year s number. Over the past 3 years we have had around 300-400 students in attendance throughout the event. Of the companies in attendance, we hope to welcome at least 3 start-up and 3 digital marketing-related companies. We will leverage PSMA s personal relationships and networking to encourage smaller companies to become Corporate Sponsors and to attend the networking event. PSMA representatives will attend the Bryce Jordan Center Career Fair and Supply Chain Management Fair to network with prospective companies to attend PSMA s fair in the fall. Any companies interested in hiring specifically Marketing majors into their organization Dinner Series Events We will host 4 Dinner Series events in the fall semester. We want to coordinate our dinner series events with our other Professional Development events such as our many skill-building workshop opportunities. By doing this we will be able to host companies and professionals that will hopefully be in attendance at PSMA s career fair so that PSMA members will be able to network with the professionals before or after the Marketing Career Fair. We seek an attendance of at least 25 students at each event. We strongly encourage and wish for Faculty members to be speakers and reflect on their experiences in their respective industries in addition to corporate representatives. We will host 2 events during the week of the Marketing Career Fair in September and 2 more later on in the semester in October so that PSMA can advertise Dinner Series events that correspond with workshop events to prepare for the marketing case competition during the Regional Conference. Networking Etiquette Dinner In either September or October, we plan to host our first annual Networking Etiquette Dinner, where teach member members the proper etiquette in this type of situation. We aim to have this dinner sponsored by one of our corporate sponsors and to leverage the Career and Corporate Connections office for help in overseeing the event.
Recruiter-Ready Workshops and Certification Programs These workshops, to be held September through November, provide value to PSMA members with respect to being more attractive to employers in their search for an internship, co-op, or full-time career. In September, each division will receive intense training with specific software assigned to their division. Once certified, they will begin working on their respective projects. Aside from being certified, a key goal for the year is ensuring that all members have a LinkedIn profile, well-written resume, and are confident speaking to professionals. We aim to have our members hear insightful presentations from our top marketing recruiters and faculty members. LinkedIn: Topics covered include growing your network, writing up professional experiences, and using the site for the job search. The goal of this event is for every PSMA member to have a comprehensive LinkedIn profile. Professional Writing: Topics covered include emails, cover letters, offer acceptance/rejection, thank you s and formal strategic marketing reports. Resume Review: Exec. Board members review members resumes after providing a resume how-to guide. Elevator Pitch: Topics covered include what skills to highlight, how to professionally speak, and how to overcome nerves. Marketing Skills Workshops Highlight key technologies for marketers, such as Photoshop, Excel, and various SEO software, while enhancing the value of a PSMA membership. Photoshop: Host 3 interactive workshops on how to use Photoshop CS6. Our goal is for members to become proficient enough to create basic promotional materials. Attendance goal is 35 students, 1 General point given. Case Competition Prep.: The goal is to help members gain a greater understanding as to improve performance in Smeal and AMA competitions. Attendance goal is 25 members, 1 General point given. Excel Crash Courses: Partner with Deloitte to provide tips and tricks to advance members Excel capabilities. SEO: Work with School of IST to learn about Google Analytics, AdWords, and implications of SEO technologies. Digital Marketing Certification: Have 25 members participate in HubSpot s Inbound Marketing Certification. COMMUNITY & SOCIAL IMPACT Throughout this past year we have successfully provided our members with opportunities that require the utilization of their marketing skills to give back to the community and those in need. Because of this success we seek any assistance and even more opportunities to engage in philanthropic marketing as
to further extend the arm of Smeal curriculum. Pink Zone We will continue the program s growth and presence within the student body. To metric, we strive to increase attendance at the Lady Lions Basketball Pink Zone game by 10%. We will market the Pink Zone basketball game through social media, print publications, staffing a table in the student Union, and hanging posters across campus starting 2 weeks before the event. Alzheimer s Awareness Society We will continue to introduce what is a restructuring organization to the general student body and manage 2 major social media accounts for it. Work initially toward learning about the organization and its needs, and then execute market research to learn about the student body s feelings toward such a club and understand how to position the organization in the social space. Relay for Life of Penn State We seek to broaden our organization s cancer-focused reach beyond THON. To metric, we strive for 30% member registration for the event team. We aim to raise $1,500 for the American Cancer Society. We will work Alumni Society Board We aim to boost alumni-student engagement within the college, specifically to increase student attendance at the Spring Impact Day by 15% over last years attendance figures. We will conduct brainstorming sessions and surveys for market research to better understand what students are looking to gain from relationships with alumni. We will then target all Smeal students of all years to distribute surveys to, primarily through a Google Forms and focus groups after class hours. Corporate Sponsored Case Competition We aim to host another day-long competition partnered with willing corporate sponsors in Spring to better prepare students for the types of case studies that many students see in an interview setting. Goal attendance is 50-60 students, not only in PSMA but also open to all Smeal students. Increase opportunities for Smeal students to be engaged in marketing case competitions, since Smeal itself does not offer any focused on Marketing. We will assist willing sponsors in bringing in a number of recruiters to assist the judging of the competition. They will offer prizes and catering to incentivize students to attend, as well as host professional development seminars throughout the day to get students engaged in perfecting their interview skills and personal professional development. We will start advertising the event 6 weeks out from the event, and specifically target professors to advertise it during their classes and incentive their students with extra credit points. Social Impact Week The goal of PSMA s Philanthropy Week, taking place in January, is to make a distinct and unique difference in the community through marketing. We strive for 75% active member attendance at a minimum of 1 event that week. We also aim to have corporate representatives and faculty attend this week to present on their sustainability efforts. To
do this, PSMA will find programs in the community to help, and on each evening of the week, a speaker event will be held that will be followed up with a community service activity, both related to or in support of those respective identified initiatives. Additionally we will host speakers from Penn State s Faculty to discuss how we as a student organization can use our platform to operate ethically in the community and corporate speakers to discuss current trends in sustainability and CSR. Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world with over 15,000 student volunteers. The Penn State Marketing Association has raised over $240,000 over the past decade for THON and its sole beneficiary, the 4 Diamonds Fund at the Penn State Hershey Children s Hospital. THON donates 96% of every dollar raised to The 4 Diamonds Fund, and as a result it is able to pick up where insurance leaves off and ensures that a family battling pediatric cancer never sees a medical bill. THON has helped made great strides in the field of pediatric oncology made possible through funding for critical research, which has resulted in a decline of pediatric cancer mortality rates. For more information please visit THON.org. PSMA s support helps the families regain a sense of normality after such an impactful event in the lives of these young children. The 2 goals of PSMA's involvement in THON are to strengthen the relationships between our organization and our Families (the Krushinski s and the Wagner s) and to reach a fundraising total of $10,000. To strengthen relationships with our families, we will focus our Family Relations Chair on conceptualizing and executing events throughout the year that provide our members the opportunity to spend time with Eric, Austin, and their families. To raise our total, we will look to increase the amount of hours spent canning and THONveloping, and increase THON fundraiser attendance. THON Fashion Show We aim to host another successful fashion show in early February that markets different THON-appropriate apparel-selling vendors from around State College. We would like to again have Kohl s and any other interested retailers sponsor the event and donate items to be raffled off as well as money to cover costs. We aim to raise at least $600 in revenues from entrance tickets and raffle tickets towards PSMA s THON total. We will partner with 3 other Special Interest THON organizations to feature their THON families and model the clothes. We would like to again partner with Rapid Transit in donating clothes and prizes for the event. We will develop a promotions plan to help sales with Rapid Transit and other partnering stores to increase their sales and our fundraising totals. We will heavily advertise this event to other Smeal Organizations, Special Interest Organizations, and THON-related clubs through presentations and newspaper/flyering advertising. Fundraising
PSMA is seeking corporate sponsors to partner with at an overall level that would support some of the day-to- day costs of running such a large organization and providing the best experiences for members. There are also some specific events that we organize or participate in each year for which we are seeking corporate sponsorship. These include the American Marketing Association International Collegiate Conference and the THON Fashion Show, and there are some detailed descriptions of these events on the following page. Membership Every year we look to grow ourselves as an organization in both size and quality. For these reasons, we seek to be as connected as possible with the Marketing Department such that we have the largest selection of membership and prospective recruits. We ask that you help us branch in to all relevant Smeal courses and student organizations for opportunities of recruitment and partnership (respectively). We aim to increase incentives, accountability, and overall membership by 20% over last years figures. We will communicate membership levels through PSMA s Angel page, social media, meetings, and website. We will increase incentives for membership, such as increased and enhanced Professional Development events, improved projects, and social opportunities. We aim to expand the initiatives of the PSMA Recruitment Team (core class promotion, first year seminar presentations, special living option presentations, showcasing of AMA accomplishments, BA 297) and Public Relations Arm (partnership with Ad Club, Promotions in Onward State and the Collegian) Communications To stay in tune with Smeal as an institutional-whole and to foster complete transparency and accountability, we encourage the department to be involved with our communications processes in terms of general feedback and meeting attendance. Internal Communications Member Feedback Market Research We want members to feel more engaged and connected, and comfortable enough to voice their opinions so PSMA can improve any aspects that need to be amended. We will continue to collect collecting members inputs on a monthly basis to see overall areas of improvement of the organization through surveys sent with Google Forms. Weekly Division and Exec. Board Meetings Division meetings will allow for effective communication between PSMA members and the Executive Board as well as amongst themselves in their respective project groups. We will focus on key objectives, interactive discussion and team building activities.
Alumni & Faculty Newsletter Keep in contact with faculty and alumni by providing information about PSMA updates. We will send out monthly newsletters to build and maintain relationships, amounting to a total of 6 throughout the year. Social Media Goal Constantly update our Social media pages (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and increase following student numbers from last year. We will keep followers up to date with all of PSMA s news and upcoming events. We aim to foster digital relations with corporate and Smeal institutional accounts. Operations Our divisional level operations are what provide our members with the tangible marketing experience and opportunities that recruiters look for. We encourage the department and any willing companies to reach out to us for not only project opportunities, but to make sure we are aligning our work with the key competencies marketers should gain. Office Hours We encourage members to spend more time with PSMA s leaders, get advice, input on projects, or just have a casual conversation. By breaking down the barriers between the Exec. and general members, we will encourage better communication. Each member of the Upper Executive Board will choose 1 time slot throughout the year to be located in our office space. We will encourage members, faculty, and representatives alike to attend office hours by promoting them during Division Meetings and posting the hours through social media and on our website. Digital Marketing and Advertising We will prepare and organize all of the designed marketing and promotional materials needed for any events that we hold. We aim to have corporate speakers and design professionals give presentations during Division Meetings on occasion discussing digital content, SEO, analytics, and promotional media. This group will also make promotional videos for events, recruitment, and appropriate competitions. The members should have previous experience in Photoshop and/or Illustrator and be able to develop promotional campaigns when needed. We aim to have speakers from the department and any willing companies.
Corporate Sponsorship Levels Bronze-Level Sponsorship: $200 Invitation to exclusive Corporate Sponsor Networking Event Company showcased at PSMA events and general body meetings Priority scheduling for information sessions with PSMA members throughout the year Company job opportunities featured in weekly emails to PSMA members Exclusive access to PSMA Resume Book PDF, compiling top members resumes Silver-Level Sponsorship: $500 All Bronze-Level benefits Company logo on merchandise worn to the American Marketing Association International Collegiate Conference Prime exhibit location at the Spring Marketing Career Fair Gold-Level Sponsorship: $1000 All Silver-Level Benefits Free registration for the Spring Marketing Career Fair Expanded exhibit space at the Spring Marketing Career Fair Company logo on merchandise worn for Penn State's THON benefitting pediatric cancer treatment and research Attend a dinner out after the Spring Marketing Career Fair with PSMA Executives Company featured in PSMA s award-winning American Marketing Association Annual Chapter Report Platinum-Level Sponsorship: $1500 All Gold-Level Benefits Company featured in PSMA s chapter exhibit at the American Marketing Association International Collegiate Conference Company logo featured on promotional materials for the Spring Marketing Career Fair