Student Organizations
Marketing Scholars
Marketing Scholars (MKTG 453)
MKTG 453 is just one of the innovative courses offered to undergraduates at USC’s Moore School of Business. Under the direction of Professor Stacy Wood, students in this course form a working marketing agency—complete with a $2,500 budget and a real client. The students are chosen by application and serve as undergraduate ambassadors for the Moore School of Business for the academic year. The objective of the Marketing Scholars program is to give top students a chance to be entrepreneurial, gain professional experience, and network with important alumni and friends in the business community.
In 2003, the 13 selected students worked for General Motors, in conjunction with Jim Hudson Pontiac, to promote the Vibe automobile to the university community. Their assignment was to conduct market research to assess preliminary attitudes within the target consumer segment, develop a promotional campaign to impact consumer attitudes, pitch this proposal to their client, implement the campaign, conduct post-campaign research to assess the efficacy of their strategies, and report the entirety in a final presentation to the client. In 2004, the students’ agency had a client that was closer to home—their own university. USC hired the agency to conduct an internal branding campaign designed to promote the school’s incredible academic and cultural accomplishments of the previous year to current students, faculty, and the Columbia community. The students reported to Vice President for Advancement, Hudson Akin and, ultimately, to President Sorensen.
In pursuit of their goals, students use the breadth of their business education to see the application of knowledge in a real-world setting. Such a course will not only improve their communication skills and marketing acumen, but also teach them about working in a cohesive team. Dr. Wood is excited about this year's assignment and the caliber of the students admitted in this class. The Marketing Scholars program always attracts USC's best and brightest business students.
For more information on this year’s Marketing Scholars or the Marketing Scholar program, please contact Dr. Stacy L. Wood at wood@moore.sc.edu.