This past semester 16 students in business Professor Tyler Laird-Magee’s marketing course gained real-world learning at four Yamhill County businesses.
To help develop the course, Laird-Magee connected with Linfield alumnus Steve Marshall ’86, who serves as a member of the Advisory Council for Linfield’s Department of Business and as president of The New Group, a Portland-based social media marketing company.
That gave rise to the creation of the Wildcat Marketing Agency, a student-powered marketing agency that provided third-party views and suggestions to Buchannan Cellers, Katula Herbs, R. Stuart & Co. and Vista Hills Vineyard.
Linfield students performed an Integrated Brand Promotion audit on the promotional materials and activities of the four local businesses and presented recommendations to their clients.
“The Linfield students were truly interested in learning about the business and we gained some positive social media tips that we will integrate into our marketing approach,” says Martha Karson of Vista Hills Vineyard.
Students say their experience in business settings allowed them to bring classroom concepts to life, and working with real clients allowed them to better understand company brands and the branding process.
“The opportunity to be creative and offer insightful recommendations helped us build skills we will apply in our future careers,” they wrote in a final report.
Linfield College Department of Business
McMinnville Chamber of Commerce
McMinnville Downtown Association
