The Marketing Club at California Baptist University helps guide students toward the future in ways that are both relevant and creative.
According to the CBU website, a major objective of the Marketing Club is to “increase awareness of the various employment opportunities in the marketing field and increase student preparedness for transitional into a professional career.” Since its establishment four years ago, the club has been successful in achieving this goal and exposing students to potential career opportunities. For some students, it helped to unveil passion and give direction, for others, it provided networks to connect them with the people that will lead them to employment.
Club members are presented with plenty of opportunities to interact with marketing professionals, ask questions, get advice and hear personal success stories. The club routinely hosts guest speakers and participates in educational field trips. They also participate in a competitive dodge ball match-up with the CBU Accounting Society.
“Being involved in the Marketing Club will help me in my future career because it allows me to exercise my skills,” Paula Mora, president of the Marketing Club, said. “For instance, at Club Rush we had to market our club to other students to get them to join. It has also helped me manage multiple tasks which is beneficial in any work environment.”
Tracy Blanchard, vice president of the Marketing Club, has also seen the benefits of such experiences.
“I get to hear different job opportunities other than those that I have already been interested in, which gives me more options after I graduate,” Blanchard said. “The most important part of this experience has been the networking that I get to do with employers, through guest speakers, club trips and events. The more people I get to know, the more opportunities will be available to me when I graduate.”
The most recent activity was a trip to the Fall Advertising Career Day, hosted by the 15th largest advertising agency in the world, TBWA/Chiat/Day, on Oct. 23. Nineteen students from CBU attended the event, where they had the opportunity to learn from a variety of speakers and network with professionals.
In addition, the Marketing Club has been addressed by Enterprise Rent-a-Car, the Director of Brand Management of 19 Entertainment and Andrew Cathy, grandson of the founder of Chick-fil-A.
Keanon Alderson, assistant professor of business, is both the creator and staff advisor of the Marketing Club. His hope is to help students reach their goals and be successful, while conducting themselves with strong ethics and integrity.
“Marketing is the lifeblood of business,” Alderson said. “My goal is to make sure that students have a good understanding of the various opportunities in marketing.”
Alderson explained that it is important for marketers to uphold values while catering to clients. He is proud of his students and is confident that their creativity and ethics will set them apart in the workplace.
“There is a different mindset that will be appreciated with future employers,” he said.
Marketing involves researching what the public needs, so that businesses and organizations know the best services to offer. Alderson explained that any student would benefit from acquiring marketing skills, as these traits are valuable in all career fields.
“Everyone has problems and everyone has needs,” he said. “Marketing helps people meet those needs. It’s all about helping others; it’s about finding out what they need, and then finding a good way to help them.”
Mora advised any student with an interest in marketing to enroll in a marketing course or sign up for the Marketing Club. “Involvement in the club will help students, because they will hear about how get into the marketing field, the success our speakers have had, as well as applications of what we learn in our marketing classes,” she said.
The Marketing Club is comprised of approximately 30 students from various majors, including marketing, business administration, public relations and graphic design.
To stay updated on the Marketing Club’s latest news, check out their pages on Twitter and Facebook.
