FSU Students Team with Google to Market Athletic Events

FSU Students Team with Google to Market Athletic Events

Jul 14, 2015

For the past two years, students in Framingham State Professor Randall Glickman’s Marketing Principles class have had the opportunity to team with one of the world’s most successful companies on a project to drive up attendance at FSU athletic events.

Employees from Google, Inc.’s Cambridge Office have been meeting with the students in the course periodically to teach them effective marketing strategies using digital and offline media. The digital marketing platforms reviewed include Google’s Adwords, YouTube and Google Text Ads. Students have learned how to develop a marketing campaign utilizing these marketing tools.

"Professor Glickman reached out to us, and we looked at this as an engaging project where we could support a local institution while honing our skills for describing our tools to first time users,” said a member of the Google team. “Of course, the students are digital natives, but they are just learning to be digital practitioners. We were thrilled and impressed with their passion, but more importantly, proud and happy for their on campus results."

The class has used the knowledge to implement a multi-platform marketing strategy to successfully drive up attendance at men’s ice hockey and women’s basketball games. The effort with Google is just one piece of the overall marketing strategy. The students have also been developing posters and other print materials and spread the word about the two teams through social media.

Liz Smith says it’s exciting to meet with employees from a company that she aspires to work for one day.

“They haven’t just come in and told us what to do,” says Smith, who took the course as a sophomore. “They are very open to ideas from the class and would ask for our input on things.”

Glickman says Google’s involvement has been critical to the success of the class.

“Google’s support of the class in this community effort is an example of their culture to give back to society,” says Glickman. “Their involvement has not only helped the students learn marketing, but also generated a memorable experience. Students have benefited by being able to use the skills they learned in the marketplace immediately.”

About Framingham State University

Framingham State University was founded in 1839 as the nation’s first public university for the education of teachers. Since that time, it has evolved into a vibrant, comprehensive liberal arts institution offering small, personalized classes on a beautiful New England campus. Today, the University enrolls more than 6,000 students with 58 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences and professional fields. As a State College and University (SCU), Framingham State prides itself on quality academic programs, affordability, and commitment to access for all qualified students.