MARKETING AT BAYLOR BUSINESS

Baylor Business Review, Spring 2006 by Lawrence, Morgan

ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS TO BECOMING SUCCESSFUL IN MARKETING IS OBTAINING EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD, NOT JUST STUDYING THE KEY COMPONENTS OF MARKETING THEORY AND PRACTICE.

Typically, over 70 percent of juniors and seniors majoring in marketing at the Hankamer School of Business participate in internship programs according to their individual interests in marketing. ¶ The department is constantly changing and creating opportunities to meet the demand of the job market. "It is all about innovation, moving fast, and a willingness to try new things," says Kirk Wakefield, chair of the Marketing department. "It takes a lot of listening and practicing what we preach." ¶ Listening and paying close attention to the job market has led Hankamer's marketing department to continue to evolve and offer specialties and programs unique to Baylor. Students can choose an emphasis through: professional selling; sports sponsorship & sales (S3); arts & entertainment (A&E) marketing; advertising & promotion; retail management; and not-for-profit marketing.

PROFESSIONAL SELLING

Baylor University was the first university in the United States to offer students a degree in professional selling, and it continues to be a leader among professional sales programs throughout the nation. In the competitive arena, Baylor students have proven their merit by winning more National Collegiate Sales Competitions and North American Sales Cup Competitions than students from any other university in the world. Opportunities include hands-on training in a sales lab, a variety of exciting internships, exposure to the very latest teaching techniques and a remarkable mentoring program alongside several successful leaders in the sales industry.

"There are very few programs that acually offer sales labs for students to hone their craft," said Wakefield.

"The program's greatest strength is the exposure that it provides for students to interact with professionals and executives from top selling organizations on a daily basis," said Corey D. Munn, BBA, Professional Selling 2004. He is currently an account representative for 3M's Electrical Markets Division.

The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management has also hailed Baylor as the number one ranked university for scholarly research in sales and sales management.

Companies involved in this program include: 3M, Liberty Mutual, IBM, ADP, Pulte Homes, Dell, BeIo, Elk and many others.

(S3) SPORTS SPONSORSHIP & SALES

The Sports Sponsorship & Sales major is the only one of its kind. This is because of the unique connections that Baylor has with students and professional sports teams. Students admitted into this major are guaranteed internships with the leading franchises in professional sports, including all the teams in Texas (Spurs, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars, Cowboys, Texans, Astros, Rockets & FC Dallas) as well as the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls. Sports fans will note that this group includes the 2005 champions in the NBA and MLB, as well other championship teams.

Wakefield noted that, "not only do we give you the tools to succeed when you get your foot in the door, we give you the foot in the door." Interns are given the opportunity to walk through that door and then it is up to them to build the relationships that will make them successful. The program is designed so that students who perform well in the internships have an excellent chance of continuing in that job after graduation. The key is getting the chance to showcase their abilities. Teams like the Houston Texans have received over 25,000 resumes for entry-level jobs. However, through the Baylor program, students have the training and the relationships with the teams to step to the front of the line.

Since this major is the only one of its kind, students must apply to become an S3 major. The major accepts applications in the spring of each year for its highly selective class. Each class admits only 20 students; however Baylor knows that these students will be the top performers in their field.

(A&.E) ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING

This track in the marketing major is one of the most recent additions to the department. Like the S3 major, students are provided paid internships with major theatre and live entertainment organizations on Broadway in New York City or in other entertainment markets, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit & San Diego.

Students work with marketing and theater professors to find their way in a profession where experience is the key element to obtain a job after graduation.

Theater and marketing majors are both allowed to apply to this track; this way the students gain unique exposure to highly creative minds from both fields and develop a strong network.

This unique program is the result of the joint work between the Marketing and Theater departments. Wakefield, in working with Stan Denman, chair of Theater Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences, has developed key relationships with major Broadway production and advertising companies, including Nederlander, which has nine theaters on Broadway and Serino Coyne, the leading ad agency for Broadway productions. Classes work directly with local theatres on campus and in the community to develop the skills students need to be successful in the arts and entertainment industry.