Team Dear Heart showing what town-gown synergy looks like. From left: Students Ondine Grace, Isabella Simoni, Monika Pal and Mikeely Milligan, with Dear Heart Director Karen Haig.
Digital marketing students learn much from their lecturers about how to navigate the perennial battle for eyeballs. So, when given a chance to test their theoretical knowledge on the frontlines of digital battlefields with real clients, they tend to rise – eyeball-ready – to the challenge.
That was the case when Dr Mathew Parackal tasked his Digital Marketing class with helping local organisations lasso that elusive resource: the public’s attention.
Mathew outlines his town-gown matchmaking process:
“Students are organised into groups and the clients are introduced. The allocation process is competitive, with each group submitting an expression of interest outlining their passion and fit for a particular client.”
After being assigned to clients, the groups were then sent off to engage with their organisations, conduct research, and design a bespoke digital marketing plan or campaign fit for our scrolling-hooked times.
One of the clients who offered her business up for a student marketing makeover was Karen Haig. Her vegan beauty brand Dear Heart, based in Ōtepoti, was the pick of Ondine Grace, Monika Pal, Isabella Simoni and Mikeely Milligan.
Karen says there was immediate rapport with her assigned student quartet, so she was happy to pass them the reins to her brand – a privilege they didn’t take for granted.
“It isn’t often that someone ‘gives you the keys to their house’ so quickly – and trusts you not to break anything – but that’s exactly what Karen did,” Isabella says.
“Our group had access to Dear Heart’s analytics, social media, product content, and email from the beginning. It was up to us to reciprocate that trust and run a great Mother’s Day campaign that reflected the quality and essence of Dear Heart.”
They didn’t disappoint. The content they put together for Karen succeeded in attracting new customers, maintaining engagement, and generating over 700% return on investment.
“The results were outstanding and the students were able to build quite a bit of momentum in that short time which showed a 150% increase in sales three weeks after the campaign ended,” Karen says.
She learnt a lot about marketing from her Dear Heart team and is keen to action some of their recommendations.
“The team was brilliant at explaining not just what they were doing but the reason behind it. All in all, it was a fabulous experience for my business, and I felt lucky to be chosen,” Karen says.
Isabella says she and her teammates relished the opportunity to work with a client beyond the classroom walls.
“It was incredibly fun, challenging, and most of all, a great way to get industry experience with the help and support of lecturers and classmates.”
Hogan – one of K9MD’s olfactory geniuses. “Getting to witness the dogs in action was a highlight. It’s incredible how accurate they are. The time and effort it must’ve taken to get them to that point,” Sam Stedman says.
K9 Medical Detection NZ (K9MD) was another satisfied client of the Digital Marketing class project. When Sam Stedman, Lewis Harper, Steven Le Brun and Will Pugh were matched with this organisation, they felt like they’d hit the jackpot. As a non-profit that utilises the superior olfactory talents of canines to help in the early detection of cancer, K9MD is doing huge societal good.
“We all felt strongly about the company”, Sam says.
“Having a family history with cancer and a family friend recently diagnosed with bowel cancer, I was especially keen to work with K9MD.”
Sam says it was extremely valuable learning about the pressures charities face compared with other models of business.
“It made us realise that our work could help them raise awareness around their purpose and spread the word to the whole country.”
Kay Mercer, K9MD’s Building Community Partnerships and Funding Administrator, was impressed by the commitment of her student crew.
“What struck me most was the passion they have for us as an organisation,” Kay says.
“They were very professional and meticulous with their planning, which made me feel like we were in safe hands. They demystified the complexity of social media marketing and made it accessible to us as a small charity, with limited resources.
“At K9MD we have to focus what funds we have on the research and on training and caring for our dogs, so having some experts volunteer their time to do this vital promotional work is very precious to us.”
Though they’ve now finished their Digital Marketing paper, the K9MD student crew is so keen to shine more light on the work of those scent-savvy canines, that they’ve offered to implement the campaign in their own time.
“Ultimately, the work they are doing will contribute to better health outcomes across the motu through the early detection of cancer, so these young men can go forward knowing they have helped change the stars of hundreds of Kiwis,” Kay says.
Mathew loves seeing the growth that comes from putting his students into real-world contexts to solve genuine problems.
“It’s an incredibly powerful way to accelerate their development. It pushes them beyond the course content to build their confidence, professionalism, and practical skills in a short span of time. That kind of education is transformational.”
Kōrero by Claire Finlayson, Communications Adviser (Otago Business School)
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MART566 is an introduction to the application of digital technology in marketing, providing students with a deeper understanding of digital marketing theories and online tools available to marketers.
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