Marketing students on the ball with Huddersfield Town
Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:19:00 GMT
Sean Jarvis, the Commercial Director of Huddersfield Town Football Club came into the Business School with several of his colleagues this November for their first meeting with two teams of market research consultants, who will be conducting marketing research for the club as part of their Undergraduate degree in Marketing.
In the Market Research & Consultancy Module, second year Undergraduate Marketing students provide marketing research consultancy for local businesses that need help with researching a variety of marketing issues. This year, two of our student teams are conducting research for HTAFC.
One team is working on a project to research the best communication tools to reach one of the club’s key target markets, namely families with children aged 6 upwards.
The other team is researching business awareness of HTAFC’s Hospitality Package Offering among businesses in the region.
“The module is designed to enable students to develop their professional practice alongside academic learning by working on a live research brief from businesses that expect a professional service”, described Module Leader and Senior Lecturer in Marketing Dr Fiona Cheetham, “We were delighted to receive two research briefs from HTAFC this year. Working collaboratively with HTAFC provides a fantastic opportunity for our students to develop the necessary skills and confidence, not only to secure a work placement during the third-year of their degree but, ultimately to kick-start their marketing careers when they graduate. I am confident that the intelligence and enthusiasm that our students will bring to these research projects will produce results that compare very favourably to employing a commercial research organisation, and with a far lower financial risk.”
One of the project team, Marketing student Tom Vallance commented on the practical experience offered through working with a ‘live’ client: “Working with a client is a very valuable experience, it brings the marketing theory and frameworks we have been learning to life as we can see how they can be applied in the business world. It is also a great opportunity to sharpen our professional skills in areas such as communication, presentation, and project management. We see it as an important stepping stone from the classroom going into the industry.
"The most challenging part is the pressure of working with such an important local business, and having the confidence that our work is of a high enough standard for them. However, keeping in regular contact and scheduling meetings with them is a great help."
