In this issue:
Welcome
Happy spring! We continue to celebrate the growth of the Marketing major, our current students, and our alumni. As of mid-March, the Marketing major boasts 140 majors and pre-majors (combined). This number shows the tremendous growth the major has incurred since our revision in fall 2017. Our current students are actively seeking internships and co-ops to better differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Take a moment to read about our alums in this newsletter who are working in Pittsburgh and Virginia.
Stop by and visit with the marketing faculty on your next trip to Behrend!
—Dr. Mary Beth Pinto, Ph.D.
Discipline Lead, Marketing Major
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Richard Vann, Assistant Professor of Marketing
What do you most want marketing students to know?
When learning marketing, you are developing an incredibly potent set of tools and techniques for changing human behavior. If you focus on marketing for good, you’ll create a better life for your customers, your employees, and your community. Your profession has tremendous (potential) power for positive change.
What is an interesting research project you have worked on?
Right now, I am leading a project where my colleagues and I are working to better predict when people will take their medications as directed. The work takes on a lot of personal meaning because it could save lives and offer a helping hand to those managing chronic illnesses.
What non-marketing jobs have you held? What surprising skills were transferable to marketing?
I spent some time working in positions that loosely fit into the field of project or program management in technology and health care. When I returned to marketing leadership, I really appreciated the importance of blending metrics and personal insight together to accomplish great things as a team.
Alumni Spotlights
Lia Clear ’18
Lia graduated with degrees in International Business and Marketing. Lia currently is a project coordinator for a small business in Virginia.
What do you miss most about being a Behrend student?
I miss the professors and the learning environment the most. The ability to just walk up to a professor either right after a lesson or in their office is something I definitely did not take advantage of enough.
There are now twenty-five hours in a day! How do you spend your extra hour?
That’s definitely spent doing something with my friends. Now that I’ve moved to the Washington, D.C., area, I try to visit at least one new place a week. This has helped me get to know more people in the area and also settle in.
How did your study abroad experience help you in your career?
After studying abroad and then traveling after graduation, I learned to see things from new perspectives. My career has definitely benefited from this because at first I felt a little lost and overwhelmed, so I would one hundred percent recommend studying abroad and traveling!
Kyle Peskowitz ’15
Kyle graduated with a degree in Marketing. Kyle is currently an assistant buyer for Lodge Hunt at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Which Behrend course has helped you the most in your career?
Buyer behavior was the most helpful course for my career path. Since I am in buying for retail, knowing the customer and current trends are a must.
What is one of the most interesting/unique aspects of your job?
An interesting aspect of my job is that we get to personally test products such as hunting bows and crossbows and even get to climb into tree stands.
What was your proudest moment at Behrend?
My proudest moment was working with the Barber National Institute and creating a project to help promote their Barber Beast on the Bay.
Student Spotlight
Erin O'Brien ’19
Erin is a Marketing and International Business dual-major graduating in May. Erin has been involved in Marketing Club for three years.
If you had one do-over at Behrend, what would it be?
I would’ve picked classes that would have given me more the opportunity to obtain a certificate or a minor.
What attracted you to Penn State Behrend?
My favorite part about Behrend is the smaller class sizes and the professors here. Behrend was actually the only school I applied to because I’ve always wanted to get a Penn State degree.
News and Updates
Marketing Club Updates
With many e-board members graduating in the spring, there are several positions open and elections are underway. Marketing Club is excited for new members to continue to build upon the work that’s been done by the current leadership.
For the past few semesters, we had been pushing forward to become an official chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). Students are excited to have access to AMA resources like the AMA job board and AMA-sponsored conferences and events.
Business Olympics will be coming up at the end of April, and Marketing Club will be hosting a musical chairs event! This event is an opportunity for members of various Black School of Business student clubs to come together and participate in a friendly competition.
With the end of the semester quickly approaching, we plan to do an end-of-the-year social event by going to an Erie SeaWolves home game. Current students can stay tuned for updates on the event on our Behrend Sync page.
Marketing Course Launches Project with Erie County Historical Society
This spring, Dr. Mary Beth Pinto, professor of marketing, and her buyer behavior students launched a project with the Erie County Historical Society (ECHS). From the ECHS, Geri Cicchetti, director of advancement, along with George Deutsch, executive director, joined Dr. Pinto’s classes on January 10 to discuss the organization and its goals during an introductory session. The project’s overall goal is to expand the target market of the ECHS in terms of memberships, visits, and donations, with a particular emphasis on the potential of the 18-to-30-year-old demographic.
As with most projects, a significant amount of research is required to deliver useful final recommendations. Students kicked off the project by performing two rounds of research, both primary and secondary. Following the preliminary secondary research stage, the next round of primary research gave students the valuable opportunity to hone their skills in personal interviews, surveys, and focus groups. Using the insights derived from this research as well as their tours of the ECHS complex and understanding of buyer behavior, students will offer recommendations on how the ECHS should most effectively pursue its goals. The project will wrap up with the best-performing groups making final pitch presentations to ECHS management.