Marketing teacher Jean Getz doesn’t run her class on a typical classroom schedule. Her Excel TECC class runs a marketing company, and they meet project deadlines for their clients. This semester’s client 
is Cedar Point.

Generally, marketing students don’t know who their next client will be until the beginning of each semester.

“The last few years, clients have contacted me to work with them,” said Getz. “I like to stick with the teen market because it is easier [for marketing students] to conduct focus groups with their peers, and the students really enjoy working with their peers.”

Getz explained that she has had to turn down clients this year.   “We have another client second semester, but the students will not find out who it is until [then],” said Getz.

In previous years, their clients have included Donor USA, Arby’s, Things Remembered, Clearview Putter and Contemporary Cosmetic Surgery.

In addition to developing marketing plans, the class elects officers for their company and deals with real money from fundraisers such as selling T shirts and Chick-Fil-A breakfast sandwiches.

“Since we work for clients, the students are divided into four teams. Each team member brings [his or her own] unique talents to the group,” said Getz. “ The students will conduct an eight-phase study for the client… Then the students redefine the brand, create advertisements and decide where to place the media with the allocated advertising budget.”

For Cedar Point this year, the class is planning a social media campaign. Having been given a hypothetical $150,000 budget, the students will research marketing strategies and come up with creative ideas, the end results of which will be presented to the Cedar Point management team.  Students may have already noticed them conducting focus group research around the school. Marketing students have offered pizza to BHS students in order to get them to participate in lunchtime focus groups.

“We started with secondary research, which entails the background of Cedar Point, “ explained senior Amy Eisenberg. “Then we did primary research to find out where Cedar Point can improve through focus groups with students from Beachwood, Chargin Falls, Orange, West Geauga and Solon. Now we are compiling what information we can use to create an online social media campaign for teens, based on our primary research.”

“We’ve recently been focusing on our Cedar Point projects and also organizing everything for our next Chick-Fil-A breakfast, which may be at Orange High School,” said senior Carly Schlessinger. “Eventually we will focus on setting up fundraisers and volunteer opportunities, such as MDA Bowl-A-Thon.”

Marketing students belong to DECA, an international organization for marketing students. Some students will also be competing at Cuyahoga Community College for the District 10 Contest on Feb. 3. Over 300 students from over 12 school districts compete every year.  The students that place in the top in their event will advance to the DECA State Contest, where there are about 2,000 students competing. If they do well at the DECA State competition, they will advance to the DECA International Competition.  This year the International Competition is in Salt Lake City, Utah and there will be 15,000 students from around the world competing.