This semester, the BYU Marriott marketing program made efforts to help alumni connect with each other during the program’s first alumni conference. The conference included dinner and a concert from Noteworthy, BYU’s female a cappella group. The BYU Marriott marketing program helps students understand how to better connect consumers with products, but this conference allowed marketing alumni to connect with each other and reconnect with the program.
“A university’s alumni group is a valuable resource for recruiting, knowledge, publicity, and contributions,” says Jeff Larson, an associate professor of marketing at BYU Marriott. “In the marketing program, we are always looking for ways to utilize our alumni network to improve the marketing program.”
Alumni from the marketing program appreciated the chance to return to the program and see how it has changed. “I’m impressed with how the marketing program has evolved and progressed since I left,” says PJ Andersen, keynote speaker for the conference and a 2010 alum who works at Pinterest as a retail partnerships sales manager. “The education and experiences the marketing students are getting in the current program make them more prepared than ever to jump into some of the most sought-after careers in marketing. I wish I could have gone through the new program.” During his time in the marketing program, Andersen was the president of the Marketing Association.
Luke Mocke, a 2016 alum, is also a former Marketing Association president. “Seeing how the Marketing Association has grown and how the program has risen in rankings makes me proud to be an alum,” says Mocke. Since graduating from the marketing program, Mocke co-founded Mentorli.com, a site that connects people seeking jobs with mentors.
For marketing alumni, maintaining a connection with the BYU Marriott marketing program allows them to form mentoring relationships with current students. “The goal of the marketing program is to provide the best training possible to our students so they can go on to become great marketers,” says Larson.
“Our program has hundreds of highly skilled and influential graduates,” he continues. “These alumni can provide training and education to our current students, formally by guest speaking in class, through information sessions, and through Marketing Association events. Additionally, alumni can help to train and educate marketing program students informally by building mentoring relationships and participating in the BYU Marketing LinkedIn group.”
In addition to the chance to help current students, staying in touch with the marketing program allows alumni to form additional connections within the BYU Marriott marketing program’s alumni network. “Having a more connected alumni network can enable further career development for our graduates,” says Larson. “Graduates who are five years into their careers and looking for role changes or are looking to start new ventures can reach out to other alumni for help with those efforts.”
Following the conference, both marketing alumni and faculty look forward to reinforcing the connections between the marketing program and marketing alumni in the future. For Mocke, he’s excited about what’s next for the program and its students. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the program’s next generation of marketers.”
_
Writer: Natalia Green