This semester, students enrolled in Integrated Marketing Communication Campaigns with Dr. Lisa Parcell have been working with Alce Su Voz, Riverfest and the Kansas Nonprofit Chamber to develop full marketing communication campaigns. Every semester, this applied-learning experience is offered to students with the opportunity to develop campaigns for three new clients. 

“This work is preparing me for my career because it’s real-world experience,” said David Garcia senior in integrated marketing communication who’s focusing on the Alce Su Voz account. “This organization is going to use the materials that we are making for them.” 

Alce Su Voz — which translated from Spanish to English means “Raise Your Voice” — is an organization that focuses on patients’ rights. 

Working with Alce Su Voz has given Garcia the preparation and networking to do the exact type of work he wants to do following his graduation from Wichita State.

“One day I would like to create a bilingual advertising agency,” Garcia said. “Through this applied-learning experience I’ve met so many bilingual communicators, established networking opportunities in the community and had the chance to put my work out there.”

The campaign with Alce Su Voz focuses on people and individual testimonies to raise awareness on the lack of communication in healthcare. This is due to the inability to receive adequate interpreting services for Spanish-speaking Kansans.

Garcia said the campaign includes social media content, compelling graphic visuals, testimonials, panel discussions and print advertisements for healthcare clinics to encourage Spanish-speaking patients to know their right to use an interpreter.  

Jadyn Stutey, senior in integrated marketing communication who’s focusing on the Riverfest account, is grateful for the opportunity to create for a significant client in Wichita.

“These days, jobs are really looking for someone who has experience and who knows their way around the industry they are going into,” Stutey said. “I think it’s crucial to put yourself out there and go after these internships and applied-learning experiences.”

“I’m most excited about seeing the public’s reaction to the Riverfest events and marketing this year. We’ve been working hard on our end to develop content that will promote the events through social media and guerrilla marketing,” Stutey said.

For Tammie Huynh, Kansas Nonprofit Chamber campaign account manager, the applied-learning experience helped her discover her career goals.

“This campaign gives me a look at what account managing is like and made me realize I would enjoy this position in the future,” Huynh said. 

Huynh said the goal of their campaign was to capture the attention of the Kansas Nonprofit Chamber’s target audience. They created several social media graphics to create a presence online, and a tour video of the workspace provided for members to use. 

All three organizations are providing feedback to students and will be utilizing the students’ work later this year.

“Dr. Parcell and Wichita State have been an asset in this process. She does this class every semester and truly gives students the opportunity to build a campaign around a client in Wichita and get hands-on and real-world experience,” Stutey said. “Now we all have a wonderful new addition to our portfolios.”