Lynn MBA Graduate Students Involved In Real-World Product Marketing Venture
At Lynn, classes not only provide credits that count toward a degree, but may also offer real-world experience. This is the case with Dr. Matteo Peroni’s MBA 628 class. In this “Special Topics in Marketing” course, students are working on a consulting project for a local entrepreneur to help him expand his up-and-coming electric bicycles business.
“[This project] is an actual hands-on experience because it covers all topics related to marketing,” said Peroni. “Using digital thinking, the students will learn what it takes to come up with a viable business and marketing strategy to penetrate a nascent market.”
The client is South Beach Cycle, a company based in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. They offer premium e-bikes for sale and rent. Co-owners Alex Sender and Ken DeClassis reached out to the College of Business with the hope that Lynn students could help them develop and implement cutting edge strategies as they transition into the e-commerce field.
“This was the perfect class [for this venture],” Peroni explained. “We have students with very diverse backgrounds like graphic design, communications and analytics.”
This graduate-level course is made up of 40 students. They were divided into five groups, each focusing on a particular marketing aspect which includes product strategy, branding, digital marketing, business, distribution and communications/promotions.
The groups’ first steps were performing initial research to understand their client’s industry by having a Q&A session with the owners. Sender and DeClassis brought four different models of e-bikes to Lynn so that students could get acclimated with the product. The teams had the opportunity to examine, take photos and ride some of South Beach Cycle’s range of e-bikes, from the top model, to an entry-level model, to a foldable bike.
To further enhance the students’ process, Dr. Peroni will invite Digital Marketing professor Michele Peroni as a guest speaker to one of his lectures. Peroni is Google Analytics certified and will provide the class with valuable insight with regards to product marketing.
The students will have a total of eight weeks to put their plans together. In the final session, the groups will present their proposals to Sender and DeClassis.
In addition to getting firsthand practice, Peroni believes students will acquire and sharpen other abilities that will be beneficial for their professional careers. “They will learn about time management, meeting deadlines, effectively communicating with the client and conducting research,” he said.
Peroni’s hands-on approach is reflective of Lynn’s expanding MBA program which seeks to introduce graduate students to a variety of real-world experiences within their field of study.
To learn more about Lynn’s MBA programs, visit lynn.edu/academics.
