For the nimble business owner who’s willing to pivot, the COVID-19 pandemic produced a surprise opportunity: more online sales as quarantined customers stayed home to shop. Students from The School of Business at Portland State University played a key role in helping some of those companies adapt marketing strategies to match the new business reality.
Here’s how it happened:
Jennifer Nolfi, director of PSU’s Center for Retail Leadership, asked business faculty to consider adapting their courses to help downtown Portland businesses survive, and ultimately overcome, the immense challenges presented by the pandemic.
Assistant Professor Jacob Suher’s undergraduate marketing capstone usually involves students developing marketing plans for local companies. After connecting with Nolfi, Suher asked his Winter 2021 class to transform their project into an opportunity to provide support and guidance specifically for downtown Portland businesses.
Rose City Downtown Collective — a group of downtown businesses, organizations and nonprofits dedicated to supporting downtown Portland businesses — became a partner in the effort. Led by Ryan Mark, the collective helped identify and select the businesses that would receive marketing assistance from the students.
The overarching goal of the project was to fulfill Portland State's mission to “let knowledge serve the city,” said Suher.
“Practically, the students provided local businesses with actionable marketing plans to meet changing consumer needs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “Most importantly, the students gave sincere attention and encouragement to our downtown Portland business community, sending the message that PSU cares about you and we are in this together.”
Students help seven businesses
The 51 participating students formed 10 teams to create marketing plans for seven downtown Portland businesses from the apparel, restaurant, spa and entertainment industries. The projects culminated in a video presentation and a written marketing plan to achieve each company’s most pressing objectives, primarily enhancing the online customer experience.
“Fortunately, constraints led to creativity, and students developed innovative marketing plans to enhance the customer experience in the context of changing consumer needs, such as safety and digital solutions,” Suher explained.
The students’ plans included the launch of online programs such as personal styling and mixology classes, and suggestions for ways the businesses could enhance their customers' at-home shopping experiences.
“Through this single project, we were able to culminate all of the information we have learned from our marketing classes and put it to use for a local business in the way we felt best represented it,” said business student Lily Hillerns. “Born and raised in Portland, it was particularly special to help out a business that has a historical significance in the Portland community.”
Students at Oregon Leather Company“A great resource”
The owners of Fuse Bar, a new downtown business chosen for the project, gained new insights into how they could reach their target market.
"The School of Business is a great resource for small businesses in Portland. Fuse is thankful to have been selected,” said Azim, owner of Fuse Bar. “We learned some innovative ways to market the business using social media tools, such as TikTok, that we intend to implement soon.”
One of the teams had the opportunity to work with longtime local business Oregon Leather Co.
“The team presentation was very good with some interesting ideas,” said Jim MacPherson, president of Oregon Leather Co. “A starter kit being the focus of the plan and a hobbyist target market seems right. Thank you and all at PSU for including Oregon Leather Company in this campaign.”
The opportunity to work with Oregon Leather Co. was a highlight for business student Rachel Mccoy.
“It was exciting to imagine something new and different for a company that had already established a strong legacy within the community,” Mccoy said. “Our team was able to take our own personal knowledge of the city, as well as research we collected, to then apply it in a fun, imaginative and useful way.”