Real-World Marketing Experience On Campus
In 2023, Haslam’s Department of Marketing launched the Marketing and Sales Skills Lab. Students develop applied skills through hands-on internship experiences, all without leaving campus. Alex Zablah, Gerber/Taylor Professor and head of the department, says, “We’re moving beyond traditional classroom training to expand the way we’re developing students. Hands-on experience is critical to getting good jobs.”
Currently, the lab runs two internship-style classes each semester, one focusing on sales and the other on marketing. Classes are competitive and limited to 15 students who are selected based on fit, readiness, ability, and willingness to immerse themselves in the unique modality. The sales class partners with Knoxville-based Axle Logistics, training students in the art of cold-calling. “It’s the hardest type of selling,” says Zablah. Students are paired with mentors from Axle who lead teams and offer support. “Exploring this type of selling in a classroom setting helps students figure out if it’s for them, and they develop skills that they will use in other areas of marketing.”
Senior Wade Boster, who completed the Axle sales course last spring, appreciated the realistic experience the lab and class offer. “It was like being in the workplace while you’re still in the classroom,” he says. “You get the full experience while earning credit hours and having a support system around you. It helped me figure out the direction I wanted to go.”
This year, the lab launched a second experiential learning course in partnership with local marketing agency Boldsquare. In the Boldsquare Residency, not only do students learn how a marketing agency operates, they also connect directly with clients to work on projects. Christine White, assistant professor of practice and the department’s director of partnerships, says, “Students run client meetings, generate and post content on social media channels, develop and implement marketing strategy, create and execute innovative events, and more.” Throughout the residency experience, students receive support and mentorship from partners at Boldsquare. “This is real-world experience that you really can’t get in any other class we offer.”
Senior Casie Cottrell agrees. “While traditional classes teach the material, this course took normal classwork to the next level by allowing me to apply that knowledge in a practical internship without the immediate pressures of a formal job,” she says.
The main mission of the Marketing and Sales Skills Lab, Zablah says, is to give more students a head start before they graduate. “We believe anything co-curricular that happens early is going to help students get internships and ultimately, jobs,” he says. The lab space, with its large video conference screen, sofas, and high-top chairs, also acts as an inviting home base for marketing students to study, meet others, prepare for job interviews, and attend networking events. “We try to maximize this space and make it a hub for students—and a place where they can gain non-traditional learning experiences.”
As the lab’s internship courses continue to grow, other universities have reached out to Zablah and White to ask how they can launch similar initiatives. “We’ve also had a variety of companies reach out and ask how they can partner with us,” White says. “In the future, we want to expand what the on-campus experience looks like.”
