Capitol News

Michigan State University (MSU) advertising students have collaborated with the Lansing Lugnuts to develop a marketing campaign aimed at engaging the local Hispanic community. The initiative, known as Lansing Locos, is part of Copa de la Diversión, a series designed to celebrate Hispanic culture and values in minor league baseball.

Amanda Rich, marketing and fan engagement manager for the Lugnuts, expressed enthusiasm about partnering with MSU. "East Lansing and Lansing — we’re neighbors. Any way that we can connect with Michigan State and the Spartan community helps us grow, and we love partnering with MSU," she said.

The collaboration was initiated by Tiffany Wahl, who teaches the senior capstone class for advertising majors at MSU. Despite it being a busy period for the team, Rich agreed to collaborate due to the potential for creative ideas from students. These ideas included new slogans, promotional menus, and social media content.

Wahl emphasized the importance of practical experience in sports marketing for her students. "Many of our students are interested in sports and sports management and sports marketing," she stated. "I wanted to show them how you market a minor league baseball team because it’s very different to enjoy sports and enjoy watching sports versus working in sports."

Working with local clients provides tangible benefits for students while expanding their career perspectives beyond large corporations or agencies. Past clients have included Downtown Lansing Inc., Moneyball Sportwear, Capital Area Transportation Authority, and ZapZone at Lansing Mall.

In Wahl's class, students form groups that operate like ad agencies to create campaigns involving market research, social media strategies, events planning, graphic design, and media outreach. They meet regularly with Wahl and clients before presenting their final projects.

"This class is meant to be an augmentation of all of the skills that they’ve learned in the major put into practice," Wahl explained. She encourages students to either build on their strengths or explore new areas within their group projects.

Ellie Harner, an MSU graduate who participated in this program, found it valuable: "I feel like I really learned how to put a campaign together." The hands-on nature of the course helped her understand real-world applications of her studies.

Wahl aims to boost student confidence as they transition into professional roles: "I see myself as the bridge between the classroom and industry... I really see a transformation in the students from beginning to end."