Corporate Partnerships

Our relationships with corporate partners allow you to take experiential learning to a new level. Working in the Center for Marketing Technology, you'll be able to tackle real business challenges alongside top managers of diverse companies and present your findings directly to them. Corporate partnerships also help you gain professional experience that will give you a competitive edge in the workplace.

Projects

Approximately 25 companies each year partner with Bentley students for projects in industries including consumer goods, education, finance, government, health care, retail and technology. A sample of past projects includes:

Apple

Apple asked Bentley students to find ways of connecting the company with college students who are studying business, a market traditionally dominated by PCs. The students evaluated both the digital learning environment of students and the computer industry’s social media strategies. Using focus groups, email surveys and market research software, they discovered key marketing messages and benefits that were translated into a cohesive social media and marketing campaign.

Converse

Converse recently partners with Bentley students as the company sought to learn about consumers’ opinions of their sneakers. Students in a marketing course to create a marketing strategy for three different lines of Converse shoes. They conducted market research to understand the shopping habits of consumers and their social influences. Using the research results, students created a marketing plan that included ideas for retail stores, the Internet, social media, events and public relations. Students worked with company executives on a weekly basis and also visited Converse headquarters.

Mazda

Students conducted surveys at car dealerships, as well as focus-group interviews and web-based community outreach, to determine the sales and service barriers in repurchasing decisions. The project focused on the Mazda 3, the company's top-selling model among younger consumers. Marketing initiatives were created, concept-tested and recomended for test marketing.