Fiscal Year 2021-2022
Marketing Department Impact Report
business.sdsu.edu
Marketing Department
FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2021-22 POINTS OF PRIDE
Message from Faculty
Heather Honea, Ph.D. Associate Professor Chair, Marketing Department
The Marketing Department continues to establish its academic reputation in the areas of Integrated Marketing Communication & Experience as well as Social Impact & Sustainability. We are unique in the tight integration between sales and marketing in our curriculum and research. Across our courses there is exploration of emerging technology and analytics that offer topics ranging from mixed reality to dynamic advertising. We marry these explorations with an understanding of frontline customer experiences so that students graduate from our program with a blend of human and data-centric skills. Most importantly, across the curriculum we support students in discovering their purpose and help them set a course for positive impact through their professional lives. The department attributes its success to the combination of donor support, corporate partnerships, and grants we have received. We are grateful that over the last year we have received funding to pursue research, experiential learning, and community impact in the areas of food security, Climate Gap issues, diversity marketing and sales, women in leadership, and sustainable business. We are in the process of pursuing additional resources to support work to understand the role of poverty, marginalization, and equity issues in marketing/sales. We are also working to expand our programming in the area of soft development for sales. We will be working to establish faculty fellowships and endowed funds to support these endeavors. This year we had student teams develop business plans and coordinate events for six non-profit partners, oversee the sales, marketing, and merchandising of fresh produce for 20 retail corner stores through the student-led social enterprise Brightside, and participate in a B-Corporation business plan competition that we are hosting through our Sustainable Marketing course. To engage the business and academic community, we continue to run our Insights for Impact seminar series. This year, the department offered an immersive exploration for MBAs and an international university on Social Impact highlighting the work of non-profits, B-Corps, and sustainable manufacturing companies in the San Diego Region. We hosted a miniconference in partnership with 3M on sales. On May 26, we will be hosting an alumni and marketing advisory board event focused on Customer Experience Design and Management. Heather Honea, Ph.D. Associate Professor Chair, Marketing Department
Fowler College of Business
Points of Pride | Faculty Achievements
Points of Pride
In Fall 2021, the department supported 1,446 students enrolled in marketing and is one of the Top 10 majors at SDSU.
Erlinde Cornelis, Ph.D. Associate Professor Marketing Department, Sports MBA Program
Recently Launched Curriculum:
Professional Development for Marketers Business Tools for Data Analysis Sustainable Marketing
Alumni, Community and Business Engagement:
Insights for Impact Marketing Speaker Series Social Impact Immersive Experience B-Corp Business Consulting Competition Customer Experience Design and Management Workshop
Faculty Achievements
Iana Castro and BrightSide Produce “Our dream — which we think is not that much of a dream but very achievable — is that everyone in San Diego can walk to their corner store and have access to fresh produce,” said Iana Castro, associate professor of marketing at SDSU and co-founder of BrightSide, which is run by students who earn interning credits for their work.
Iana A. Castro, Ph.D. Associate Professor Marketing Department, cofounder BrightSide Produce
Glazer Outstanding Lecturer Fellowship Marketing Department lecturer Lois Olson was selected by a panel, including the Fowler College of Business dean, chairs, and directors, to receive the inaugural Glazer Outstanding Lecturer Fellowship. Olson was honored by President Adela de la Torre on November 4, 2021, alongside four colleagues representing the remaining departments in the college (accounting, finance, management, and management information systems). Each of the recipients received a commemorative plaque, a salary supplement, and additional funding to support their professional development activities.
From left: Adela de la Torre, William Sannwald, Lois Olson, Jeff Glazer, Nancy Jones, and Frank Ryan (not pictured: Kelly Shaul)
Faculty Achievements
Lois Olson, Ph.D. Lecturer Marketing Department
Erlinde Cornelis received a Department of Energy Climate Gap Grant Eesha Sharma, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Marketing Department
Rodrigo S Dias, Eesha Sharma, Gavan J Fitzsimons, Spending and Happiness: The Role of Perceived Financial Constraints, Journal of Consumer Research, 2021 Nita Umashankar, Ph.D. Associate Professor Marketing Department
Umashankar N, Bahadir SC, Bharadwaj S., Despite Efficiencies, Mergers and Acquisitions Reduce Firm Value by Hurting Customer Satisfaction. Journal of Marketing, 2022
BrightSide Produce
BrightSide Produce | Day of Giving
Overview | BrightSide Produce
BrightSide Produce is committed to increasing access to healthy food options in underserved communities through produce deliveries while reducing food waste and strengthening the local food system in San Diego County. As a full-service produce distributor, BrightSide Produce increases the accessibility, availability, and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables in the communities it serves.
The Problem: Residents in low-income and underserved communities may have limited access to supermarkets and rely on smaller stores located in their communities to meet their food needs.
The Solution: BrightSide Produce developed and implemented a produce distribution service that increases produce accessibility, availability, and affordability in underserved communities.
For the Sixth Annual Day of Giving, the Fowler College of Business highlighted the BrightSide Produce program within the Marketing Department. BrightSide Produce is operated by undergraduate and graduate students at SDSU, providing students with a transformational learning experience that fosters an appreciation for community needs and motivates innovative thinking to address them. Support for BrightSide Produce Surpassed $15,000 This will provide programmatic support, including potential expanded regions served and additional student internships available each academic year.
BrightSide Produce is operated by undergraduate and graduate students at San Diego State University. The organization provides students with valuable,
hands-on experience running a distribution business that operates as a nonprofit and works with retailers to introduce, manage, and grow a new product category (i.e., produce) to meet the local community's needs. Student Experience
Olivia Ziners, Marketing Major and BrightSide Product Intern, Class of 2022
As a marketing major in the Fowler College of Business, I have loved getting involved on campus and applying my knowledge of business in the real world. Becoming an intern at BrightSide Produce has been one of the highlights of my college career. Working with such a dedicated team empowered me to take charge of their social media and create marketing campaigns of my own. My design work in the classroom prepared me to create my own content for BrightSide, highlighting their work in the San Diego community to eliminate food deserts as well as their incremental role on campus. I would strongly encourage any business major to work with BrightSide and make a real impact.
BrightSide Produce (cont'd)
Student Experience | BrightSide Produce
Scott Helsel, Management Major and BrightSide Product Intern, Class of 2022
As a management student in the Fowler College of Business, I had the opportunity to work alongside the BrightSide Produce Team during my last two semesters. In the first semester working with the team, I was able to develop my knowledge in the human resource field by taking on tasks and responsibilities like recruitment, on-boarding, and training. I was also able to gain knowledge and experience with the the local food system in San Diego and the ongoing problem of food deserts. Being able to enhance my skills and abilities in HR, while also making a difference in the community, is something that I truly value. BrightSide’s work as a nonprofit is making a big difference in our local community, and I feel extremely fortunate that I am able to see that difference first-hand. This semester, I have taken on more of a leadership role with BrightSide, which has also helped me develop my leadership skills, as I am minoring in leadership. Being in this role has allowed me to figure out how to manage a team and make sure that everyone’s voice is being heard in the group. Overall, I am extremely happy with my time with BrightSide and would recommend that anyone with a passion to make a difference in their community and to develop their own individual skills should apply to BrightSide Produce!
Making an Impact
Thank you for supporting student scholarships, faculty excellence, and experiential learning for marketing students.
Thank you for your generous support.
For questions regarding this report please contact DonorRelations@SDSU.edu or call (619) 594-2448.
Donor Relations University Relations and Development San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-8030 SDSU.edu