IMC students create content strategy and marketing video for local businesses

Marketing video created for The Collage Café in Evanston by IMC students Sakhile Richards, Laurel Neveu, Lindsey Schott, Natasha Smith, Karen Wang and Alison Golensky

In Professor Candy Lee’s Communications and Content Marketing class, IMC students took all they had learned in the classroom and applied it to the real world—by creating a content strategy for a business in the Evanston area.

Each of the eight teams started winter quarter by finding a local business in Evanston to work with. The students then learned about the company, its business goals and its customers to create a custom content marketing plan and marketing video. At the end of the quarter in March, students presented a fully developed proposal to the class as their final project.

One of the groups, consisting of Sakhile Richards, Laurel Neveu, Lindsey Schott, Natasha Smith, Karen Wang and Alison Golensky, worked with The Collage Cafe, an eclectic store for women located in the Main Street Station Shopping District of Evanston.

Lindy Stockton, the owner, founded the store last year placing a priority on creating a strong supportive space for women.

Neveu (IMC16) found The Collage Cafe one of her first days in Evanston and thought it would be a perfect business for their project.

“I was enamored by the whole environment [of Collage Cafe],” Neveu said. “So when I had the class I thought it would be a great idea to work with [Lindy] because she’s so passionate.”

Some of the struggles that The Collage Cafe has been facing, according to the group, have been lack of visibility and a competitive marketplace.

In their plan, the group outlined a strategy to increase Stockton’s social media presence and paint her as a resource for the community.

“She’s the Oprah of Evanston,” Schott (IMC16) added.

They also created a promotional video for The Collage Cafe utilizing the film editing skills they had learned in the class from Jim Distasio, Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and adjunct lecturer.

“Being able to execute one solid vision was the hardest part,” Schott said. “It had to be a tight storyline two-minute video in a matter of weeks.”

The class prepared the group to be knowledgeable in creating this plan in a very professional way.

“It was an opportunity to learn the practical skills,” Neveu said. “Having that knowledge is important going [forward] with a smaller company. We get an emphasis on being a well-rounded employee.”

For more information on the IMC program and how to apply, visit our website.