Like most theses, it started with a lot of reading. But
unlike most, it ended with a concert.
Economics majors Natalie Gulden and Katie Butterfield
were the promoters behind a concert Wednesday night by
Apartment Three, a Boston-based group whose sound has been described
as a blend of pop, rock, blues and funk.
The unusual dual thesis relied heavily on research the pair did
on surveys, focus groups, marketing and publicity.
They surveyed nearly 450 students and another 100
faculty and staff to determine the kind of music a Union audience would
like. They used focus groups to narrow the selection of bands.
They determined the best means to promote the event. And they
used friends – lots of them – to help get the word out.
At the suggestion of students, they avoided using
student mailboxes or voice mail. It's too easy to throw away a letter or
“33-7'' a voice mail, Gulden explained. (Interestingly, faculty
suggested voice mail as a preferred method, she noted.) Instead, they
centered their publicity effort on signs posted around campus.
“(The focus groups) said that even though there are so many signs
on campus, people still read them,” said Gulden of Ashland,
Mass., considering a career as marketing analyst or events planner.
They also used fortune cookie messages, pens, coasters,
promotional CDs, stickers and invitations to about 250 faculty and staff.
“We underestimate how opinionated the Union
community is,” said Gulden. “Everyone
was very vocal.” Gulden said she and Butterfield, of Saint Louis, were
also surprised by the willingness of students to join the effort.
Prof. Hal Fried is advising the pair on what they expect to be
a 130-page thesis. “I joked with them that this will be easy to grade,”
he said. “We'll just see how many people show up.”