A marketing class at Southeastern presents new marketing campaigns to the Three Valley Museum (TVM). Pictured are TVM board member Greg Phillips, TVM Curator Nancy Farris, Aubrey Taratine, Nichole Benney, TVM board member Maxine Julian, Evan Wakefield, Tucker Brown and Dr. Shannon McCraw.

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A marketing class at Southeastern presents new marketing campaigns to the Three Valley Museum. Pictured are Russell Poole, TVM board member Greg Phillips, TVM Curator Nancy Farris, TVM board member Maxine Julian, Erika Haislip, Ashton Faries, Kyle Frizzel and Dr. Shannon McCraw.

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The Three Valley Museum in Durant recently received some free marketing advice thanks to a class at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

The class on marketing, taught by Dr. Shannon McCraw, was given an assignment to create a marketing campaign for the Museum.

After all assignments were turned in, the class voted on the two best campaigns. These two were then presented to Museum Curator Nancy Farris along with members of the museum’s board of directors Gregg Phillips and Maxine Julian.

Farris and board members judged the two presentations and chose their favorite. Farris said that out of the two presentations seen, the second was the favorite but only barely.

Farris said she was blown away by the first presentation but she they felt that the second presentation seemed a bit smoother.

With the assignments students created new flyers, posters, slogans and websites for the museum among other marketing products.

Students remained conscious of the limited funds of a non-profit organization such as the museum. They tried to create free and inexpensive marketing tactics for the museum.

“They put a lot of thought into it,” said Farris. She revealed that the students did research and even presented the group with statistics and information to help identify target audiences for the museum.

Students told Farris and the others that general history museums such as the Three Valley Museum are the hardest to market because they do not pertain to a particular group.

Farris said they may get back to the transportation aspect of the museum as the museum is in fact a transportation museum.

SE Student Erika Haislip said the assignment was very helpful.

“It was challenging. It really opened my eyes to what to expect in the real world,” said Haislip.

Her sentiments were backed by Aston Faries and Even Wakefield who were also working on the assignment.

All three students remarked that the assignment gave great insight on what is waiting in the real world after college.

Dr. McCraw said he gives assignments such as this because he feels it if useful for the students and the community for them to work with real projects that have a real benefit to the community.

The museum received copies of all campaigns made in the class so that any piece of the campaigns may be used if they choose.