Strategic Marketing for Community, Integration of Learning and Teaching by RMUTT

Marketing programs in Faculty of Business Administration, RMUTT, have been extended there learning and teaching experiences by enhancing their academic services. The purpose was to improve and develop community products by sending marketing students on sites consisted of Pathum Thani, Nakhon Nayok, and Sa Kaeo provinces. Asst. Prof. Pimpan Hiranyakitti shared that we have been integrated on site academic services in some subjects which is part of WIL course such as retail management, marketing management, sales and distribution management, and customer relationship management. This academic service has been developed for third year’s students and over. Being on site give our students an opportunity to apply their knowledge and capability on community products in each community such as product improvement, packaging design, integrated marketing (IMC) tools, and digital marketing. This academic service will uplift our community products into the nationwide market. On the other hand, we have also been assigned our students to execute and evaluate marketing plan, marketing research and analysis, SWOT analysis, customer behaviors, target audience, competitive analysis, and marketing mixes. This real-life marketing implementation with community will also improve skills and extend practical knowledge for our students as well.

Given students an opportunity to turn academic knowledge into practical implementation with community was not the only one benefit but they also had a chance to understand what community needs and wants while they were exchanging knowledge with others. Noted that many knowledge and experience they perceived couldn’t be learned from classroom. Furthermore, they also learned how to volunteer community within their conscious mind. In Bung Ba, Nong Suer district), our students have been visited one of the organic farm in Pathum Thani province where they growth rice berry and organic vegetables. They have been developed and designed packaging, and executed online marketing for farmers. They have been received positive complement from many farmers which is one of the marketing objective we have been set target in WIL course.

Ms. Natcha Soisomya, Mapow, shared that “Action is louder than imagination”. We are so happy to be part of the community. We have been implemented our theoretical knowledge to apply with the community. We also learned from the community that what they actually needs and wants are. Truth to be told, university and community are like neighbors. Without other, they can’t growth. From site visited, we have been talked, interviewed, and exchanged knowledge with the owner of agricultural farm, they would like to have packaging design, public relation, and more marketing activities especially online marketing. From what they needs and wants, we started to internally discuss with team member and delegated work to each member later on.

Ms. Sasithorn Poonsawad, Fahsai, shared that her responsibility was to create “must visiting place” brochure and VDO presentation. Those advertising were easily to understand and reachable to target audience. From site visiting to rice berry field, she would like to create brochure and VDO presentation that make consumer want to buy rice berry product. “The best way to study is that we can use it not only for ourselves but also for others.” We learned and perceived knowledge from our classroom but less people have a chance to execute it in real life. From this academic service, we have been applied and adjusted our knowledge and technique.

Mr. Kittiphop Kanyaphan, Mac, shared that we have learned new theory in agriculture from farmer. The situation and environment in real life were not like what we used to learn in the classroom even though we got an opportunity to imagine and search from online. Personally, I was responsible for marketing activity such as selling product, and penetrating product at booth. From this experience, I have been learned marketing process and applied real life problem solving. I was so glad that we could help farmer this time. “The best way to study is that we can use it not only for ourselves but also for others.”

Mr. Patcharapon Leesuphananon, Earth, shared that I have never tried to learn to how grow rice berry, purify rice, and along the process to package rice berry product. Without doing this, I won’t be able to understand this field of knowledge. My friends and I were not only helped them in marketing activities but we also adjusted the scenic of their organic farm. We had self-improved our capabilities from learning and doing. Once we graduated, we would apply this capabilities into our works. “The best experience come from both learning and doing.”

Mr. Wattana Kittiwatthana and Mr. Phajon Wranchom, Organic Agricultural Farmers at Ban Bueng, Nong Suer district, Pathum Thani province, shared that it is great to see young and new generations interested in agricultures. We also got new knowledges and experiences from them as well in term of packaging design, media and public relations. It was a great experience for old people like us, speaking in positive. We have been shared this story among our friends and workmates. They are all appreciated and accepted on this academic services involved by skillful students. We would like to thank to all students who gave us a joyful moment in life. Nonetheless, students have been advertised our organic farm where people started to know us more and more. They also designed and created packaging for us. In further, they have been marketed rice berry products for us as well.

“Suan Rao” organic farm (Ban Bueng, Nong Suer district, Pathum Thani province) was the pilot community where students from marketing program in Faculty of Business Administrative have been site visited and applied their knowledge from WIL course to. On October 20, 2018, we will have an event called “Marketing Day 2018”. There will have a booth from community enterprise to advertise their products which located in main hall, RMUTT. Any interested person who would like to participate in this event could find more information at marketing department, faculty of business administrative (0-2549-4818).