Education Meets Real World as Students Complete Comprehensive Research Study

(San Jose Group News Release - June 4, 2007) -- As part of a unique initiative, students in the multicultural marketing program at DePaul University unveiled research findings that they uncovered around Hormel Foods Corporation’s untapped growth opportunities in the Hispanic market. The project marks the first partnership between the university’s multicultural marketing program and a corporation. It was facilitated by Hormel Foods’ Hispanic advertising agency of record, The San Jose Group (SJG), who has been handling several of Hormel’s brands since 2000.

“We are proud to be the first corporation to work with DePaul’s multicultural marketing program in this capacity,” said Mark Mayer of Hormel Foods. “Together with SJG, we easily could have assigned this project to an established research company, but we wanted to see what these promising students could discover with their own talents.”

The initiative invited 12 students from one of the courses in DePaul’s recently launched Multicultural Marketing-Hispanic Marketplace curriculum to participate in this project, which exposed them to the rigors of the advertising industry. The students were enlisted to complete an analysis of 12 Hormel’s brands that are not currently active in the Hispanic market and determine the growth opportunities that exist for them by pursuing this important segment. During a day-long event June 4, each student personally presented his or her findings to SJG account directors and members of the DePaul marketing department.

“Having the opportunity for our students to work on Hormel’s brands has been invaluable,” said Loida Rosario, director of partner relations for the multicultural marketing program at DePaul. “It is important for us to continue partnering with corporations to provide real-world experiences like this to ensure our students are better prepared for careers in advertising and marketing.”

In addition to its participation in the project, SJG plans to offer internships to two of the students that best fulfilled the assignment.

“This was a win-win experience for our client and the marketing students involved,” said George L. San Jose, president of The San Jose Group. “It allowed a real-world experience in marketing collaboration between corporate America and the future leaders of Hispanic advertising.”

Offering highly respected, practical, flexible programs of business study, DePaul's College of Commerce encompasses the university's undergraduate business program and the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which together enroll 6,230 students. The college launched its multi-cultural marketing-Hispanic marketplace program – the first such program in the Midwest – in the fall of 2006. For more information, please visit: http://commerce.depaul.edu/ .

Incorporated in 1981, The San Jose Group specializes in developing innovative marketing communications solutions that connect brands and consumers to their core purpose. The agency is the anchor to The San Jose Network, Ltd., the largest group of marketing communications agencies serving U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets. For more information on The San Jose Group, please visit www.thesanjosegroup.com.

Photo: DePaul professors and account directors from The San Jose Group met with students in DePaul’s multicultural marketing program to discuss the results of a research assignment the students completed for Hormel Foods Corp.

DePaul University Media Contact: Robin Florzak, 312/362-8592, rflorzak@depaul.edu