USC selected for FBI recruitment
A marketing class at USC has been selected to create a plan to aid FBI recruitment.
Paulina Reso
Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: News
The USC Marshall School of Business was one of seven schools selected by the FBI to participate in its Collegiate Marketing and Recruitment Program, which aims to create a marketing plan to aid recruitment for the FBI.
USC works with the FBI every few years, and in the past projects have been managed by local offices. But this year is different.
"Now it has gone all the way to Washington, D.C.," professor Therese Wilbur said.
Wilbur's class, MKT 406: Practicum in Advertising and Production Design, is responsible for designing a campaign to increase special agent and professional position applications to fbijobs.gov.
The class of 35 students created a marketing group called New Leaf Communications to execute the project.
"The FBI is really depending on us. They want to be a more diverse organization," Wilbur said.
Because of its influence on the Los Angeles community, USC was a prime candidate.
"The L.A. target market is something the FBI was interested in. They thought USC would be able to reach that market," said Melissa Bulnes, a senior majoring in business administration who is in MKT 406.
The marketing class has been instructed to target college graduates because the FBI only hires applicants with a college degree, Wilbur said. Graduates with computer science skills and fluency in a foreign language are encouraged to apply.
"[The FBI] also wants biologists and linguists," Bulnes said.
The FBI is looking to change the image of a job within the bureau, Wilbur said.
"The biggest issue with our creative message is that people don't think of the FBI as a career option. We want to inform and get past those barriers," she said.
Bulnes echoed Wilbur's concern and said she wants the marketing project to help change false impressions of the FBI jobs.
"There are misconceptions about conditions in the FBI, like you can't have a family life," Bulnes said. "We also want to break down that elitist stigma."
USC works with the FBI every few years, and in the past projects have been managed by local offices. But this year is different.
"Now it has gone all the way to Washington, D.C.," professor Therese Wilbur said.
Wilbur's class, MKT 406: Practicum in Advertising and Production Design, is responsible for designing a campaign to increase special agent and professional position applications to fbijobs.gov.
The class of 35 students created a marketing group called New Leaf Communications to execute the project.
"The FBI is really depending on us. They want to be a more diverse organization," Wilbur said.
Because of its influence on the Los Angeles community, USC was a prime candidate.
"The L.A. target market is something the FBI was interested in. They thought USC would be able to reach that market," said Melissa Bulnes, a senior majoring in business administration who is in MKT 406.
The marketing class has been instructed to target college graduates because the FBI only hires applicants with a college degree, Wilbur said. Graduates with computer science skills and fluency in a foreign language are encouraged to apply.
"[The FBI] also wants biologists and linguists," Bulnes said.
The FBI is looking to change the image of a job within the bureau, Wilbur said.
"The biggest issue with our creative message is that people don't think of the FBI as a career option. We want to inform and get past those barriers," she said.
Bulnes echoed Wilbur's concern and said she wants the marketing project to help change false impressions of the FBI jobs.
"There are misconceptions about conditions in the FBI, like you can't have a family life," Bulnes said. "We also want to break down that elitist stigma."
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