Laney Haines showcases marketing
Graduating Utah State University senior Laney Haines didn’t want to sacrifice her analytical side or her creative streak. In marketing, she found what she said is the perfect intersection of her interests.
“I was originally a psych major because I’m really interested in the way people think,” Haines said.
She decided psychology didn’t provide the creative outlet she was looking for and switched to marketing.
“I chose it because I really loved art, and I also really like business,” Haines said. “You also have to think about the psychology behind things in order to market effectively.”
During her time at USU, Haines participated in the Huntsman Marketing Association, or HMA, the Stephen R. Covey Leadership Center, the Women in Business Association and Alpha Chi Omega.
“I think the school does a really great job with the clubs that they have. They pour a lot of money into the clubs, specifically in the Huntsman,” Haines said. “I’ve made so many friends and connections through them, and I think the clubs have honestly prepared me for the real world more than some of my classes have.”
Cassidy Creech, a professional practice assistant professor in marketing and strategy, is the faculty adviser for HMA.
“She’s been in our marketing club for some time now, and she’s done extraordinarily well,” Creech said.
Creech said he hopes students like Haines leave HMA with technical skills they can translate directly into successful careers, connections and confidence.
“They should leave with a little bit of swagger, knowing that they belonged, that they’ve accomplished hard things, that they can do amazing things and that they have something to offer in the real world,” Creech said.
During Haines’ time in HMA, students competed in teams to present an event marketing strategy to Next Meters, a Cache Valley-based water meter company. Haines’ team took first place.
“Laney’s team developed a go-to market strategy for a proprietary system that Next Meters had, and this was specifically a strategy that they tailored for the hospitality industry,” Creech said. “It was a really exciting new way of helping the client to access a new category of customers that they hadn’t been able to reach before.”
According to Creech, Haines’ team created remarkable value for the company by tapping into the voice of hospitality.
Haines said her experience with HMA and a venture marketing class with Russell Fisher has helped her feel the most prepared for the workforce.
”If you’re ever thinking of becoming an entrepreneur or doing something in that space, Russell Fisher will break down everything you need to know about wanting to be an entrepreneur, launching your own business, branding,” Haines said.
She also recently visited Fiji, alongside 40 other students, with the Covey Leadership Center.
The group was split in half and went to two separate remote villages, where students taught local youth principles from Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
“We stayed in a house with a family, and they cooked us their meals every night, and we would go to the farm and farm with them,” Haines said. “They would teach us how to weave baskets and their traditional dances. It was such a rewarding experience.”
Haines eventually hopes to start her own marketing consulting firm. After graduation, she intends to gain experience working for another firm.