American Underground startups among the clients for UNC Hussman advertising and public relations research course

Students in assistant professor Adam Saffer’s advertising and public relations research course are working with five organizations this semester to research market trends, better understand target audiences and assess the organizations’ message.

The clients include three startup companies based out of startup tech hub American Underground in Durham — Testive, CloudFactory, Factivate — along with The Glenwood Club in Raleigh and the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy.

• Testive is a test-prep company started by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This online tutoring service personalizes the curriculum for each of its students, and has so far worked with 130,000 students across the United States. Saffer’s students are currently assisting Testive by exploring new clientele and how best to reach those potential customers.
• CloudFactory is a startup that prides itself on being a different way of outsourcing tedious computer work. The company is currently working with natives in both Kenya and Nepal, and it plans to expand to other countries as well. This startup not only outsources but also helps train the native people to develop necessary work sills. Saffer’s students are assisting CloudFactory by researching the message around the firm’s business and social mission.
• Factivate is a business intelligence firm that integrates big data into simple-to-use spreadsheets. The students working for Factivate are researching four target personas who buy this product. Ultimately, the students are putting audience profiles together and studying their media consumption habits.

Students are also assisting the UNC Center for Media and Law Policy and the Glenwood Club by researching trends and determining how to market the organizations to different target publics.

“I wanted to take advantage of being close to the exciting startups that are coming out of Durham,” said Saffer. “Plus, working with startups provides students with a unique set of challenges and opportunities. Startups have a culture of trying out new things and being open to change. For the students, this is an exciting environment. They get to work directly with the founders and CEOs of these companies. Their research will have a direct impact on the clients and their business.” 

The companies pitch their issues to Saffer’s students, who conduct research using methods they learn in class to help solve the clients’ problems. They learn to conduct target research, do content analysis and interact with clients. 

Because most of the course is run like an agency, students get experience working for an account with a team and understanding the group dynamic required to go into the advertising and public relations professions. Students present findings to their clients at the end of the semester. 

“For many of our clients, they are just trying to find out who their target public is and the students get to learn how that process works, which will prove valuable to them in their future careers,” said Saffer. “Some students are already seeing the benefit of listing these clients on their resumes as they’re applying for internships.” 

Saffer, who joined UNC Hussman in 2014, was a research fellow at Ketchum in New York City in 2012. He now researches advocacy coalitions, focusing on networks of activist groups and civil society organizations. 

The school’s advertising and public relations courses work with new clients every semester. If you are interested in becoming a client, send the school an email with a link to your website and the issue you hope to solve.