The chance to live in Paris for several weeks and to study in his major—especially while the Olympics were taking place—was an opportunity that Damian de la Guardia, a rising junior pursuing a double major in business analytics and business technology, didn’t want to miss.
“I’m a huge fan of the Olympics, and when I heard there was a marketing class specializing in it, I knew I had to apply and get there,” said de la Guardia. “You can really feel the energy here—everything is so well organized. France has opened its arms to athletes and fans, inviting everyone to immerse themselves in the games in full Parisian style—making the entire city the main stage of the event.”
De la Guardia is one of a group of 18 students from the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School participating in an immersive 3-credit international marketing course in Paris from July 8 to Aug. 2 operated through the Office of Study Abroad.
Trinidad Callava, a lecturer in the school and who has worked previously in Paris in an international marketing capacity, directs the program, which is called Olympic Marketing in Paris.
As part of the class, students have visited with a number of French firms to explore firsthand the marketing strategies used by the Olympics and other leading brands associated with sports.
“I’ve really enjoyed the business visits,” said Constanza Ardiles, a rising junior and public relations major, minoring in marketing, advertising, and music. “Though I’m not crazy about sports, I just felt like I would never go to the Olympics if it were not for this—so I jumped at the opportunity.
“I come from a culture—Argentina—that is really soccer focused and never realized how important brands were for the sport,” Ardiles added. “It’s been really cool through our visits with businesses to see how much effort these brands are putting in and the changes they can make to reach more of an audience.”
Ardiles highlighted the importance of recognizing cultural distinctions in marketing strategies.
“If the French people don’t like something, they protest, so a lot of these brands really have to listen to their audience because if they don’t, people are not going to buy their product,” Ardiles pointed out.
Thalia Vlahos, a rising senior majoring in advertising strategy and pursuing a double minor in broadcast journalism and marketing, echoed how valuable the firsthand learning has been. She’s visiting Europe for the first time and has so enjoyed the introduction to European culture.
“It’s really cool getting to see these businesses in action,” said Vlahos, who will graduate this year. “What’s resonated with me is how a study program like this allows you to apply the skills you’ve learned. One of the hardest things in class is you have all this knowledge—but where am I going to use it?
“When we’re on these business visits, I’m in my head checking: ‘How does this compare to other brands? How are they utilizing their social media marketing? Does that align with brands that we’ve seen that are successful?’” she said.
The class project tasked students to market a product in another country, and Vlahos initially thought the task would be relatively easy.
“But after being here, definitely it’s not,” she said. “We’ve really learned how important market research is. And when deciding where to go next with your product, it’s really important to understand the culture and research thoroughly.”
“The use of experiential methods in study abroad programs allows students the freedom to bypass the entrenched academic verticality and connect concepts from different disciplines to real-life situations, where they can use their own critical thinking to create new ideas,” noted Callava. “And more importantly, the class project with a real client will be a strong asset in their resume.”
De la Guardia noted that the schedule has been fast-paced, yet flexible enough to allow for students to explore the historic city on their own. As the Olympics opened officially on July 26, students were readying to see two scheduled events—beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower and archery.
“The schedule was done so well,” said de la Guardia, originally from Panama. “Between classes, business and museum visits, we’ve been busy, but they gave us flexibility also to be able to live in Paris, get to know the scenes, and to see other Olympic events on our own.
“I’m definitely going to see the swimming events. There’s a fabulous young swimmer from Panama, so I’m excited to support my country, of course,” he added.
Living in the midst of a city—especially one throbbing with thousands of tourists and Olympic excitement—is a new experience for Ardiles.
“I’ve always lived in the suburbs, so having interactions with so many people has been different,” she said. She recounted an experience where she was lost on the way to the Louvre Museum and asked two young French women for directions. Instead of just explaining, they walked with her the 15 minutes to her destination, chatting along the way.
“These type of organic experiences with people is so important—you just have to go out there and be yourself,” Ardiles said.
“A program like this shows how important being immersed in the culture is,” said Vlahos. “And if you’re building a brand that you want to go global, it’s important that you have a global mindset and make sure that you can tweak the brand to be adaptable.
“In marketing, you can get a bit into your bubble, and it’s definitely been super helpful to take a step out of your little pond and be a small fish for a bit,” she added.
