Marketing for a stronger community

The University of Canterbury (UC) Business School and the Marketing Association have teamed up for a new initiative that aims to provide collaborative pro bono advice to charities.

The first Marketing for Good event was held on 1 November, bringing marketing professionals together in a half-day workshop to provide guidance to local charity Aviva, a provider of support and education services for families affected by abuse.

The session was facilitated by Associate Professor Ekant Veer, from UC Business School’s Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

His area of research is in social marketing and says that he became an academic to be able to research and teach in an area that could make a difference.

“It’s a huge privilege to partner with the Marketing Association and be able to convene a team of excellent people in the community to work together to support a local charity that does so much good.” says Associate Professor Veer.

“During the session we were able to put our combined knowledge, talents, experiences and passions together to support Aviva. It's a dream to facilitate such a discussion and help to find actionable solutions to help the charity going forward.”

Aviva has been providing support to the Christchurch community since 1973, originally operating as the Christchurch Women’s Refuge and changing its name and model in 2013 to include support services for all who are affected by abuse. Their goal is to expand their reach and to extend their support services for those who need it most in the community.

Head of School, Dr Paul Ballantine, says that being involved in this process is in harmony with the teaching and research at the UC Business School.

“The UC Business School is proud to be supporting Marketing for Good. We work with a wide range of organisations in Christchurch and beyond and the opportunity to bring together the Marketing Association and Aviva for this event really demonstrates our School’s vision - ‘In the business of making a difference’” Dr Ballantine says.

“Our students and researchers are eager to engage with real problems affecting real people in our communities, connections with organisations such as the Marketing Association and Aviva allow us to do this in a meaningful way.”

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