When Travis Vogan, a professor in the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communications, launched his most recent book, he knew he would need some help getting the word out to the world. Luckily, he had a resource right in front of him.
Vogan’s new book, “LeRoy Neiman: The Life of America’s Most Beloved and Belittled Artist” came out in October 2024. UI Journalism and Mass Communications Professor of Practice Jeffrey Grisamore’s content marketing class has been able to provide their knowledge in marketing and promotion.
“I’ve gotten to know Jeff, and I knew that his class took on clients and partners, so I thought this was a suitable opportunity for the students,” Vogan said. “The book really lined up with the schedule of the semester, and I thought it would be something the students could benefit and learn from.”
Through different projects and collaborations, the students in Grisamore’s class have produced active content promoting the book, a biography of the late artist LeRoy Neiman. The campaigns the students have created have helped both the book and Vogan gain recognition.
“Writing the book obviously takes a lot of time and effort, but so does promoting it, and that’s a different skill set, which is not my area of expertise,” Vogan said. “The students have that skill set, so it’s been interesting to see what they come up with because they’re really creative and have some really interesting ideas.”
Vogan admits that his previous books have received little marketing, partially because they were published by university presses but also because marketing is not his forte. Working with Grisamore’s students has been beneficial, Vogan said.
“Some of the ideas, I’m a bit reluctant to follow through with because I’m not really active on social media, and that’s where the students live,” Vogan said. “So, they’ve forced me to get out of my comfort zone in certain ways.”
Grisamore, president and CEO of EGR International and BlackLab Media, has a focused area of marketing and creative promotion expertise. His guidance with the students has influenced them to produce content like the work being done for Vogan.
“What I try to do is bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application and really try to equip students with problem-solving, critical thinking, and technical skills that are valued in the workplace,” Grisamore said. “We work with these amazing clients and create real-world content marketing solutions for them.”
Students were able to attend the book launch in Chicago in October to help promote the book with Vogan and Grisamore. Grisamore described it as an eye-opening experience for both him and the students since promoting a book is new and different from other experiential learning opportunities.
“I don’t have any experience in marketing a book, so that posed really unique challenges for me as an instructor and for the students,” Grisamore said. “But a lot of them are somehow related to journalism or English or writing, so there was a high level of interest in taking on a book publishing project.”
Projects such as a brand anthem, social media, and a podcast have been helpful campaigns for promoting Vogan’s book. Grisamore takes a bit of a backseat position as the students take control of the project.
“I couldn’t be happier, to be honest,” Grisamore said. “The students have the opportunity to see what creates an impact in the real world with these marketing practices. The students immersed themselves in this project and they’re starting to see results. They did a really wonderful, comprehensive job.”
Josh Rihner, a fourth-year student at the UI studying journalism and mass communication and political science, said he had a positive experience in Grisamore’s class. He said it has given preparation for the real world in a unique way.
“We get to see how it works in the real world versus in other classes, it might be more theoretical,” Rihner said. “You get that actual experience. I’m learning skills like time management and preparation.”
Rihner is working on creating a podcast about Vogan, his inspiration for the biography, and Neiman himself. He said the opportunity to have experiential learning has been crucial in his preparation for a career.
“I think it’s critical because a lot of times you know you want to do something until it’s too late,” Rihner said. “By being able to do this ahead of time, you not only get to put it on a resume, but you also have those skills for later on and get that real-life experience now.”
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