Alfred University students assist with marketing for Museum of Play in Olean

A group of Alfred University staff participate in a focus group conducted on behalf of the Neighborhood Museum of Play in Olean. Students in the Marketing Practicum class taught by Shelly Freyn, associate professor of marketing, facilitated the discussion. The class works throughout the year with businesses and organizations like the Neighborhood Museum of Play, providing market research services.

A group of Alfred University students are assisting with the development of the Neighborhood Museum of Play by conducting market research for the play-focused facility currently being planned in the city of Olean.

Students in the Marketing Practicum class taught by Shelly Freyn, associate professor of marketing in the Alfred University College of Business, facilitated focus group sessions, garnering input from university faculty and staff with young children. The most recent focus group discussions, conducted in studio space in the College of Business Olin Building, were held on Oct. 28.

Brittany Thierman, assistant professor of marketing at Alfred University, is director of the Neighborhood Museum of Play. The museum "will provide an opportunity for children to explore and be creative," Thierman said. ""It's all play-based learning providing fun things for children to do indoors."

The museum is in the planning stages and, Thierman explained, is being supported by funds raised by sponsorships of squirrel statues that can be found throughout the city of Olean. That fundraiser was modeled after a similar effort in Buffalo, which raised money through the sponsorship of bison sculptures. Thierman said museum organizers have traveled to Buffalo to visit another play-based facility for children: Explore and More: The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Children's Museum.

"We went up there to chat about ideas. They were super helpful. They gave us a tour of the facility, told us what features were used the most and which were used the least," Thierman said. "We're trying to learn more. We want to be intentional, not just throw up a playground and call it good."

Students in Freyn's Marketing Practicum class are assisting in the effort. Throughout the year, students work with area businesses and organizations to provide market research services, including focus groups. Among the clients are the Alfred University's Foster Lake Foster Lake recreational area, businesses like Honey Pot Chocolates in Alfred, and the Neighborhood Museum of Play. Students conduct research, develop scripts for focus group discussions, and run focus groups. Freyn noted that the students must all be certified for Human Subject testing through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program.

Freyn said that at the beginning of the fall semester, students meet with "decision makers," in this case museum representatives, to determine what they want to learn through student-led market research.

"From there, the class builds research questions and conducts secondary research to help design the (focus groups) scripts," Freyn explained. "Since (the Neighborhood Museum of Play) is a brand-new organization, the decision maker wanted to know everything from exhibits that might interest the families, competitors and what they offer, how to market and promote, and how to design a membership program. We also collected information related to grants, partnerships with companies and organizations, and sponsorships."

During the focus group sessions, students serve in various capacities - as moderators, note-takers, time-keepers, and general observers - and have the opportunity to try out different roles. Focus groups are conducted in a room in the Olin studio space, which is equipped with an audio-video conferencing device connected to television monitors located in an adjoining room where observers can view the discussion. There is also a one-way mirror separating the focus group room and observation space.

Subjects for the focus groups are parents of young children, ages 2 to 7. For the Oct. 28 session, subjects were Kash LaPlante, assistant dean of the College of Business and his wife, Cheyenne, operations associate in the Office of Admissions, and Geremy Grant, assistant professor of school psychology. Six other Alfred faculty and staff were subjects in a previous focus group.

After the focus groups were conducted, students began compiling the data they obtained from the discussions. Freyn said note-takers went through each question in the script, comparing notes and identifying insights and trends, and ultimately finding answers to the museum organizers' requests.

"Two students that were 'general observers' discussed overarching trends they observed in both focus groups," Freyn said. "Examples included parents wanting very interactive hands-on exhibits that would tire children out, and the need for safety (being able to always see their children.)"

Freyn said that during the second half of the semester, students will compile key insights and develop strategies supported by their research. A final oral presentation with PowerPoint slides will occur at the end of the term. Decision makers will receive a hard copy and digital portfolio of all the research, videos, notes, and recommendations.

Students in the Marketing Practicum class taught by Shelly Freyn, associate professor of marketing, observe a focus group being facilitated for the Neighborhood Museum of Play in Olean. Students work throughout the year with businesses and organizations like the Neighborhood Museum of Play, providing market research services.

Thierman said the focus group exercise provided benefits for both students and the museum. "The students are learning about the process (of focus groups for market research)," she said. "Everything in marketing is data-driven, so it will be so helpful for (museum organizers) us to have this information."

Freyn said the class is providing students with a comprehensive understanding of the value of market research and how their work is helping a meaningful endeavor come to fruition.

"It was a unique form of experiential learning. Students weren't just analyzing data, they were creating it and seeing how their insights could shape an actual museum," Freyn said. "Initially, students didn't quite see the value of the research phase, but once they facilitated the focus groups, it all came together. They began to understand how their early work informed the real-world conversations they were leading. By the end, you could see a real sense of ownership and pride. They weren't just completing an assignment they were contributing to something that might shape a new children's museum.

"The exercise helped students build confidence, communication skills, and a genuine understanding of applied research lessons that go far beyond the classroom," Freyn added. "Very few colleges offer this real-world opportunity to undergraduates."