At Brandcenter, our curriculum provides students with opportunities to work with real clients on real business problems.
In her Creating Gravitational Pull class, Jess Collins, Chair of Strategy, designed a five-week project that immersed second-year strategists in the research expectations of consultancies and clients. Students focused on one of two partnerships: Good Foods Grocery x Commonwealth Autism or the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (via McGuireWoods Consulting), a statewide initiative supported by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Virginia Chamber Foundation, and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.
Both partnerships sought strategic recommendations to strengthen their mission-driven campaigns. Student teams provided in-depth research, offering insights into brand awareness, audience pain points, and key challenges specific to each client’s objectives.
Using methodologies such as social listening, street interviews, one-on-one interviews, surveys, literature reviews, site visits, and competitor analysis, students gathered valuable data to inform their recommendations. Their research explored topics ranging from generational grocery shopping habits to the challenges students face when seeking internships.
Armed with these insights, teams developed innovative strategies, including ways to connect social causes with grocery shopping, potential partnerships with Gen Z-focused apps, and initiatives to foster early career development through educational institutions. By the end of the project, clients walked away with actionable strategies and a deeper understanding of how research fuels effective decision-making.
Brandcenter thanks our guest clients and their representatives:
Good Food Grocery x Commonwealth Autism
- Dr. Tyler Hart, PhD., President & CEO of Commonwealth Autism and Good Food Grocery
- Sally Anne Harrell, Chief Operations Officer, Commonwealth Autism
- Matt Holliday, Director of Marketing, Commonwealth Autism
Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership
- Frank Atkinson, Senior Advisor, McGuireWoods Consulting
- Charles Kelley, Vice President, McGuireWoods Consulting
- Emily Webb, Senior Vice President of Education & Workforce Development, Virginia Chamber of Commerce
- Eleni Poulos, Director of Public Policy, Virginia Chamber of Commerce