Western Illinois University Assistant Professor Susan Creasey, along with the students in her Services Marketing course, are currently assisting the Bailey House, a historical home located in Macomb, with efforts to rebrand after remaining dormant since the start of the pandemic.
The Bailey House was built in 1887, by William S. Bailey, one of the founders and the first president of Union National Bank in Macomb. The residence was passed through multiple owners before being donated to the McDonough County Historic Preservation Society in 1982. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
Members of the board that manage the Bailey House approached WIU's College of Business and Technology with a request for a course that could help with their rebranding efforts aimed to target a new, younger demographic.
"Because of COVID, like many other businesses, they were closed for quite some time and felt like now could be a great time to rebrand," said Creasey. "They want to target a younger group of people in the Macomb community; maybe some who might not be aware or have not had the opportunity to utilize this venue previously."
The students in the course had the opportunity to tour the house, then provide feedback to the board regarding possible improvements, future uses and new ways to market. While their opinions on the decor and look that was implemented in the 1980's may differ from those of the board members, their feedback is particularly crucial since they are members of the target demographic the Bailey House intends to reach. Some steps the students will be taking to help the Bailey House include creating new social media pages and content, as well as helping with physical renovations.
"This is experiential, hands-on learning," said Creasey. "The rebranding of a real service operation, after being taught in the class to market their dream business idea, helps add a key component of learning to the course. They're able to analyze all seven aspects of service marketing in real life."
Categories: Illinois, Education