SHARON, Pa. — Malik Davis, a Penn State Shenango corporate communication major and member of the men's basketball team, is spending the summer of 2024 as a sports marketing intern at RAMP Athletics in Detroit, Michigan.
In this Q&A, Malik shares his duties and responsibilities at RAMP, which stands for Recovery, Athletic Mobility, and Performance, and discusses how important communication and marketing is for small businesses.
Begin Q&A:
Q: What is your role at RAMP Athletics, and what types of projects are you tasked with as part of your internship?
A: My main role is to help with marketing. I film and edit videos for social media as well as create marketing flyers. I’ve also created a pipeline for the company that lists leads and contacts and keeps track of the communication we have had with each other. The pipeline also consists of local businesses we would like to get our flyers out to so we could bring in new clients. Aside from marketing, I communicate directly with clients. I answer the phone and help get clients booked and answer their questions, and give first time clients a tour of the facility, and I do appointment prep.
Q: What classroom experiences at Shenango have prepared you for the work you're doing in this internship?
A: My marketing and communication classes have helped to prepare me, specifically my most recent class, Marketing 310 with Professor Zambrini.
Q: What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned so far during your experience?
A: I’ve learned how important it is for a small business to have a social media presence as you are trying to grow. Social media can be a free tool that allows businesses to let people know they exist and to show what it is that they offer. If people are drawn to your content, it is likely that they will support your business. For RAMP, we showcase all of our recovery options and performance training on social media. I've created flyers promoting packages for specific sports, and I've filmed training session and created videos to post on social media.
Q: How can you apply your real-world experiences to your remaining classes at Shenango?
A: My real-world experience helped me put what I was learning into perspective, and I will be able to understand the concepts in the classroom more easily.
Q: Would you say that your internship experience helped you towards reaching your ultimate career goals?
A: After graduation I would like to work for a professional sports team doing marketing or management. This internship has helped me towards reaching that goal, and I've already been in contact with a marketing company that sells advertising on behalf of college and professional sports teams. So, I'm excited to see what could come of that opportunity.
