Marketing with Purpose

Junior Scott Morimoto’s LMU experience has been anything but by the book. Since becoming a student in LMU’s M-School Institute of Marketing, he’s gained the skills and savvy to tackle an internship, launch a socially conscious company with his peers, and become the public relations and marketing chair for his social fraternity, Beta Theta Pi.

“Being a part of the M-School has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in college thus far,” Scott, who is originally from the Bay area, said. “The work we do in class applies to what I want to do in the future, and the professors are absolutely amazing.”

Since launching in 2012, the M-School has striven to transform how students learn about and immerse themselves in the evolving world of advertising and branding, including through collaboration with industry leaders and companies. It offers a select group of students the opportunity to dive into one of two distinct focuses of study: Strategy & Brand Management or Content Creation. The Strategy track focuses on the business side of advertising and branding, while the latter explores the creative process and production.

Scott, who is a part of the Content Creation cohort, says that being in the M-School has also taught him the importance of marketing with purpose. For instance, through its Marketing for Good Project, Scott and a group of his peers successfully launched a company called the Visibility Project last semester, which aims to raise awareness about unhoused youths in West L.A.

“Throughout the project, my teammates and I were able to pitch to investors successfully and from the fruits of that pitch create a campaign that raised around $1,200 to help address the issue of youth homelessness,” Scott said. “We then had the opportunity to partner with a local non-profit called Safe Place for Youth (SPY), where we donated the funds.”

He added that the skills he’s learning in the M-School classroom have aided him when interning at companies in the L.A. area, such as at the Go For Broke National Education Center, a nonprofit in Los Angeles that offers educational programs about the history of the Japanese American veterans of World War II.

“The tactical skills the M-School has instilled in me, such as effective public speaking and how to research, really put me a head above the rest in professional settings like at Go For Broke,” Scott said. “In short, the M-School prepares its students to be thought leaders in the real world.”

Drawn to LMU for its top-ranked LMU College of Business Administration, Scott says that his LMU experience began long before he arrived as a first-year student thanks to his participation in LMU’s Pre-College Summer Programs — a two-week pre-college experience for rising juniors and seniors in high school that aims to transform and enlighten.

“It was a great preview of what life as an LMU student is really like on multiple levels,” Scott, who took a pre-college course in global sports and entertainment business, said. “In that short period of time, I saw that LMU students and faculty are incredibly enthusiastic, competitive, and driven, that it’s an environment where people want to succeed, and honestly, I think that’s why I chose LMU. I wanted to be in an environment like that, one that motivates me to do better and be more.”

As for what advice Scott has for incoming LMU Lions?

“College is the perfect time to explore your passions and take risks in a supportive environment,” Scott said. “LMU offers ample opportunities for its students to do both.”