Students help advertise Salon Biyoshi
The students in Lisa Bogaty’s advertising class at Pellissippi State know the key to a successful business—whether it’s a salon, a shoe store or a sandwich shop—is getting more customers through the door. And they’re spending the entire fall semester accumulating real-life experience in creating an ad campaign for the year-old business Salon Biyoshi on Kingston Pike.
 The students might as well have their own “Apprentice” show: this month, two teams go head to head in a competition to be judged by local media experts from TV, radio and newspaper. Teams “Voilà” and “Sun and Moon” will present their campaign strategies, and only one plan will be chosen.
One recent Monday, Bogaty and her students gathered at Salon Biyoshi, a high-end salon whose name means “hairdresser” in Japanese.
About 15 students crowded into the seating area to report on the progress of their proposed ad campaign to partners Brandon and Mary Harris and David and Nancy Watkins. The students have been assigned real-life duties as account executives, account managers, creative artists, media planners and writers.
“We’re getting experience for later on in our lives,” said Zane Mathews, an advertising student and account executive for his team.
“I think it’s a great way to learn—by working on a real campaign,” said classmate Joy Riddle. “It’s surprising how much research you have to do.”
The College-salon partnership started one day when Bogaty, an associate professor in the Business Administration program’s Marketing concentration, was having her hair styled by Mary Harris. The two women realized as they talked that the new salon could give Pellissippi State students the advertising experience they needed and that the salon would benefit from students’ innovative ideas.
So Bogaty’s two advertising classes are now two teams. Students have researched the target audience: women from 21 to 70 who have a household income of at least $75,000. They’ve also used a psychographic survey to identify potential customers. Based on their findings, the teams will decide what kind of advertising will attract women in a five-mile radius of the business.
Already, students’ suggestions have influenced the salon, whose modern Japanese décor is done in deep red, black and gold. “Be chic. Be beautiful. Be Biyoshi.” is being discussed as a new motto possibility.
“One of the things Brandon and Mary said when we started this,” said David Watkins, “is that they wanted to be in the position to help other people in the business. If we’re playing a role in the career development of these students, that’s rewarding.”
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