For the past year, I have had the wonderful privilege of working with Dianna Rose, the founder and CEO of Jars of Delight. I was instantly drawn to this project, not only because it tied into my passion for marketing, but also because the company was a clear embodiment of the values that I honor most- sustainability and community enrichment. Working with Dianna, who is so devoted to her craft and to making the world a better a better place, was an incredibly refreshing experience that I can honestly say transformed the way that I view business.
From start to finish, my team and I kept Jars of Delight’s values in mind to create a social media and rebranding strategy that perfectly captured Dianna’s vision. After a few months of research, analysis, and creative problem solving, our team made the journey to New York City to deliver our insights.
We stayed just outside of Manhattan, where we were welcomed by a chill breeze and the sounds of live jazz. Every neighborhood we ventured into offered its own unique feel that made it easy to understand why New York City has long captivated so many people.
On our first day in the city, we made our way to Gemma for some heavenly Italian food. I’m not sure if it was the long flight and our trek through the rain, or if the food was simply that good, but I’m still dreaming about their Focaccia Robiola. We then stopped at Levain for one of their famous chocolate chip cookies before heading to Broadway to see a spectacular production of Phantom of the Opera.
The next day, we headed into Queens to present the work that we had completed over the course of the past two semesters. Dianna welcomed us to her newly opened commercial kitchen, where we were given a full tour of the establishment before delivering our recommendations. Throughout our presentation, Dianna expressed sheer excitement and gratitude that made all of our hard work worth it. To say I left the meeting feeling inspired would be a gross understatement. It was an electrifying experience that fueled my desire to create positive social change through business.
We devoted the remainder of our time in New York City to exploring its vibrant culture through museum visits and sightseeing, indulgence in even more delicious food, leisurely walks through Central Park, and a bit of shopping. It was the people, however, that made this trip so wonderful. To the strangers who helped us navigate the subway, to celebrities we ran into on the street, to old friends who made the effort to connect, and to our phenomenal client, Dianna Rose, thank you.
Overall, my experience working on the Jars of Delight project was one that I will never forget. I would like to conclude by issuing a special thank you to the Student International Business Council. Thank you to Dr. Eileen Daspro for guiding us through this project and setting us up for success. And, of course, thank you to our generous donors who made this trip possible. Your support means the world to us. I cannot wait to see where this experience takes me.
- Jessica Lundstrom
Jars of Delight provided me with plenty of opportunities to grow both professionally and personally. I gained real world experience from collaborating with a team to engaging with a real client. In addition, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to a place I’ve never been before. New York City offered me the chance to meet new people and to visit art museums like the MET. I will forever be grateful for this project in providing me with new cultural experiences and strengthening my resume.
- Ashley Dafferner
SIBC was an organization that I was aware of, but never really knew what they did until the start of my senior year here at USD. Once I heard about the projects, and career development you gain from SIBC, I immediately wanted to join. I strongly believe that being project leader for Jars of Delight, and working on social media marketing and branding for a real-world application greatly benefited my academic skill set, as well as grew professionally and personally. Working with a client like Dianna was rewarding and intellectually stimulating. I learned a lot about planning and executing a social media marketing strategy, creating advertisements that stick to a business’ core values, and branding. This project made me feel like through the power of marketing, advertising and branding, it is possible to make a difference through businesses that take a stance on our world’s pressing matters. Our team helped give Jars of Delight the tools it needs to successfully revamp their social media pages through posts about their product offerings, as well as educational posts concerning their sustainability initiatives, how JOD is a minority and woman owned business, and their community outreach. Our hard work finally paid off, and in April 2022, we were able to travel to New York City to pitch our marketing plan to Jars of Delight. Throughout the four days that we spent in the city that never sleeps, we got to experience a fantastic Broadway show, amazing food (I still dream about NYC bagels), and see iconic monuments. I am forever grateful for the memories and bonds we made over a glass of wine and mouthwatering pasta on our dinner nights out. I can attest and say it’s true; New York is “where dreams are made of.” I realized through this experience that I am interested in pursuing a career that specifically focuses on social media marketing and branding for businesses that make a positive impact on our communities and planet. Thank you SIBC, for enlightening my mind to a career path, and enriching my soul through the memories made this year.
- Bianca Dolan
Before joining SIBC, I was struggling to find clubs on campus that would give me the real-life marketing experience that I needed to help me kickstart my career. A friend of mine was in SIBC and encouraged me to join because it offered hands-on experience with a client that I was looking for. As a woman of color, I was instantly drawn to Jars of Delight because it is a minority-women owned business whose mission is to promote sustainability within the catering industry. I learned so much in my position as a Social Media Marketing Consultant, and thoroughly enjoyed working beside such a great team of women to create a plan that would strengthen our client's social media presence and engagement. For these past two semesters, I had the opportunity to assist in the growth of Jars of Delight, a culinary startup in New York City. My team and I work together to create a plan for monthly social media strategies through set deliverables, such as researching and targeting brand competitors to make recommendations on social experiments, formulating organic social media content, and creating compelling PowerPoint presentations to support the brand’s needs. Working on this project has provided such insight into how critical it is to build trust and credibility with your clients or brands in order to strengthen brand loyalty and increase purchase confidence.
- Daniela Perez