Southern Miss Business

student highlight
meet
danielle
leno
Danielle Leno is a senior pursuing her BSBA. in
marketing, as well as a minor in graphic design. The
Mobile, Alabama, native has made quite a splash on
campus since become a Golden Eagle in 2017. As a
freshman, Danielle was selected as the sole Coca-Cola
Campus Ambassador for Southern Miss, and she has
had tremendous success in the role.
Danielle shared that when she first took on the position,
she didn't really know what to expect, as one of the
perks of the job is immense flexibility. Over the course of
a semester, Danielle is expected to host 6-10 sampling
events around the Hattiesburg campus, having the
freedom to choose when, where and how she samples
the products she is provided by Coke, which are a
variety of classic, new and limited-edition products.
Over time, she has thought of several innovative ways
to engage Southern Miss students while sampling.
She described her first few self-led events as being
a learning process, and at the time, she was not
yet pursuing a marketing degree. Once she got the
first few events under her belt and began taking
marketing courses her sophomore year, her role as
the ambassador became more natural. Through her
courses, she gained knowledge on how to effectively
reach more students and to better structure her events.
“One of my favorite events was the Minute Maid event
that I did on campus. I had a giant poster board with a
question written across it. Students would write one of
the best moments they had in college on a sticky note
and post it to the board until all of the sticky notes
eventually filled the question up.”
Being a marketing major also assisted her as she planned
her digital advertising strategies. Part of her role as an
ambassador is to be an influencer on social media. She
shared her experience doing lifestyle ads for a variety of new
and traditional products, as well as Coca-Cola in general.
“Sometimes I will share something simple, like
enjoying my favorite Coke product on the beach,
while other times I might put a theme with it,
especially when advertising for an event on campus
that I am partnering with. For SMAC Crawfish Fest,
one of my ads read, ‘Chill Out on the Green with
Peace Tea’ since it was a social event where everyone
grabbed a spot on Centennial Green to hang out,
eat and chat with friends.”
There are over 100 Coca-Cola Campus Ambassadors
serving in similar roles on college campuses around the
nation. These ambassadors have networking and training
events throughout the year and become very close to
one another, often sharing ideas, encouraging each other,
and celebrating their successes together.
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COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT