Beyond the Classroom: Dr. Jingbo Zhang on Bringing Real-World Marketing to Life

From showrooms to stages, Dr. Jingbo Zhang has turned the business world into her classroom. As a marketing scholar recognized for her innovative teaching and industry engagement at the University of Texas Permian Basin, she believes that learning marketing means more than memorizing theories-it means experiencing how brands operate, how leaders communicate, and how strategy meets reality. Through company tours, guest speaker events, and community partnerships, Dr. Zhang helps students transform knowledge into action.

Q1 | How would you describe your philosophy of marketing education?

Dr. Zhang: Marketing is rooted in practice. Textbooks build understanding, but experience builds confidence. My goal is to help students see how marketing decisions are made in real companies-how consumer insights guide product development, how storytelling creates brand value, and how data supports strategic choices. When students engage with the real world, they don't just learn about marketing-they start thinking like marketers.

Q2 | You've led numerous business tours. What do students gain from these experiences?

Dr. Zhang: Each tour offers a different perspective on how theory connects to execution.

At Sewell Family of Companies, students learned how brand heritage and customer relationships sustain long-term growth. They explored showrooms, service centers, and supply-chain operations, seeing how every touchpoint contributes to a unified brand identity.

At the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center, they discovered event marketing in action-how a major cultural venue promotes over 150 shows a year, segments audiences, and leverages social media and community partnerships.

At CBS 7 News Station, they saw how journalism, advertising, and analytics intersect to sustain media in the digital era.

These experiences help students recognize that marketing success is not abstract-it's visible in every campaign, handshake, and audience connection.

Q3 | Guest speakers seem to play a major role in your classes. What impact have they had?

Dr. Zhang: The speakers bring the industry to life. We've hosted professionals from digital branding, social-media strategy, podcast marketing, local entrepreneurship, and global sales leadership. Students hear how practitioners adapt to change, measure results, and build authentic engagement.

What makes these sessions powerful is honesty-professionals share not only their strategies but also their challenges and lessons learned. Students realize that success comes from persistence, creativity, and credibility, not just from mastering a formula.

Q4 | Why is experiential learning so central to your teaching?

Dr. Zhang: Because marketing is dynamic. Case studies are valuable, but nothing replaces firsthand observation. Through experiential learning, students apply analytical frameworks to real-world problems, connect data with decision-making, and develop problem-solving skills employers value.

When they graduate, they don't just have knowledge-they have stories to tell in interviews, evidence of teamwork, and confidence in navigating professional settings. That combination gives them a competitive edge in any business environment.

Q5 | Looking ahead, how do you plan to continue building real-world learning opportunities?

Dr. Zhang: My mission is simple yet ambitious-to prepare the next generation of marketers with both insight and adaptability. Marketing doesn't exist in isolation; it connects with finance, management, technology, and communication. I plan to strengthen university-industry partnerships and expand cross-disciplinary collaborations that allow students to learn directly from leaders who bridge these worlds every day.

My role is not just as a teacher or researcher. I see myself as a bridge-linking knowledge with business, theory with practice, and classrooms with communities. When students cross that bridge, marketing comes alive. Learning happens not only in textbooks but in every tour, every conversation, and every speaker's story that turns theory into reality.

(Interviewed by Jessie Epstein)

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