University of Wisconsin-Madison students have a unique opportunity to advise and partner with local Madison businesses through the Wisconsin Marketing Organization (WMO), helping with everything from communication to local marketing at rental companies, restaurants and community-focused organizations.
WMO facilitates hands-on partnerships for students at UW-Madison — the eighth ranked university in marketing and ninth best public university for undergraduate business — and local Madison businesses like Ian’s Pizza, CHT Apartments, LZ Ventures, Pure Green, SideShift and Run Madtown.
WMO celebrated another semester of successful community initiatives for local businesses and other marketing projects at their end-of-semester banquet Dec. 3.
“Working with small businesses has been one of the most rewarding parts of WMO. These owners put everything into what they do, and it is an honor to help tell their story. When a business sees real growth because of our students’ ideas, it reinforces why marketing created by Wisconsin Badgers is so powerful,” WMO President Russell Moss told The Daily Cardinal.
Different groups within WMO gave presentations on the marketing projects they’ve done with local businesses this semester. They gave key takeaways from their initiatives and provided updates on what works and what doesn’t.
The groups of five to six members devise marketing strategies in accordance to the company’s goals and analyze solutions to create maximum consumer engagement. Members of WMO say the benefits of the projects are two-fold in giving UW-Madison students hands-on opportunities to practice their skills before graduation and local businesses the opportunity to market more effectively.
“At WMO, our mission is to provide marketing services to local businesses, giving our members hands-on experience to build real skills and confidence,” Olivia Zaorski, the vice president of events and fundraising, told event goers. “We strive to create an environment that encourages growth, creativity and collaboration.”
In the four years since WMO’s beginning, they have been prolific in their work in the Madison community, leading several initiatives to incentivize customers to support local businesses.
WMO groups helped start punchcards at Java Den and Poke Plus, conducted consumer and market research for Red Card and Dragonfly Hot Yoga and organized pop-up shops and giveaways for several business partners, including Pure Green and Comfort Fuel.
They currently partner with 15 local businesses, collaborating with them to effectively market to their customers.
Twice per month, the project managers of the 15 businesses update the club on their progress, goals and strategies, ensuring all club members are able to learn and participate in the initiatives.
Each project manager spoke at the banquet to share their progress. Claire Brooks, the project manager of WMO’s Run Madtown marketing project, explained her team’s communication approach via social media.
“As a team of eight, we each own an individual project to assist Run Madtown in marketing their 5k, 10k and Half-Marathon. Projects have ranged from designing merchandise, magazines and social media posts to partnering with sponsors and performing data analysis,” Brooks told the Cardinal in a statement.
The WMO, formerly known as Madison Marketing UW, was founded in 2021 by two business students, Elia Saltzman and Riley Shapiro. They wanted to give students a way to apply their marketing skills to real-life businesses in the Madison area.
The idea bloomed from their desire to support the community following COVID-19, aiming to help struggling businesses return to stability while also helping students build their resumes and experiences.
“Our goal in starting WMO was to create a community where students could grow their marketing skills through real collaboration while making a positive contribution to our community through local Madison businesses,” Saltzman and Shapiro told the Cardinal in a statement. “The relationships we built with these businesses and with each other have grown beyond the club itself and still shape the way we navigate and share our experiences in the professional world.”
The club has expanded significantly since its creation, going from four members to over 100 in the past four years.
In fall 2025, students in WMO received 240 membership applications and administered 90 interviews. They only had 42 spots to give to students.
Moss believes strongly in the importance of staying connected to club members, even after graduation.
“With an organization this large, I want every member to feel supported and connected. I love getting to know each member, celebrating their wins, and helping our business teams bring their campaigns to life,” Moss said. “Our executive board is my dream team, and nothing we achieved this year would have been possible without them.”
WMO members often return to the club as advisors or resources for club members. These lasting connections are exemplified by the close friendships between members of the Executive Board and each project group.
“This year, we’ve not just run marketing campaigns. We built a community that will last for years and years and years,” Moss said. “And that’s the heart of the Wisconsin Marketing Organization.”
