Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Have you ever approached some of the individually owned businesses in your community and asked if they would be interested in have a class "adopt" them as a marketing project for the semester? This is a win-win for the all involved. Students get "real" business experience and the owner can get some help for very little expense. Might be a good idea to approach some non-profs, too.
Have the students re-do a successful marketing campaign - using none of the existing elements of the current campaign.
You, as the instructor create a fictious company and have the students develop a marketing/advertising campaign for the company.
See if a marketing professional would come in and talk to the class --- one of my favorite college classes was taught by an editor of the daily paper --- one class was actually held at the paper. His knowledge and actual on-the-job experience and insight was greatly appreciated.
Good Luck.

I have two suggestions.
1) Marketing for not for profits. I am on the board of the River Music Experience in Davenport Iowa. We used St. Ambrose Marketing department to assign marketing tasks to three groups of students. After their research we provided feedback and implimented the best ideas.
2) Projects for small businesses. I have been blessed with a fabulous intern from Augustana College in Rock Island Illinois. He has worked on tweaking my monthly newsletter via Constant Contact. It provides him with real world experience and frees me to do other creative work.

Incidently, most of this can be done via the web, which makes it easy on the business and easy on the students.