I’ve thought about the idea of “pro-bono marketing” recently. Basically, just like pro-bono legal services, it involves providing one’s advocational skills to clients on the basis of “the public good”, and just like pro-bono medical services, they provide means of maintaining the health and integrity of some specific aspect of a legal person’s vitality (in this case, the brand reputation is at stake) to those who are not able to afford the same services at higher prices.

Brittany Eaton, M.S., of the Columbus, Ohio AMA suggests providing pro-bono marketing work for non-profit organizations as a means for improving your resume, keeping yourself busy in a struggling economy and improving one’s own local community’s prospects, while Steve Sammartino posits the reciprocal and chance-driven benefit(s) of pro-bono marketing.

Personally, I think it’s something that should be standardized for marketing students. Perhaps we can have university-maintained “marketing clinics” (akin to legal clinics) in the future?