USC Marshall undergraduates are seeing tomorrow’s transportation today. Students in MKT 425: Digital Marketing Fundamentals taught by Kristen Schiele, associate professor of clinical marketing, were treated to a presentation from Miles Rogers, chief marketing officer of Archer Aviation. The company, as Rogers explained, is developing an electric air taxi called “Midnight” for use around the world’s major cities, including in Los Angeles at the 2028 Olympic Games (LA28).

The team at Archer provided the class an opportunity to devise an advertising and awareness strategy for Midnight. Student teams will chart a marketing path for Archer in the years leading up to the LA28 Olympics. Students can pitch any approach, including social media, out-of-home advertisements, digital experiences, events, demonstration flights, engineering deep dives, speaker series, and so on.

Students will be given the opportunity to present their pitch decks directly to Archer decision-makers, with the winning team awarded limited edition Archer Olympic pilot jackets.

Schiele explained that the collaboration with industry leaders allows students to gain mentorship and form professional networks that prepare them to enter the workforce with confidence and purpose.

Rogers echoed the importance of these professional connections and said he believes Marshall’s students are already far ahead of the curve.

“We get resumes all the time. We’re hiring people and talking to young people all over the world,” Rogers said. “To get into a school like this and especially to be at Marshall is really something that’s beyond special.”

To Schiele, the collaboration signified the high regard industry leaders hold for USC Marshall students.

“Companies trust my classes with innovative projects and behind-the-scenes access because they trust the professionalism, abilities, and maturity of our students,” Schiele said. “Companies recognize the rigorous training Marshall delivers and the exceptional talent of our students, seeing them as the next generation of business leaders and potential colleagues.”

Archer began Midnight test flights in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates this past July and plans to expand to other countries in the coming years. Rogers anticipates over 15 million people traveling to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics, making effective and efficient travel a high priority for the Games organizers.

Rogers gave students a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Archer’s cutting-edge technology and the company’s plans for LA28 and beyond. He also elaborated on the unique marketing obstacles and opportunities that derive from aviation advancements, while fielding questions from students on the aircraft’s safety features, as well as the convenience, affordability, logistics, and luxury of a Midnight flight.

The CMO noted to the marketing students how Archer expanded awareness of Midnight through an appearance on the Tonight Show by their CEO Adam Goldstein as well as the inclusion of Midnight in Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show. He encouraged the class to take similarly large risks.

“When I came to Archer, one of the things the CEO Adam [Goldstein] said to me was, ‘What’s the biggest swing you can take?’” Rogers reflected.

Joining Rogers was Chad Tons ’97, a USC Marshall alumnus and CEO and principal owner of Infinity Marketing Team, an experiential marketing company that frequently collaborates with Archer Aviation. Not only is Tons a marketing veteran with decades of experience, he also is the namesake of the Chad Tons Family Cafe, located in Fertitta Hall.

Like the students in MKT 425, Tons founded Infinity hoping to push the bounds of what’s possible.

“We have about 10,000 campaigns on our resume,” Tons said. “We created the name ‘Infinity’ because I really wanted us to never have any boundaries, never wanted us to have any limits.”

For Schiele, Rogers’ and Tons’ presentations gave her students invaluable first-hand looks at the potential future of transportation, the necessity of effective advertising, and the ways classroom lessons translate to real world applications.

“Industry presentations bridge the gap between theory and practice, giving students a direct line to how innovation happens inside leading companies, like Archer Aviation and Infinity Marketing,” Schiele said. “By engaging with companies on the cutting edge, my students are inspired and start to envision their own role in shaping the future of business.”