Is it a bird, a plane, a guest speaker? : no, it's Mr Beare! : using hot-seating through puppetry to immerse students in marketing scenarios

![CDATA[‘Hot Seating’- where an actor in-role is questioned by an audience - and ‘Puppetry’- an inanimate object being ‘brought to life’ - are two educational drama techniques. In this exploratory study, final-year marketing students interviewed a corporate client, in the form of a lecturer-operated puppet. The simulated dramatic context was an open briefing where teams competed for the right to design and market an island resort for gay and lesbian consumers. Reflective diaries were analysed for student perceptions of learning. Interpretive findings suggest that students, using this technique gained: (1) practical skills in client relations, (2) exposure to professional responsibilities and consequences and; (3) experience in ‘learning by doing’. Findings offer marketing educators innovative, sustainable techniques for engaging students.]]