The Marketing Games: Round 1 Recap: P&G Pantene Sales Pitch

By Janice Park (@janice_h_park)

The day began like any other ordinary day. Business students of all years streamed into the Seymour Schulich Building, dressed in business casual and with eager, yet slightly sleep deprived, faces. Although it seemed like a regular day of classes, it was far from ordinary. October 26^th marked the official commencement of the Marketing Games. These weren’t just business students; they were marketing tributes.

Round One of the Marketing Games took place last Friday and all of Schulich was watching. Forty tributes in teams of two were selected from districts 2013 – 2016. They were given one week to prepare a solution for a P&G Customer Business Development (Sales) business case.

Case Topic & Task

Each team took on the role of P&G account reps for Hair Care at a mass merchandiser, and had to create and present a solution to complete the sell of six new Pantene items for the “Fragrance” line.  A week of intense case analysis, market research, product investigations, and presentation training culminated in the three-minute elevator pitch each team would deliver to P&G marketing professionals. Stakes were high as only half the tributes would survive and advance to Round Two.

The Games began at 9:30 AM when all forty tributes gathered in the SSB arena and drew their presentation order. As the judges took their front row seats, the Capitol’s broadcasting of the Games to all of Schulich began, as the first live tweet from @yorkmarketing was sent. Excitement and tension filled the air as the first team took their place at the front, projected their presentation slide, and waited for the judges’ signal to begin.

Recapping the Battlefield: Presentation Summaries

As each team of tributes presented their solution, the competition became fiercer and it became clear that the crowning of the champions would be a difficult task.

Every team followed the “P&G 5 Step Persuasive Selling Model” suggested by the sponsor. Below are some of the “big ideas” presented by tributes:

Tributes from Team Covergirls proposed to sell P&G’s new fragrance line, Pantene Esscents, to new mass merchandizers by reducing Prestige’s shelf space, while tributes from 50 Shades of Cray recommended leveraging P&G’s Febreze technology and fragrance expertise by launching Pantene PurAroma. Team Super Marketers didn’t beat around the bush; they proposed to maximize profits by increasing shelf space and decreasing TRESemmé’s shelf space by using in and out deals. Team Chelle & Belle approached the arena with a unique strategy to decrease the supply of Garnier in the East and decrease the supply of Prestige in the Midwest.  Tribute 360 introduced Pantene’s Fragrance Line with three distinct scents to be available on a volume discount in two months. Team OJ attacked the competition with the creative idea of hair wig demonstrations to highlight the benefits of Pantene versus its competitors. A conditional proposal was presented by Team Victorious Secret: shelving what sells and featuring the new items on separate shelves to ensure the campaign “is worth every scent”. Team OREO proposed joint value drivers, including price promotions for consumers, increased profit margins for shareholders, and push money tactics for employees. Twelve other tribute teams showcased their marketing skills in the arena, including teams SYF, ACElift, Idealab, Spider Pig, Rocket, Leave a Legacy, Tracker Jackers, AdVenue, Dynamix, Tribute 360, un(EMPLOYED), and Brio.

Each team approached the arena with bright ideas and perfected elevator pitches. However, only ten teams would continue onto Round Two, and the other ten would end their journey short and return to their districts.

Round 1 Winner

After some deliberation, Team SYF (third year duo Ksenia Bulgakov and Ivana Radunovic) was awarded first place as they managed to impress the P&G judges the most. Their solution leveraged the needs of Pantene’s stakeholders and aligned them with those of the buyer.

Although the day seemingly began like any other day, it couldn’t have been any less ordinary. 40 tributes entered the Games, ready to battle for ultimate marketing glory, but only 20 came out as survivors for the next round. All of Schulich was watching, and the tributes did not disappoint as they put on a spectacular show, displaying competitive and creative marketing ideas.

The ten teams were recently announced at our YMA Halloween Scream for SCENE event, and all of Schulich now patiently waits to see who will win the second round, sponsored by Maple Leaf Foods. The fight for the Apprentice Marketing Games title continues. May the odds be ever in your favour!

Important Dates:
Round 2 - Friday, November 9
Round 3 - Friday, November 30

For a full album of the first round, click here!

Janice Park is External Director of the York Marketing Association. She is in her final year of the BBA program, and is specializing in marketing and strategy with passions for corporate communications and public relations. Having recently returned from exchange to Seoul, she plans on someday becoming a globetrotter and a professional Instagram photographer (@janice_h_park).