YMA Culture

The Sky is the Limit:
Exceeding Expectations at YMA
YMA’s Culture Summarized by Apprentice Coordinator Donna Li

Today, we celebrate YMA’s successes not to flaunt achievements, but to attract the best candidates to join the team next year. The visible diligence of the team has brewed undeniably high results. Membership grew by over 60% from last year, crowning YMA as the 3rd largest Schulich club to date. Nine events were organized during the fall term alone. The breadth of our 27 corporate partners increased to include Fortune 500’s BMW, and budding Canadian start-ups such as Awake Chocolate, and Frank & Oak. How did this “superhero exec team” achieve such phenomenal results?

To provide “exec enthusiasts” an insight of the culture within the YMA family, I’ve summarized the “3 Traits of Excellence” which we actively recruit for in candidates.

EXCELLENCE TRAIT #1 – People who go the EXTRA mile

This year’s team:

• Introduced not one but two new SCENEster events to YMA. This series of events brought in over $2,300+ of free movies, popcorn, and fun for the club.
• Secured TalentEgg as the first ever keynote sponsor for MY101 through initiating a widely successful online  “Egg-cellent Partnership” petition.
•  Expanded their personal networks to secure a solid round of reps to events. The team even managed to invite McDonald’s to speak & sponsor the conference.

EXCELLENCE TRAIT #2: People Who Show 120% Commitment

It was expected for all execs to be present at events and greet sponsors with a smile. Balancing school, recruitment, extra-curriculars, a social life, and 10 YMA events (literally) wasn’t always easy. But brace yourself  “for better and for worse.”

•  An executive role indirectly translates you into spirited YMA brand ambassador.

o Facebook domination: your profile becomes the platform for advertising

• In circumstances where YMA cannot be a priority, adopt the right attitude. Some members insisted on extra contribution to appease planned absences.

EXCELLENCE TRAIT #3: People Who Back Their Members With Support

Every executive has a direct and indirect role on the team. I’ll spotlight the “indirect role”: events were successfully executed because of the responsive, helpful and supportive culture. Execs are highly responsive to emails; those with less work consistently offer help, and we always celebrated each other’s successes. Combining the fact that we’re all friends – our mutual respect for each other certifies high accountability.

SUMMARIZING THE YMA FAMILY

1. A good claim to fame is going beyond what is expected of you. 

2. This “short-term marriage” with YMA requires endurance, compassion and sacrifice to ensure a successful relationship. 

3. We’re not just a team. We’re a family.

Thus, the current and successor presidents are looking forward to recruiting those that go above and beyond, are highly committed/supportive, and are fun to be around. If you possess the qualities listed above, and resonate with YMA’s hardcore culture – congratulations, we look forward to interviewing you. 

The Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Apply to YMA!

Top 3 Reasons
Why You Should Apply to YMA!

Written by Apprentice Coordinator, Donna Li (@donnahli)

Yes, YMA is RECRUITING, quite exciting like the “Minion Banana Song”! In case “Scream for Scene”, “The Apprentice Marketing Games”, and “Insight Revolution Conference” hasn’t convinced you that YMA is a club worth putting blood and sweat into, here are the top 3 benefits of being an executive in the club.

1. Career Connections

Securing an internship or full-time offer with a marketing role is quite competitive. Since YMA is a highly recognized and reputable club at Schulich, a position in the club will ornament and differentiate your resume. Also, a majority of the positions involve close interaction with top-notch companies who recruit at Schulich (P&G, General Mills, Colgate-Palmolive just to name a few). This added face time brews the ideal opportunity to network with your dream firm, while honing your client-management skills. Furthermore, you also get to personally experience and evaluate the culture of different firms and decipher which organization best suits you.

2. Entrance into a Strong Marketing Network

YMA is the perfect place to fortify your marketing network. At the very least, your network will encompass the talented executive team, active YMA members, and the corporate reps from various companies. I can assure you that having a strong network in marketing and business overall will expedite your path to success wherever you go.

3. It’s fun!

Yes, YMA works hard, but we also play hard. This year, we got together during the holidays for our first ever Christmas social! Not only did we sample foods of all cultures, we also exchanged gifts and faced some friendly “minute-to-win-it” competitions. The truth is, YMA really isn’t far off from a tight-knit family. What you put in will be what you get out. I assure that if you work hard like a team of hard-working minions who strive to become the best possible YMA committee, you will experience many successes collectively, and also form some long lasting friendships.

So what are you waiting for? Apply to be an Exec NOW! For more information on the different roles, please refer to this package.

5 Reasons To Attend The Insight Revolution!

This year's annual YMA conference, The Insight Revolution, is just around the corner. January 18th is the big day and with only 9 days left to register, what are you waiting for?

Here are 5 key reasons to attend:

1. Get noticed for SUMMER INTERNSHIPS

P&G, AMEX, Colgate-Palmolive and SDI Marketing are ALL looking to recruit marketing summer interns. AMEX is hosting a sponsored lunch during the conference with 8 reps to network with, while participating in the sponsored Colgate Palmolive case competition will get you up front and center with their hiring director and other senior executives! 

2. Meet and network with many senior level executives (including CEOs, CMOs and more!)

Where else will you get to hear the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of McDonald's Canada speak? What about the CEO and Founder of the men's online e-retailer, Frank & Oak or the CEO and Founder of the delicious caffeinated chocolate, AWAKE? Don't miss the opportunity to network with these and many other senior level executives. 

3. Participate in the Colgate-Palmolive Case Competition and WIN (both cash prizes and internship interviews!)

If you're in second or third year, grab a partner and register to participate in the conference's sponsored case competition with Colgate-Palmolive. First prize is $150 each and an internship interview (for 3rd year winners) or special consideration for an interview next year (for 2nd year winners). Second prize is $100 each and special consideration for internship interviews. The topic is Optic White Toothpaste!   

4. Free Swag!

A caffeinated chocolate break courtesy of AWAKE, giveaways from Scotiabank, Colgate-Palmolive, Marketing Magazine and more! Plus an amazing swag bag filled with stuff to take home... who doesn't love free goodies?

5. Broaden your marketing knowledge horizons

The theme this year is all about marketing insights and how they are changing the way marketers, advertisers and companies make important business decisions. Learn about these latest marketing trends and take advantage of this opportunity to learn cool, real-world marketing applications outside of the classroom!


Have we convinced you yet? Check out our website to register and pay online (only $50 for YMA members and $60 for non-members) or visit us during the week in the Schulich Marketplace, where we will be selling tickets from 8:30am - 5:30pm up until Wed. Jan. 16th (excluding Friday Jan. 11).

Hope to see you there!

YMA and Scotiabank Present: The Insight Revolution

“Big Data” is a term coined to describe the copious amount of information about today’s consumers that is at the fingertips of modern day marketers. It is no longer enough to rely on one’s creative instinct to develop a business model or marketing initiative as all marketing and branding decisions are now driven through the collection of consumer insights. With the rise of digital and social media platforms there has been a major surge in the amount of information that is available to companies as they collect, analyze and evaluate who you “like”, who you follow and where you “check-in”. YMA’s conference titled “The Insight Revolution” aims to answer how this information is collected, the trends that it develops and, ultimately, how various companies and brands are applying this new information to their business models.

“The Insight Revolution”, sponsored by Scotiabank, Colgate-Palmolive, American Express and TalentEgg, promises to be an engaging event where delegates will have the opportunity to network with a variety of industry representatives from our sponsoring companies as well as P&G, Maple Leaf Foods, General Mills, and many more. In addition to the conference, Colgate-Palmolive and YMA have partnered to develop a case competition for 2^nd and 3^rd year delegates. Winners in 3^rd year will receive a guaranteed interview, and 2^nd years will be granted special consideration for subsequent years.

Join the Revolution on January 18^th, 2013

Price for YMA Members: $50

Price for Non-Members: $60  

Interested in registering?

YMA Executives will be in the Schulich Marketplace from Tuesday November 27^th – Thursday November 29^th from 9:30am – 5:00pm.

YMA will be awarding a prize connected to “The Insight Revolution” every week for all registered attendees! The sooner you register, the more chances you have at winning a prize! This week’s prize is a $50 AMEX gift card!

If you would like to PAY ONLINE follow the instructions below:

1. Please fill out the registration form and submit tiny.cc/ymaconferencereg. Your registration will not be complete until you return to this page to process your payment by following step 2!
2. Click the Buy Now button below to pay using PayPal. Be advised that there is a $2 standard processing fee for registering online. Your registration will NOT be considered complete unless you complete this step!

Contact us at conference@yorkmarketing.ca if you have any questions or concerns!

5 Tips For Making the Most of Your Time at Market Yourself 101!

By: Max Fang, YMA Corporate Account Manager, 4th Year BBA, 

Market Yourself 101 is fast approaching and as always, there’s going to be some great panel discussion and even a keynote by Lauren Friese, the founder of TalentEgg! That being said, I’m sure majority of you are attending for a different reason: the opportunity to have a 1-on-1 networking session with the many company reps and alumni we have in attendance or the chance to hear great job search tips from our keynote speaker, Lauren. If you are in your 2^nd or 3^rd year, this event is the perfect opportunity to get face-time with employers before recruitment season hits in the spring. So to make the most of this 1-on-1 time, I’m going to give you 5 tips going into the event to help you out!

1)      Take It Seriously

Yes, the dress code is business casual. Yes, these are not real interviews. However, you should still be taking these sessions seriously. These are real company representatives who could have a say in your employment in the future, so you want to be at your best when meeting with them. What does this mean specifically? This means showing up on time for your interview slot. This means refreshing your interview skills before the event. Lastly, this means preparing questions to ask so you leave having learned some valuable tips.

2)      Make Each Session Unique

If you are signed up for the speed networking sessions, you know that you will have a couple 1-on-1 meetings at the event lined up for you. Why do the same thing at all of them? Try asking different questions. If all your sessions go exactly the same, you’ll likely get the same feedback from all of them. Take the opportunity to make each session unique to make the most of the fact that you have a couple sessions.

3)      Ask For Feedback and Take Notes

This is somewhat self-explanatory. Many times people walk away from these sessions and say to themselves, “That went pretty well, I think she really liked it when I showed off my dance moves or said that funny thing.” Usually, they are sorely mistaken...usually. You have the chance at these sessions to get real time feedback on your interview style/resume/cover letter so why not take advantage of it? Remember to ask for feedback and take notes on it. Write it down.

4)      Network!

I’m going to say this again: these are real reps from big companies who could have a say in your future employment, so network with them! The majority of you already know the importance of this, but I’m sure a lot of you actually don’t know how to go about it. Despite what you might think, giving them your business card is not enough. Here’s what works for me whenever I’m at an event where there are networking opportunities.

Step 1: Before approaching them, figure out what will make you memorable to them. For me, this is usually a unique question that nobody else will ask.

Step 2: Introduce yourself, ask your question, and be ready with follow-up questions. How awkward is it when you approach someone, ask one question, get a short answer, and then there’s silence? Very awkward. Also, if you did not have a unique question, maybe their answer is unique and you’ll just have to remember it.

Step 3: Exit the conversation smoothly. Example: “It was great meeting you! I’d love to stay in touch in case I have any more questions. Do you have your business card?/Is there an email I can reach you at?” 

Step 4: Keep in mind that not all speakers will have business cards on them or feel comfortable giving out their contact information, so remember to please respect that and thank them for their time regardless. If you do get their information, email them within 24 hours of the event and connect. The email should include what made your interaction with them unique so they will remember you. E.g. “Thanks for answering my question on the connection between chickens and marketing!” Make sure you ask another question (possibly a follow-up question) in the email. Disclaimer: Don’t ask about chickens, that was a joke. Ask a legitimate question.

5)      Have fun!

Yes, very cliché. That does not make this tip any less relevant. Although the first tip was to take it seriously, make sure you enjoy yourself at the event and be relaxed during the session and meeting the company reps. Nobody wants to work someone who they can’t imagine hanging out with.

In closing, follow these 5 tips and you will be sure to make the most of your time at Market Yourself 101 on Thursday November 15th. The event starts at 5:30pm and there are limited spots for the speed networking sessions. If you haven’t signed up already, do it now! You can register HERE. 

Regardless of your attendance at the event, I hope there were lessons here that you can take and apply elsewhere!

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).

Win The Apprentice: 10 Practical Tips on Preparing & Presenting Marketing Cases

Donna Li, Apprentice Coordinator and winner of last year’s competition (along with Victoria Pham) shares tips she’s learned through competing in other marketing competitions including Schulich RISE Case Competition and  Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec.

5 Prepping Tips

1)    Patronize the numbers included in the case / use the appendix.

These resources are included for a reason – don’t overlook them because you think marketing is solely based on creativity. Many trends and market opportunities are carefully hidden behind these figures. Thus, thorough analysis is highly recommended.

2)    Become the expert: conduct thorough secondary and primary research

Give your judges reasons to believe you by backing up your idea with facts from credible library sources (e.g. Marketline, Euromontior, etc). Don’t stop yourself there – go the extra mile and conduct primary research. Whether it be an on-site analysis or surveying 50 people from your target market –judges will be impressed with your insights that competitors likely won’t have.

3)    Practice your presentation prior to presenting

“Practice makes perfect.” This tedious task will inherently hone your presentation skills. Also practice staying within the limit. Getting cut off in a presentation does not leave a strong lasting impression.

4)    Anticipate potential questions and prepare answers in advance

You can’t escape from the Q&A session, but you can do your best to prepare. Think about what judges would ask if you were in their shoes. Practice your presentation in front of friends and listen to their questions. There is a good chance the questions will be similar.

5)    Continuously challenge yourself to do more.

Always ask yourself: “Is there anything I can do to further improve my idea?” Committing yourself towards constant improvement will push your limits, allowing you to reach your maximum potential. Whether it’s conducting a store analysis, creating a survey, making a prototype (e.g. product, webpage, coupon, video, etc.) – these “extra elements” always give you that extra edge against your peers. Don’t be afraid to execute a great idea just because it’s difficult. Follow Nike’s slogan: “Just Do It.”

5 Presentation Tips

1)    Confidence is contagious – make sure you have it!

Standing up straight, making eye contact, and  voice are just a couple signs which display confidence. The more confidence you show, the more convincing you’ll be to judges.

2)    Exhibit a strong team dynamic

It’s not rocket science: don’t interrupt each other, take turns answering the questions, and pay attention to your partner when they’re presenting! We also like showing our unity through matching outfits – judges always notice it! Strange to say but audiences always have affinity towards teams that work well together and exhibit strong friendships.

3)    Emotionally connect with your audience

It takes practice to connect with your audience and relate to them emotionally. Make eye contact, tell personal stories, and take pauses to let them think and digest what you are saying. The more they can agree with you, the higher you’ll score in your presentation.

4)    Avoid Using Filler Words

“Like, Uhs, Umms” during presentations are extremely distracting to the judges. Instead of these filler words, simply breathe and take a pause. Your train of thought will flow more seemingly and you'll naturally display more confidence.

5)    Present your idea with excitement!

If you aren’t excited, who will be?! This points back to the first tip on confidence. Confidence and charisma is key to winning after you have a well thought out presentation.