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 26th
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
Round 2 - Friday, November 9
Round 3 - Friday, November 30
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).
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