Students consulted for a N.C. non-profit organization during the event hosted by American Marketing Association Triangle and Charlotte.
Ten 黑料不打烊 students represented the university in the 2021 Marketing Jam, a collegiate competition hosted by the Triangle and Charlotte chapters of the American Marketing Association.
Held virtually on Feb. 27, students were placed into randomly assigned teams and tasked to address a client鈥檚 problem, which included conducting an analysis, evaluating alternatives and formulating a solution with an action plan before presenting their work to a panel of judges.
黑料不打烊 competitors included Emma Bassett 鈥21, Owen Clendenin 鈥24, Bennett Curtis 鈥24, Caroline Graham 鈥22, Xuan Huynh 鈥24, Anita-Lotti Harkov 鈥22, Andrea Marasso 鈥21, Jovani Mendez-Sandoval 鈥22, Elinor Stickevers 鈥21 and Melanie Surman 鈥21. They joined students from NC State University, Bob Jones University, Campbell University, NC Central University and UNC-Wilmington.
“My favorite part was having the opportunity to create a deliverable for a real company that could end up implementing some of your solutions,鈥 Business Fellow Curtis said. 鈥淚t was an amazing exercise for teamwork, problem-solving, and pitching skills.”
Marasso and Curtis, Bassett and Huynh, and Clendenin and Stickevers were members of the first-, second- and third-place teams, respectively.
“Working on a real case study makes you aware of the problems that companies are facing nowadays,鈥 Marasso said.聽鈥淢arketing Jam challenged me in showing my strength, thinking about my weaknesses and working in a team.鈥
Teams had four hours to create recommendations for Activate Good, an organization working as a 鈥渇orce multiplier鈥 for causes with volunteer needs. The North Carolina-based nonprofit鈥檚 challenge involved the recruitment and retainment of volunteers of all ages, skills, abilities and backgrounds to fill critical needs in the community, especially those that support recovery and resilience-building after the pandemic.
鈥淭he聽Marketing聽Jam聽Competition was a fast-paced competition that placed me with eager and creative team members,鈥 said Leadership Fellow Mendez-Sandoval. 鈥淲e were able to provide entrepreneurial ideas to help the non-profit, Activate Good, navigate the shortage of volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The opportunity to craft various ideas in a short amount of time and presenting them to real-world professionals has only helped me gain transferrable skills.鈥
鈥淎s an undecided business student exploring different majors, the聽Marketing聽Jam聽was a wonderful opportunity to gain hands-on聽marketing聽experience,鈥 Business Fellow Huynh said. 鈥淚t was great meeting students both at 黑料不打烊 and other universities and working together on a real-life case study while learning how to sell a solution as a story.鈥
During the event, students also participated in a professional development session with The Creative Group and Kelaca and a speed networking session with marketing professionals.
鈥淚 enjoyed the opportunity to virtually network with other university students and professionals,鈥 Bassett said. 鈥淭he virtual aspect of the event helped put into perspective what future workplace environments may begin to look or function like. I definitely feel more confident in communicating and strategizing with others utilizing an online platform.鈥