Tuesday, September 20, 2011

ALL ABOUT MARKETING FELLOWS: The Professors' Perspectives

Professors Kapil Jain and Wayne Hoyer, instructors of the two MBA Marketing Fellows courses, weigh in on their favorite parts of being involved with this unique University of Texas program.


From your perspective, what is the greatest benefit that students gain from being a part of Marketing Fellows?

Professor Jain: The opportunity to (i) understand the various dimensions of 'leadership' in marketing directly from today's marketing leaders and to (ii) develop their own capabilities via projects and leadership roles within Marketing Fellows.

Professor Hoyer: CCIMS and the Marketing Department are creating experiences and opportunities to benefit our and richen the learning experience for our top students.  Also, being a Fellow is a special mark of distinction that is of value to potential employers.


What is the most common feedback you hear from executives who speak to the Marketing Fellows class and from companies sponsoring the Fellows practicum projects?

Professor Jain: Executives who interact with the Fellows class come away impressed and eager to bring such talent on board their own companies.

Professor Hoyer:  They are very impressed with the quality of the comments, ideas, and questions that come from the Fellows in the CS class.  They really enjoy the interaction during class.


Where do you see the Marketing Fellows program in 5-10 years from now?

Professor Jain: I see the MBA Marketing Fellows program growing only moderately in size but significantly in terms of the breadth of specialized learning opportunities such as focal tracks in alternative industry sectors and key hands-on initiatives in the branding and digital marketing arenas.  Most importantly, I see the Marketing Fellows program as a reputable branded experience within McCombs that is a magnet for the best marketing students.

Professor Hoyer: Leading the way in defining new directions for MBA education.  Being at the forefront of top Marketing MBA programs in the world.


What is your favorite part of teaching Marketing Fellows each year?

Professor Jain: I enjoy the sense of fraternity that exists among the Fellows and the take-charge attitude they bring to the practicums.

Professor Hoyer: I learn a lot from the students and speakers as well.  This is due to the fact that we deal with cutting edge topics.  I also really enjoy interacting with the Fellows.


What advice would you give to a first year MBA student who is trying to decide whether to go into marketing as a career path?

Professor Jain: Marketing is about navigating the business by understanding the dynamic waters of the marketplace.  Success requires creative skills coupled with financial acumen and analytical rigor.  It also requires the ability to zoom into a problem context and zoom out to recognize deep and subtle trends.   Most importantly, it requires the ability to empathize with customers.  Nothing less will do.  In return, it promises a varied, always exciting, and sufficiently rewarding ride.

Professor Hoyer: Learn as much about the marketing career path as they can before deciding.  There are a lot of misconceptions about the marketing career path, but learning more helps students to realize all the great opportunities marketing has to offer.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Second Annual Fellows Brand Camp!

On Friday, September 2, the Marketing Fellows put on their second annual Marketing Camp for first-year McCombs MBAs, this year represented by CCIMS companies AT&T, Deloitte, and Frito Lay.

Over 50 first-year MBA students got the opportunity to learn about marketing careers through a morning career panel with representatives from each sponsor company and networking lunch.

During the afternoon, the students worked in teams to create a nationwide marketing strategy for (the now (in)famous) Calbee’s Shrimp Flavored Chips, a historically niche product with appeal on the west coast. The team consisting of Allison Steinberg, Alejandra Carlos-Padilla, Colleen Butts and Tiarna Harman (pictured below) won based on their comprehensive short term and long term strategy and ability to present a complex marketing plan in a clear and concise manner.

The camp was beneficial to both students and sponsors alike, and we look forward to working with them this year.


Sunday, April 10, 2011

Preview Weekend at McCombs

As our class winds down its first year at McCombs, we were happy to have the opportunity last week to welcome the Class of 2013 at Preview Weekend. Monica Grisales, Associate Brand Manager at Dr Pepper Snapple Group and former Fellow, welcomed marketing students with a presentation on Launching Your Marketing Career. Sharing advice, expectations for a brand manager and alternative career paths in marketing, she offered prospective students a fantastic glimpse into life post-graduation.

We were also able to meet prospective students at Friday’s organization fair and it was great to see all the interest in marketing and Marketing Fellows at McCombs. If you didn’t get a chance to find us, you can still get on the priority email list by emailing me at cassandra.stoklosa@mba12.mccombs.utexas.edu

In the meantime, keep your calendars clear for summer coffee chats, which will be hosted around the country, and fall Brand Camp on September 2, 2011.

Looking forward to meeting more of the class of 2013 soon!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Marketing Fellows Present at Dean's Advisory Council

On March 11th, 2011 Marketing Fellows were honored to speak at Dean Gilligan’s Advisory Council Meeting. The presentation, led by Lamar Johnson, Meagan Pishnick and Sean Saul, was a prime opportunity to highlight the commitment CCIMS has to experiential learning at McCombs. The students gave an overview of the course, recruiting process, and emphasized the importance of hands-on learning opportunities that supplement the case work and class discussions in traditional classes.

Sean Saul introduced the organization’s goal to Own a Brand as part of our short term strategic plan that will provide a unique opportunity to further the organizations mission to develop and cultivate future marketing leaders. Work is underway to make that plan a reality.

Monday, January 31, 2011

McCombs Marketing Fellows @Kellogg's Marketing Conference




On January 22nd, some of my fellow Marketing Fellows and I were fortunate enough to attend the Kellogg Marketing Conference (KMC) at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Thanks to the generous sponsorship by CCIMS, Alice, Kim, Meagan, Sarah, and I were among the more than 700 attendees to explore the bleeding edge marketing techniques that industry giants such as General Mills, Harley Davidson, Target, and Deloitte use to further our understanding of consumers and the future of marketing.

The day started with an inspirational story by Bill Rasmussen, the founder of ESPN. Though he humbly retold the story of ESPN’s birth, we gleaned that luck wasn’t the only ingredient in his success. Instead, Bill connected with major players from Budweiser to the NCAA to cable TV operators across the country in order to form a cohesive partnership that has resulted in one of the biggest brands around the world today. Casually, Bill remarked that ESPN’s brand leadership surpasses Coca-Cola and McDonald’s in some parts of the world. His ambition, salesmanship, and incredible dedication were what got ESPN off the ground, and in his words, “If you’re dreaming and it doesn’t cost anything, you may as well go all out.”

Break out panels throughout the KMC discussed Emerging Technologies, Ecosystem Marketing, Marketing Metrics, Multi-Channel Marketing, and Generational Marketing. The insightful day ended with an Executive Roundtable with names such as Anna Catalano, former Group VP Marketing for BP; Scott Freidheim, Executive Vice President operating and support businesses for Sears Holdings Corporation; and Betsy Holden, former Chief Executive Officer of Kraft and current Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company.

Here are some of the key points we discussed as a group during the plane ride home:

· Increasingly, consumers are shaping a brand’s reputation through online channels, where they are able to communicate with others at extraordinary speed. To keep up, companies need to be active because people are talking, whether or not the company is listening.

· Meaningful, strategic partnerships are long-term, provide services that further companies on both sides of partnership; it’s crucial to have advocates internally and externally.

· Understand that in the world of data, there are business problems, product problems, and consumer problems. The goal is to know the goal before digging through mountains of data.

· The roles of Chief Customer Officer or Chief Experience Officer are becoming more powerful each day because personalization is a great way to keep a brand relevant.

· Multi-Channel Marketing helps manage the risk across all channels much like diversifying a portfolio.

The Kellogg Marketing Conference injected fresh new concepts into our minds and many ideas for McCombs Marketing Fellows events in the future. Thanks again to CCIMS, and be on the look-out for more from us!

Jany Xu

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Year Ahead: 2011 Predictions for Marketers

Ad Age took the pulse of top executives in the major industry sectors to compile this preview:
The Year Ahead: 2011 Predictions for Marketers

Some highlights for executives to handle: Rising commodity costs, demands from Walmart and other big retailers to take over product shipping at the supplier's dock, high long-term unemployment leading to more frugal behavior among most consumers, changing digital marketing landscape due to the popularity of tablets like the iPad.