The Hot Seat
Results of the 2004 Challenge
On October 14th and 15th, the GMN hosted the 2nd Annual Marketing "Hot Seat" Challenge. This year's case competition spotlighted the corporate sponsor, RadioShack. The Hot Seat Challenge affords 1st years a "live" marketing experience based on a current company/industry-related problem. Students experienced both the thrill and pressure of presenting their strategies directly to RadioShack executives who are currently facing this specific issue and in need of solutions. As evidenced by 1st year Thomas Hall, "It was great to work on a live case where I felt our team actually made a difference in the company. So often, we get cases in class that are five years old, and we already know the results pursued; the Hot Seat Challenge was an open door, allowing us to think outside of the box."
Since June, the GMN has worked closely with RadioShack, collecting insights and data regarding a current business issue. In result, the case was designed specifically for the GMN's Hot Seat Challenge. "When the GMN approached us with the idea of spotlighting a current RadioShack business issue in a case competition, we could not pass up the offer because it is a great way to get new business ideas and a great way to begin building our brand name at McCombs," says Mike Hambright, 2003 MBA alum. Other sponsors included: Philip Morris, Eli-Lilly, 3M, Heinz and Frito-Lay.
Eighty 1st years participated in this year's Hot Seat Challenge. Twenty teams of four were given twelve hours to develop and present a solution to executive judges from companies such as Dell, Philip Morris, Eli Lilly, Coca-Cola and RadioShack. Despite the weariness associated with pulling an "all nighter", many students believed the benefits of participation far outweighed the lack of sleep. According to 1st year Brad Wilson, "The Challenge is a great way to get real world experience. We've all had those last minute assignments at work where perspiration was just as important as inspiration. I think the challenge was also a great way to really learn about your teammates. You see what people are made of when they have their back to the wall to get something done."
Fighting exhaustion, every team impressed the judges with their channel, product assortment and re-branding ideas. Furthermore, the judges appreciated the depth of analysis in each presentation in addition to the strong teamwork skills demonstrated by each and every team. According to Erin Hellige, "The Marketing Challenge was a great opportunity to put the principles and concepts learned in all our core classes to use to solve a real world problem. It was also a great opportunity to bond with classmates – you really get to know people well when it is 5am, you haven't slept in 23 hours and you already downed a 6-pack of Red Bull. If we can still tolerate each other after going through that, then I know that is someone I could work with post-MBA."
The GMN congratulates this year's winners:
- 1st place: Sarah Seeche, Heather Densmore, Aaron Terry and Drew Blackard
- 2nd place: Thomas Hall, Elizabeth Ovelman, Lisa McQueen and Shannon Van Dyck
- 3rd place: Allison May, Sarah Ringstrom, Emily Durrett and John Reed
- Best Presenter: John Reed
- Runner-up: Kaysha Patel
-
1st prize team -
2nd prize team
"It wasn't until after the challenge (and about 12 hours of sleep!) that I was able to take a step back and reflect on all I gained by participating. I think the most impactful result was the opportunity to synthesize both the qualitative and quantitative skills we've acquired from these first few months at McCombs," said Omar Musfy.
(This article is copied from Texas Business Weekly.)