Marketing

MBA Students Engage with News Corp. in Market Research Project for Mobile App

Posted on by Claire Hall

This past spring semester, a team of four MBAs and one Financial Risk Management student at the School of Business’ Stamford Learning Accelerator (SLA) completed a marketing research project for Connecticut-based News America Marketing, a division of News Corporation. The project was designed to assess the customer experience for a new mobile app developed by the company for grocery store consumers across the United States. What made the project particularly unique was that a member of the client team was current UConn School of Business Part-time MBA student Taylor Witt ’05, ’14 MBA, who is Director, Mobile Systems at the company.

The UConn team created three surveys deployed by News Corp. to unique target markets. The surveys’ response rate averaged over 7%, when the industry norm is much lower. In addition, the team ran two hour-long consumer focus groups held at the SLA over a two week period. The team not only recruited the focus group participants according to specific demographics, but one of the team members served as a moderator while other members acted as observers, answered participant questions and took notes.

Brian Brady, Director of the Stamford Learning Accelerator, was the faculty mentor on the project with assistance from Joseph Sweet ’10 JD/MBA, who previously worked at the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI). Student team members included: Archit Patel ’13 MBA, Tiffany Betz ’14 MBA, Siddhartha Sharan ’13 MBA, Danilo Komljenovic ’13 MBA, and Youzhuo (Aaron) Liang ’13 MSFRM.

Pictured from left to right: Pat McDonnell, Mobile Technical Specialist, News America Marketing; Jeff Caron, Digital Analyst, News America Marketing; Ray Moran, Vice President, Technology, News America Marketing; Dawn McCaffrey, Vice President, Applications, News America Marketing; Taylor Witt ’05, ’14 MBA, Director, Mobile Systems, News America Marketing; Andy Grussi, Project Manager, News America Marketing; Brian Brady, Director of the Stamford Learning Accelerator and Faculty Mentor, UConn School of Business; Tiffany Betz ’14 MBA, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Siddhartha Sharan ’13 MBA, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Archit Patel ’13 MBA, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Danilo Komljenovic ’13 MBA, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Joseph Sweet ’10 JD/MBA, Project Associate, UConn School of Business; Youzhuo (Aaron) Liang ’13 MSFRM, Team Member, UConn School of Business; Bill Christie, Executive Vice President, CIO, News America Marketing.

Marketing Department Professors Awarded MSI Research Grants

Posted on by Claire Hall

Professors Hongju Liu, Nicholas Lurie and Joseph Pancras, Marketing Department, UConn School of Business, have received research awards from the Marketing Science Institute (MSI) competition, “Mobile Platforms, Location-Based Services, and their Impact on Customers.” MSI received 35 proposals and funded only six, including two featuring UConn faculty. Please join us in congratulating the following scholars who have earned this honor:

  • Nicholas H. Lurie, Sam Ransbotham, and Hongju Liu: “Going Mobile: The Characteristics and Influence of Mobile Word of Mouth” received an $11,800 award.
  • Joseph Pancras, Rajukumar Venkatesan, and Bin Li: “Returns from Customizing Mobile Loyalty Programs: Spatial and Temporal Aspects” received a $13,000 award.

The competition was sponsored by MSI to stimulate research that contributes new insights to marketing practice. According to MSI, “There is widespread expectation that while mobile devices currently absorb a small part of marketing spending, they have game-changing implications for marketing in the future. This research competition [was] intended to provoke exploration of these implications.”

Pictured left to right: Hongju Liu, Nicholas Lurie and Joseph Pancras

Bridging the Gap between Business and Human Rights

Posted on by Claire Hall

Business law faculty in the marketing department hosted a colloquium titled, “Bridging the Gap between Business and Human Rights.” The event took place on May 14-15, 2013 at the UConn School of Business and was organized by Robert Bird, associate professor of business law in the School of Business and Northeast Utilities Chair in Business Ethics. Assistance was provided by Karla Fox, emeritus professor of business law and special assistant to the provost, and Michele Metcalf, program manager at the School of Business.

The purpose of this colloquium was to explore the potential for common ground between business and civil society groups in the area of human rights. Attendees at the conference explored how firms perceive and interact with human rights, examined how voluntary regulatory regimes can positively influence business behavior, and analyzed how multinational corporations can align their interests with human rights in their chosen markets.

This conference brought together academics from many different disciplines and universities. Authors included Norm Bishara, University of Michigan; Dan Cahoy, Pennsylvania State University; Lucien Dhooge, Georgia Institute of Technology; Janine Hiller, Virginia Tech; Radu Mares, Lund University; David Orozco, Florida State University; Stephen Park, University of Connecticut; and Jamie Prenkert, Indiana University.

From UConn, Shareen Hertel, associate professor of political science, Department of Political Science and Human Rights Institute, Lisa Laplante, interim director, Dodd Center, and Emma Gilligan, associate professor of history and co-director of the Human Rights Institute, gave valuable input during the conference. Executives in residence included Kate Emery ’81, CEO of the Walker Group and reSET (Social Enterprise Trust), and John F. Sherman III, general counsel, secretary, and senior advisor at the Shift Project.

School of Business Dean John Elliott gave opening remarks by emphasizing the importance of human rights and the timeliness of the conference. At the closing dinner, Anthony Ewing, Columbia University, presented the topic, “Teaching Business and Human Rights: an Emerging Discipline.”

The conference was sponsored by the UConn School of Business, the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, the UConn Human Rights Institute, the UConn Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), and the Northeast Utilities Chair in Business Ethics.

Papers from the conference will be published as a collection by Elgar Press in 2014.

Click here to view photos from the event.

Travelers EDGE Scholars Identify Growth Opportunities for Local Organization

Posted on by Claire Hall

Travelers EDGE Scholars Begum Abadin ’15, Kurtis Adei ’14, Janice Tate ’14 and Andrea Llivichuzhca ’14 recently presented a marketing strategy to the New England Air Museum (NEAM) as part of the Travelers EDGE Venture project for 2013. Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment) works to help underrepresented students attain college degrees, as well as a competitive edge when entering the job market.

EDGE Venture, a semester-long marketing consulting course at the UConn School of Business, gave these students an invaluable opportunity to work with NEAM on a real world challenge. The students’ task was to complete a marketing strategy for NEAM, with an overall goal to collect useful data that the organization would be able to use to help grow their business.

The students conducted surveys, created focus groups, and developed innovative marketing strategies to best position NEAM for the future. They had to work together as a team to figure out how they could market NEAM to the public as a great place to take family or friends, which in return would increase the amount of business NEAM would gain. Professor Christopher Levesque, Director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) taught the course and was the entrepreneurial expert that worked with the students. Travelers executives and a NEAM representative provided additional insight and project guidance.

The students presented their strategy at Travelers’ Corporate Office in Hartford, Connecticut to an audience of Travelers representatives, NEAM representatives, special guests, and Travelers representatives from Minnesota via satellite.

Marketing Students Develop Advertising and Promotional Campaign for 2013 Honda Civic

Posted on by Claire Hall

In an Integrated Marketing Communications (MKTG 3265) course this semester, a team of students—named the “Blueprint Integrated Marketing Team”—engaged with EdVentures, Inc. to develop an advertising and promotional campaign for the 2013 Honda Civic sedan.

As one of twenty university teams around the country, the Blueprint Integrated Marketing Team branded their campaign, Honda Push-Play. On April 9, the team featured three 2013 Civics on Fairfield Way with opportunities for students to experience the car and participate in games and giveaways. UConn students’ awareness of the Honda Civic and interest in purchasing the car increased significantly as a consequence of the team’s social media campaign and on-campus promotion. As the team made their final presentation on April 30 to representatives from Honda’s local advertising firm, EdVentures, and Manchester Honda, they were excited at having had the opportunity to work on a real project for a top automotive brand.

2013 Honda Push-Play Related Links:

YouTube
The Hartford Courant
Mansfield Patch

Digital Media Symposium: Innovative Collaborations

Posted on by Claire Hall

Representatives from business, creative, digital humanities/social sciences and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines gathered in the Rome Ballroom on Thursday, April 4th for a day full of exciting updates from the new Department of Digital Media and Design. UConn President Susan Herbst welcomed over 100 attendees, introducing digital media as an “umbrella discipline” with the areas it affects being limitless. Tim Hunter, Director & Department Head for the recently established Digital Media Center, further emphasized the symposium’s goal to raise awareness of current digital media projects and to stimulate new collaboration between disciplines. He also touched upon theory versus practice, citing digital media’s relevance to multiple industries and functions including business and entertainment, marketing, advertising, branding, entrepreneurship and social media.

Specialized presentation sessions were held for each of the four topic areas: business, creative, digital humanities/social sciences, and STEM.

Specialized Session for Business

The business session featured William Congdon ’75, Popular Mechanics magazine; Maureen Croteau, The Day newspaper in New London, Connecticut; and ING Global Professor in marketing Nicholas Lurie. A lively roundtable discussion moderated by Christopher Levesque ’87, Director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) included Richard Guha, President of Synerscope Inc. (North America) and Mark B. Hatch, CEO of mBlast, Inc.

Digital media has paved the way for an enhanced user experience, according to Congdon and Croteau who presented the challenges and many changes their companies faced with the advent of digital media in the print magazine and newspaper industries. They also shared how digital media has changed the reader experience with the launch of news and magazine websites, iPad apps, video, interactive media, social media and contests.

The business roundtable discussion focused on “digital media and entrepreneurial trends,” including Facebook and Twitter, the increasing need for technology and software to analyze and visualize “big data,” and how consumers are influenced to choose some brands over others.

Marketing Professor Nick Lurie closed the business session by presenting findings of research on the perceived value of consumer-generated content, the differences in perception of negative versus positive reviews, and the role of temporal contiguity as it influences value perception.

Future Digital Media Collaborations

Provost Mun Choi joined the enthusiastic crowd for an open networking hour during which attendees discussed ideas and opportunities for future digital media collaborations.

The rapidly growing Department of Digital Media and Design recently welcomed digital media specialists Perry Harovas and Samantha Olschan to the UConn faculty. In addition, two new undergraduate majors jointly sponsored by the schools of business, fine arts, and engineering will be offered starting this fall at the Storrs and Stamford campuses.

Those who missed the symposium can catch up on Twitter using #UConnDMD

Students Compete at National Collegiate Sales Competition

Posted on by Claire Hall

On March 2nd-5th students Michael Ferrone, John Sulzicki, Chris Czarnowski, and Lauren Basist and Faculty Advisor Bill Ryan represented UConn at the annual National Collegiate Sales Competition held at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia. The NCSC is comprised of 65 colleges and universities from across the country. Over 20 companies sponsor the competition, each hoping to attract students interested in working for them upon graduation. The competition consists of multiple rounds of one-on-one selling with a “buyer,” and judging based on successful execution of a professional sales process that includes building rapport, effective needs identification, presenting targeted solutions, overcoming objections and effectively “closing the sale.” These techniques are taught in the Professional Selling and Sales Management & Leadership classes offered by the UConn Marketing Department as part of the Program for Sales Leadership.

Pictured from left to right are; Michael Ferrone, John Sulzicki, Bill Ryan-Faculty Advisor, Chris Czarnowski, and Lauren Basist.

Students from the Program for Sales Leadership compete in the National Collegiate Sales Competition

Posted on by Claire Hall

Melanie Nunes, a senior psychology major, and Michael Ferrone, a junior marketing major, represented UConn at the 13th Annual National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC), hosted by the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.  Melanie and Michael’s performances placed UConn in the top 3rd of the 61 schools that competed.  Melanie made it to the wildcard round, having placed 3rd in her first round session. Michael made it to the quarterfinals, having placed 4th in his first round session, and 1st in his Wildcard round session.

Inaugurated in 1999, the National Collegiate Sales Competition is the largest and oldest sales role-play competition in existence.  Instituted for the purpose of enhancing the practice and professionalism of the sales profession.  The NCSC, places students in simulated one-on-one sales call challenges. Each sales call is broadcast live to faculty and recruiters, who evaluate each student’s performance.

The NCSC hosts the top collegiate sales talent and sales faculty from the most elite University Sales Programs in North America. Up-coming sales graduates are provided a venue for sharpening their sales skills in a highly competitive environment and networking with their peers and sales faculty from across the United States. NCSC Corporate Sponsors have the opportunity to network with and preview the elite talent and greatly contribute to their education and careers and in turn make a great investment in the future of the sales profession.

Pictured (left to right): Cyndi Soucy, Whitney McIntosh, Melanie Nunes, Michael Ferrone