 | | | | College of Business Students Present Marketing Plan to Local Enterprise
By Abby P. Metzger
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COB students Cellen Coakley, Giang Dang, Cheri Hahn, and Michelle Funk with Animal Crackers Co-owner Kate Lindburg | Graduate students in BA516, Essentials of Management and Marketing, tested their business acumen while presenting a marketing plan to Animal Crackers Pet Supply. Cellen Coakley, Giang Dang, Cheri Hahn, and Michelle Funk had only four weeks to formulate a marketing strategy and present recommendations to the Corvallis-based pet supply store.
"They've all done an excellent job at coming up with an actual marketing plan," said Mark Elton, the instructor of the course. In return for their hard work, students get "a little bit of experiential learning," he said.
Before presenting the marketing plan, students had to complete three written assignments. In the first, the group provided a macro analysis that looked at larger trends such as the economy, technology, and demographics. The second assignment was a micro analysis where students studied trends specific to Animal Crackers and assessed the four p's of the business-product, price, promotion, and place. "Based on those two analyses they come up with recommendations, which is the third written assignment," explained Elton.
Cheri Hahn, who will be officially starting the MBA program in the fall, said her group met with Animal Crackers Co-owner Kate Lindburg and Operations Manager Tresa Henderson to discuss the store's vision and marketing efforts. "Our number one goal was to understand Animal Crackers' business strategy and design a strong marketing plan to help them achieve future growth." Hahn said.
Animal Crackers particularly caters to female heads of household who love pets and the outdoors. The store carries reliable, quality foods and supplies-steering clear from items like fur-lined jackets for designer dogs typically found in pet store chains.
Based on Animal Crackers' target market, the students made several recommendations and provided the estimated cost for each improvement. The short-term improvements included better signage and a basic update of the website; the long-term improvements included a satellite store and a partnership with Heartland Humane Society for a pet education center.
"I think it's always useful to get an outsider's view," said Animal Crackers Co-owner Lindburg, who attended the presentation. "You tend to get over-involved in all the minutia of day-to-day business."
For students, the biggest challenge was to script a feasible marketing plan in a short amount of time. "We only had four weeks to choose a local company and put together a complete plan," said Hahn. "The last week we really had to focus."
Despite the time crunch, the group was satisfied with the project outcome. "The most rewarding aspect of the project is that Kate was able to take our work with her and apply it to her business. To me, a happy client means a successful marketing presentation," said Hahn.
Marketing Instructor Elton said exposing students to applied learning projects lays the groundwork for a successful career. "There are two primary benefits to this project. Number one is learning how to work in a group, and number two is learning how to communicate," he said. Additionally, enterprises receive free marketing insights that can broaden their customer base and improve business.
Elton thanked the local businesses who have opened their doors to College of Business students over the years. "Without them, we wouldn't have this experiential learning opportunity."
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