Marketing Students Take First in DMAW-EF Collegiate Maxi Competition

Marketing team members Lauren Crain, Dan Frohelich, and Patrick Shamburger earned first place honors at the Direct Marketing Association of Washington Educational Foundation’s Collegiate Maxi Competition for Fall 2014. The competition, held on November 14 at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), included universities from the mid-Atlantic region.
 
This direct and interactive marketing case competition centered on increasing awareness of and registrations for Earth Hour, the annual display of commitment to protect the planet, which is an event initiated by the WWF. The event is held each year on the last Saturday in March, when people are encouraged to turn off their lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
 
Teams were tasked with identifying a target market, developing strategies for attracting new registrants, providing details on how the WWF should connect with participants in social media, and creating two direct mailers and other promotions to communicate information about the event.
 
Dr. Theresa Clarke coached the winning team in preparation for the marketing competition. She says, “I am proud of our students for investing the time and expertise to market such a worthy cause.  They were not required to participate as part of a JMU course, but rather did it as an opportunity to engage with the community and learn more about direct marketing.”
 
The team received $1,500 in recognition of their excellent work.