Smeal Marketing Students Compete In Cadillac Case Competition

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (April 13, 2007) – Four student teams from two sections of a Smeal College of Business consumer behavior class taught by Marketing Instructor Carolyn Todd recently took part in a case competition that required them to develop an integrated marketing plan for the Cadillac CTS 2008.

This preliminary competition at Smeal was held to identify the winning marketing plan to be submitted in the national case competition sponsored by Cadillac Motor Company, EdVenture Partners, and Modernista, Cadillac's advertising agency.

The teams had to craft a marketing plan for Cadillac's entry-level luxury model, designed to lower the average age of Cadillac drivers, restore the company's brand image, and convert new luxury automobile owners to Cadillac. 

Fifteen student teams submitted plans to Todd, who then selected the top four teams to present their marketing plans before panel of judges.

The students were forced to defend their choice of target markets, justify their positioning of the CTS 2008 and choice of media, and explain their budget spending.

"The judges grilled them," said Todd. "It was tough, and the teams stood up to the test. They received immediate reactions from the judges on the viability of their creative ideas."

The winning team of Rachel Bolster, Anthony Gruppo, D.J. Lee, Aaron Leschinsky, Ross Mlinac, and Patrick Rice, all marketing majors, will have their marketing plan submitted to the to the national Cadillac case competition. The students will be notified by the end of April whether they will be invited to the national competition. Only two undergraduate teams from U.S. colleges and universities will be selected to travel to Detroit to present their marketing plan to Cadillac executives in May.

"We spend a significant portion of our class on how consumers form attitudes about brands," said Todd. "In this competition, students got the chance to apply those principles of consumer behavior to a brand where an attitude change is needed to attract a younger demographic. Additionally, through their interactions with Rider Cadillac in State College and other Cadillac dealers they visited, students learned how advertising and promotions impact a local dealership’s ability to sell cars.

"Overall, it was a fun project for me and the students, especially considering that there is a chance that their plans might in fact be used by Cadillac in the near future," Todd said.

The panel of judges for the Smeal competition consisted of Harry Chang, a Smeal MBA student; Jack Infield, regional president of Graystone Bank; Margaret Meloy, Smeal assistant professor of marketing; Chuck Rider, president and owner of Rider Auto, a Cadillac dealership, among other makes, in State College; and Jessica Sremanak, Smeal associate director of corporate relations.