It’s early on a Saturday morning. Students from Berkeley ABA (ABA) slowly gather into their assigned teams, eagerly awaiting the assignment of the day’s ABA Marketing Challenge prompt – transforming Peet’s People and Planet marketing approach into one that excites college students about coffee while compelling them to become more brand loyal. Teams are then given two hours and forty minutes to create a digital presentation showcasing potential solutions that address the company’s marketing challenges.
This semester marks the fourth marketing case competition hosted by ABA, an undergraduate student business organization providing members an opportunity to gain hands-on professional experience through various industry-focused projects. Originally started in 2016, ABA’s Marketing Challenge regularly draws 50+ students a semester, giving them an opportunity to tackle real business problems faced by marketing professionals from companies such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Pandora.
Judges for this semester’s panel included three Peet’s representatives and one member from the University Partnership Program (UPP), a UC Berkeley program that works collectively across the university to develop meaningful, comprehensive relationships with business partners. A total of 13 teams participated in this semester’s Peet’s People and Planet challenge.
A benefit to challenge attendees is the chance to utilize and test their marketing, strategic planning, and creative skills. “Students are able to see current marketing campaigns in action, in their everyday campus environment, and can provide first-hand feedback to Peet’s about what is working and what needs some improvement,” said Kush Patel, marketing assistant at UPP. “They also get the chance to articulate their ideas and present in a succinct way, skills that are very important for the workforce.”
Elizabeth Pelton, channel marketing specialist at Peet’s, recalls how the ABA challenge process related to her current position, “You work on projects like this marketing challenge, so the material and process is similar.” Although having four panelists judging your presentation “makes the stakes feel way higher,” joked Pelton.
Additionally, companies like Peet’s also benefit from these challenges by having the opportunity to hear directly from one of their target audiences. This direct feedback can help a company gauge how successful marketing activations are performing. “Students provide a fresh perspective and have creative ideas to engage other students in a more meaningful way,” noted Patel.
After all teams presented, judges were given fifteen minutes to select their top three pitches. Teams were evaluated based on a variety of factors including time management, creativity, presentation style, and how effective and feasible their ideas were on addressing the People and Planet prompt. “This was incredibly beneficial for our team and our team’s conversations moving forward,” said Pelton. “It was inspiring to hear [students] speak on topics that we discuss every single day in the Peet’s headquarters. I think the biggest takeaway from our day was the opportunity to listen directly from the source, these students. It was a great opportunity to interact and hear their opinions on the industry.”
