Why YOU should participate in OCMC

As I said a few weeks ago I was skeptical about participating in OCMC but it ended up being one of the most rewarding and influential experiences of my time here at Humber. So I thought it was important to explain why others should participate in OCMC and the overall benefits of the competition and the preparation.

Presentation Skills
Everyone at one point or another is nervous to make presentations. One huge benefit of OCMC is that presentations is all you do from DAY ONE! Presentations about yourself, mini cases  and anything that will help make you less nervous on presentation day. OCMC really prepares you to practice, practice, practice so you can have a feeling of what the experience will be on the day of competition.

Networking
The OCMC coaches are a wealth of advice, knowledge and contacts. Participants become very close with their coaches and ask for advice, references and learn so much more about the marketing industry all from members of the faculty that generously volunteer their time.
The event itself also offers a great opportunity for networking. In 2012 there was a marketplace featuring both universities and employers and a small job fair which even got some participants interviews and subsequently jobs.

Friends
OCMC is a great opportunity to meet people you may never have had the opportunity to meet in any other situation. Both the members of the OCMC team and even participants from other colleges are people that you will be able to call your friends when the competition has come to a close.

-Rachel

What I learned from OCMC

To be honest when I was approached about OCMC during the winter semester of 2012 I was hesitant to try out. I thought it would be fun but I was not confident in my presentation skills and wasn't sure what impact the commitment would have on my school work, job and social life. But after trying out, being enrolled in the course, preparing and finally participating in the event I can safely say that OCMC had a positive effect on all aspects of my life. I learned more about myself and my amazing teammates over the past 4 months then in my past 10 years of post secondary education.

My schoolwork
OCMC only improved my schoolwork and my drive to do well. The ability to make a PowerPoint presentation in 30 minutes and think logically about a problem can be applied to any subject. I can honestly say that I will never be nervous to make another presentation because of all the practice, support and encouragement and feedback that I received over the entire OCMC experience from my classmates, faculty and judges.

My job
OCMC was my job for the past four months both literally and figuratively. Since the semester began I have been responsible for the management of all the social media elements for Humber OCMC. I am the voice behind this blog, Facebook and Twitter. It has been an absolute privilege to get to spend the last four months telling the Humber community and people from all different parts of the world about OCMC and the amazing experience we had competing for Humber.

My personal life
I never imagined that a school course and such an intense competition could change my personal life so much. Who knew that sticking 20 people in a classroom and telling them they had to learn how to make a PowerPoint presentation in 30 minutes and present a case to a panel of judges would make a family. My teammates and the coaches are my Humber family. Thank you all for your hard work, constant encouragement, help, support and ability to be silly. I love you all.

-Rachel

The time has arrived!!

OCMC 2012 has finally arrived!! All the preperation, all the excitement, all the practice has come down to these two days. Two days where myself and the other members of the Humber team get to show what we are made of and what we have been working towards since September.

It all begins Thursday night with Quiz Bowl and I can't express how excited the entire team is to cheer on the Humber Quiz Bowl team. I can't wait to see the outcome of all their memorization and hard work! So for the Quiz Bowl team here are some things to remember as you prepare to compete Thursday night:

• You know your stuff
• Have fun
• We are all routing for you and will be the loudest team in the auditorium...I can guarantee it! 

Then Friday the case competitions, sales presentations and interviews begin! We have been preparing for these events for 2 and a 1/2 months. We are ready, but just in case nerves get the better of all of us on Friday here are some things to remember: 

• Smile
• Take a deep breath 
• Speak slowly 
• Show conviction and passion in what you are presenting 
• Be supportive of your partner

Thursday and Friday will be stressful, exciting and something to be extremely proud of. The Humber team is ready and waiting to show what we are made of. Bring on the competition! 

-Rachel 

Two weeks to go!

This Thursday marks two weeks until the kick off of the 2012 Ontario Colleges' Marketing Competition and the Humber team is in full prep and practice mode...and the stress and anticipation are mounting.

For me, there has been some added stress because I lost my partner with just two weeks remaining. When I discovered that my partner would no longer be able to participate I was not angry but concerned, nervous and anxious. What was the next move? Could I or did I want to do the presentation on my own? What about my coach and the rest of the team, what would their reactions be?

Speaking to our teacher Will and my coach Sheryn was first on my priority list as they would be most familiar with my available options. They both automatically went about reassuring me that we would come up with something, that my semester would not be lost and that I would still get to compete.

I met with Sheryn and we discussed the options that we thought would work best for me since I needed a partner that was somewhat familiar with retail, someone that I could get along with and someone that was willing to help out. I stressed to her that I preferred it to be someone in our class because working with someone not already involved in OCMC would take more time than we have.

I took a bit of time but I was lucky enough to find a new partner! I am excited to start working together and teaching Tim all that he needs to know about retailing!

Tim's stepping in really shows the character of the members of the Humber OCMC team. I am a lucky girl to get to experience this competition with such friendly, supportive and fun individuals!

-Rachel

How to analyze a marketing case

The Ontario College's Marketing Competition is a two day event. On the second day of competition, which is the Friday the case events are presented. Here is a quick overview of how the case events work:

Each team is given a case relating to their specific marketing category and 30 minutes. In these 30 minutes the team must read and analyze the case and prepare a 15 minute PowerPoint presentation to present to the judges. 30 minutes is a VERY short time so it is important that teams know exactly how to analyze the case in order to maximize the time that they are given. There are a number of steps included in this analysis:

1) Analyze the situation 
When analyzing a marketing case it is important to look at what is happening both inside and outside the company. Therefore in order to properly analyze the situation teams must look at a SWOT analysis; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and weaknesses examine what is happening inside the company while opportunities and threats examine what trends are happening outside the company in society.

2) Define the problem
The problem must be defined clearly and concisely. In order to do this it is important to identify the key issues that emerged during the first step in the analysis process. If there is more than one problem the problems should be ranked in terms of importance.

3) Identify and evaluate alternatives
Before making a recommendation it is important to take time to think of alternatives. Each alternative should be SMART ( specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and  time bound). It is also important to make sure that both the pros and cons of all the alternatives are discussed.

4) Make your recommendations
There are seven important elements to making a complete recommendation. These elements include:

• Target market: the target market must make sense based on the external and internal issues that were identified earlier through the SWOT analysis. 
• Positioning: where do you want your product to be thought of in relation to the products of your competition
• Product: explain the product offering and make sure to include the benefits to the customer.
• Price: identify the pricing strategy and why it was chosen
• Place: ensure your distribution strategy is clear and consistent with the customers needs
• Promotion: discuss the types of promotion that will be used as well as what is going to be said and how it is going to be said in an effective way. 
• Implementation: how you will implement your recommendation. It is important to have a clear plan of how and when you will implement your recommendation. All the elements of product, price, place and promotion must be in place. 

5) Summarize

Summarize your position and reinforce your reasons for selecting your specific strategy. It is also a good idea to relate your summary back to the problem that you identified at the beginning of the analysis.