A team of MBA students from the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico has advanced to the final round in the Cadillac Case Study Competition, held annually in Detroit, Mich. The teams will present their case studies to a panel of Cadillac executives and members of Cadillac’s marketing firm, Modernista, on May 23.
The top five graduate submissions in the competition included Fairfield University, Hawaii Pacific University, Indiana University, University of New Mexico and Virginia Commonwealth University, with UNM and Virginia Commonwealth advancing to the final round.
In 2005 and 2006 Anderson School MBA teams won the competition. In 2006 the MBA students defeated a team of MBA students from Indiana University and in 2005 defeated a team of MBA students from the University of Iowa.
The 2007 Cadillac National Case Study Competition, hosted by EdVenture Partners, challenges students to answer analytical questions and analyze situations of interest regarding Cadillac’s brand positioning, communication strategy and current strategic situation.
The Anderson School MBA team includes students Heba Almasri, Kristina Knight, Dimitri Pavlakos and Grant Price, and is mentored by Anderson Lecturer John Benavidez. The project was conducted as part of Benavidez’s Marketing Communications Management class.
This year, the task was to create a consumer-focused marketing plan for the 2008 Cadillac CTS that supports the launch of the new vehicle and showcases its new features and attributes, focusing on how they are relevant to the target audience. It also must reinforce the new “Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit” campaign positioning in a way that appeals to the target customer.
The UNM team chose to conduct their case study around the target audience of “Move-Ups,” younger men and women looking to move into the luxury car segment for the first time.
“There are only a handful of schools around the country recognized for ad programs. This puts UNM in a great position,” said to Steve McKee, of McKee Wallwork Cleveland, a major advertising firm in Albuquerque. McKee was a major supporter of the MBA students working on their case studies for the competition.
According to New Mexico Advertising Federation Vice President Sophie Martin, Virginia Commonwealth University is considered to have the best advertising program in the country. “The fact that Anderson is competing against VCU means that UNM is starting to get the recognition it deserves for its marketing programs.”
Added Benavidez, “Advancing to the final round for the third consecutive year is a great honor for both UNM and Anderson. Our students continue to demonstrate that they are among the brightest and most creative future marketing professionals in the country.”
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu