North Central College AMA team scores school’s first top 10 placement at annual competition

North Central College’s American Marketing Association (AMA) team has achieved a top 10 placement in an annual international competition for the first time in school history.

The team placed in the top 10 of the 2013-2014 AMA Collegiate Case Competition sponsored by the Hershey Company, the AMA announced Jan. 21. Eighty-six schools entered this year’s competition for the opportunity to present at the AMA’s annual collegiate conference in New Orleans in April.

Hershey’s Case invited participants to develop a comprehensive relaunch campaign for its Take 5 brand. Chapters were asked to address consumer segmentation, product positioning, product distribution and marketing promotion, including plans for social media.

The other nine finalists are the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Cleveland State University, Ferris State University, Temple University, Texas State University, the University of Arizona at Tucson, the University of Maryland, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Wisconsin/Eau Claire.

Faculty advisor for North Central’s AMA team is Donnavieve Smith, associate professor of marketing. The team worked on the project during fall term and submitted its entry in early December.

“I think this is the most creative team we’ve ever had,” Smith said. “Each student brought a different skill. They pooled their talents together and their hard work paid off.”

Ten North Central College students who worked on the project are: Brad Donati, a junior marketing and finance major from Oswego; Drew French a junior marketing and studio art major from Sugar Grove; Liz Halbmaier, a senior marketing and entrepreneurship/small business management major from Hampshire; Trey Hartema, a senior international business and Japanese major from Bloomington; Amy Jones, a senior marketing and interactive media studies/graphic arts major from Goshen, Ind.; Monique Martinez, a senior management and economics major from Bloomington; Reiley Reardon, a senior management and entrepreneurship/small business management major from Grand Ridge; Alexa Reinecke, a junior business marketing major from Wheaton; Nick Smith, a senior marketing and economics major from Glenview; and Addison Van Hise, a junior marketing major from Saline, Mich.

AMA’s 36th Annual International Collegiate Conference will take place April 10-12 in New Orleans.