Marketing Students Bring Home Hardware | St. Clair College
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
The St. Clair College marketing team.

Five third-year marketing students brought home medals from the recent Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition, besting hundreds of students from much larger institutions.

"We like to call it the Marketing Olympics for Colleges," said Nicole Rourke, a marketing professor and long-time coach for the students who participate in the annual competition.

The event was held in Niagara Falls Nov. 21 and 22, with more than 250 students from 12 Ontario Colleges participating in the two-day event. The 10-member team from St. Clair College was comprised of seven third-year marketing students and three from second year. But they were competing against schools with teams double and triple the size, Rourke said.

"We are one of the smaller teams. We have 35 students in our third-year program and some of the other schools we compete against have 200," Rourke said.

Third-year marketing student Ben Curtis received a bronze medal in the Quiz Bowl, which used buzzers and a moderator, similar to the game show Jeopardy. Curtis was part of a team of four students from randomly selected colleges, who were asked a series of consumer and pricing related questions taken from a variety of textbooks and magazines. He was coached by Rourke and another instructor, Veronica Barris.

Third-year marketing student Caitlyn Cave won a silver medal in the job interview competition. The Job Interview challenges students to successfully interview for an entry-level position in marketing with a panel of three to five judges. She was coached by Rourke and Anthony Mancini, the Chair of the Zekelman School of Business.

Michael Hickmott and Brett Harrison, both in their third year of marketing, received a silver medal in the Retail Case competition, involving Boathouse, a Canadian clothing retailer that markets to a younger demographic. The students had 30 minutes to find a solution to a customer relationship management issue presented by the retailer. This team was coached by Barry Rivard and Garry Glatter.

Third-year marketing student Maria Juliana Carneiro De Brito, coached by Veronica Barris, won bronze in the Sales Presentation competition. She went up against her cohorts from each of the 12 participating schools. She was given a scenario in advance and was given 15 minutes to make a pitch to the judges in an effort to convince them to buy her products, Brand Boulevard promotional items.

Rourke said the competition prepares students to think on their feet and present themselves in a professional manner. "It gives them a competitive edge, which is what you need in the business world."

Rourke was also honoured during the two-day competition with the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition Award of Excellence, which is presented in recognition of a history of selfless contribution to the continuance and success of the OCMC and for consistently demonstrating an overall care of students’ needs with regard to the OCMC event.