Marketing Students Named Semifinalists in National AMA Competition

2016 Feb 1

A group of students from Saint Joseph's University's student chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) were named semifinalists in the 2015 AMA Collegiate Case Competition sponsored by The Hershey Company.

As part of their Marketing Strategy Class, taught by Janee Burkhalter, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing, seniors and AMA chapter leaders Christina Lampert of Pittsburgh, Pa., Maddy Waldron of Allentown, Pa., Maddie Chew of Fredericksburg, Va., Corey Carter of Flemington, N.J., and Tehetna Gebreamanual of Philadelphia, Pa., submitted their case strategy to the competition and earned semifinalist honors.

It was wonderful to see the semifinalist results, says Burkhalter. This the best finish SJU has had in this competition to date. Last year, an SJU student group earned honorable mention.

A nationally recognized contest, AMA Collegiate Case Competition tasks top marketing students with a real-life, complicated marketing scenario submitted by a sponsoring organization. This year, students were challenged to develop a marketing strategy for Hersheys Ice Breakers Cool Blasts, a product that is somewhere between a mint and a piece of gum.

In addition to a great deal of research, including surveys and focus groups, the group conducted man on the street taste tests and interviews, capturing potential customers reactions on video.

Being a semifinalist in the AMA case competition is huge," says AMA moderator and professor of marketing David Allen, Ph.D. St. Joes has participated in this competition for five years and competes against large universities with greater resources. Im very proud of this group.

The team will be recognized at the annual AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans March 17-19.