Jonathan Falcon

2022 McCombs Marketing Challenge

My team “Water?” conducted research, formulated novel ideas and marketing campaigns, and presented our solutions at the 2022 McCombs Marketing Challenge, earning a spot in the top four as finalists.

What is the McCombs Marketing Conference?

Hosted nearly every year, the McCombs Marketing Conference is a look into the world of marketing, both right now and towards the future. The Marketing Challenge, as part of this conference, allows teams of first-year MBA and MS Marketing students—that’s me—to put to use our burgeoning skills and learnings based on a provided business case. Our team had just one week from October 19 to conduct research, hone strategies and tactics, and create an impactful presentation.

Background

The Situation

One of the world’s leading tech companies, Samsung Electronics manufactures and markets a breadth of electronics. In particular, their mobile portfolio—which includes the Samsung Galaxy phones—sold over 272 million units globally in 2021. Samsung also has an opportunity to gather a greater share of Gen-Z in the United States, however research indicated that Gen-Z women lag Gen-Z men in preference for Samsung Galaxy. To combat the discrepancy, Samsung introduced the Foldables portfolio. Desirable features and the portfolio’s compactness aim to attract Gen-Z women.

The Challenge

Samsung posed the following questions to us:

  1. What can Samsung do strategically to increase consideration of its Galaxy portfolio with Gen-Z women?
  2. Which devices should Samsung prioritize to drive consideration?
  • Smartphone
  • Tablet
  • Audio
  • Smartwatch
  1. What impact could this have on adoption of Samsung’s mobile enhancement portfolio (Buds and Watch)?

Our Presentation

Following a rigorous week of occasionally twelve-hour days, we presented our findings and recommendations.

Company and Industry Overview

Company Overview

Slide 4, detailing a company overview for Samsung Electronics.Slide 5, detailing a competitive landscape. Logos of competitors are shown, as well as graphs showing financial performance compared with those competitors.Slide 6, showing a SWOT analysis of Samsung.

Research and Target

Slide 8, showing a collage of Gen-Z as the background with a summary quote on top.Slide 12, detailing a consumer journey map for purchasing a cell phone.Slide 13, detailing a possible persona, giving her bio, frustrations, favorite brands, and motivations.

Our Campaign

Slide 15, summarizing our campgain mission: flip the script.

Our Strategies

Best Buds Bundling

Slide 16, showing an overview of our Best Buds Bundling strategy.

Updated Landing Pages

Slide 17, detailing how Samsung's landing page could modified.

Building Influencers

Slide 19, giving an overview of how Samsung could build its influencer portfolio.

TikTok Challenges: Give to the Next & Finders Keepers

Slide 20, detailing how TikTok challenges could help improve Samsung's image.