Marketing Strategy Competition

The marketing strategy competition sponsored by Colony Brands, Inc. & Affiliates involves a pre-conference written submission. Selected finalists will present to the sponsor on the day of the conference.

Download the Marketing Strategy Competition DetailsSponsored by Colony Brands, Inc. & Affiliates

What is the Marketing Strategy Competition?

Develop a launch marketing strategy for Colony Brands that would support a new digital-only e-commerce brand that appeals to Gen X females. While Colony Brands operates several omnichannel brands, your task is to identify a new opportunity while defining the product assortment, brand concept and positioning, and creating a digital-first marketing plan to help launch the new brand. For inspiration, you should consider the product assortment at three existing sub-brands: Montgomery Ward, Ashro, and Beauty Boutique. A successful strategy should help Colony Brands:

Define the product assortment for the new brand including:(a) Which product lines should be included? (b) What existing product categories from Montgomery Ward, Ashro, and Beauty Boutique would you prioritize/why? (c) What adjacent or new categories do you recommend this new brand offer/why?
Clearly articulate the brand concept and positioning for this new digital-first business.
Outline a comprehensive marketing strategy for launching this brand online, including: (a) What tactics will best reach and resonate with Gen X females? (b) How you recommend building awareness, driving engagement, and encouraging first-time purchases?

Things to Consider

(1) What existing e-commerce brands outside of Colony Brands do you view as key competitors and what are they doing to target Gen X females?

(2) What creative strategies most appeal to Gen X today and in the future?

(3) How to position your new brand to be more appealing to Gen X females?

(4) Which digital marketing channels/tactics do you recommend, and how should messaging strategies be differentiated by specific channel/tactic?

(5) What are the most important go-to-market ideas to launch the new brand?

Marketing Strategy Evaluation Elements

Teams should use the following as headings in your plan.

Competitor Audit (20%). MUST INCLUDE at least four (4) core competitors identified by your team.
Internal Audit (of product assortment and current creative and tactical strategy) (20%). Make sure to include SWOT and Perceptual Maps related to how the product assortments and positioning of your new brand relates to the Gen X and younger targets. Where do the assortments overlap? What gaps or new opportunities exist?
Digital Concept, Brand, & Strategic Platform (10%). Define the concept for your new digital-only brand including a proposed brand name, core product categories and rationale, primary/secondary target markets within the Gen X female segment, and a positioning statement summarizing your proposed brand’s unique value.
Marketing Launch Strategy & Messaging Tactics (35%):
- Marketing touchpoints (e.g., web landing page, banner ad, paid search, etc.) have varying space to convey messages. For example, paid search ads have character limits, large banner ads have more space than smaller ads, etc. Marketers must therefore prioritize which key messages to communicate via the different touchpoints that are part of their marketing plan.
- You should identify and evaluate at least five (5) messages your research suggests will resonate for Gen X regardless of tactic as part of the brand’s digital launch.
- Create a matrix of digital touchpoints you recommend using and rank the TOP THREE messages you would prioritize for each channel (differentiate across channels). Digital marketing channels for Gen X should be selected and justified based on your research.
Creative Execution (10%): Create a mock-up for a (1) the brand logo, and (2) at least two digital touchpoint mock-ups. Make sure to include messaging from the matrix you developed. Additional mock-ups of digital treatments may be included as seen fit.
Testing and Evaluation (5%): Outline how you recommend Colony Brands measure the effectiveness of your plan, prior to and after launch.

View Competition Results

Have questions?

Contact Rafa Alvarez-Reyes (alvarezrrj09@uww.edu) or Mallory Michalski (michalskmj05@uww.edu) for more info.

About Colony Brands & Country Door

Colony Brands together with its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, is a multifaceted enterprise consisting of numerous multichannel retail brands, operational support companies and a portfolio of affiliate businesses. Headquartered in Monroe, Wisconsin, Colony Brands delivers an array of products and services to its customers and clients. Since 1998, Country Door (CD) (https://www.countrydoor.com) has been a trusted catalog brand offering customers an enjoyable home furnishings and décor shopping experience. CD, a subsidiary of Colony Brands, Inc., is a leading catalog and online retailer offering a wide assortment of home furnishings and accents that deliver the style and quality today’s value-conscious shoppers expect.

INFORMATION ABOUT COLONY BRANDS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Colony Brands Internship Program

(Visit with Colony Brands during the Regional Conference Career Corner)

Colony Brands, Inc., headquartered in Monroe, WI, consists of numerous multichannel retail brands, several operational support companies and a portfolio of affiliate businesses. Colony Brands offers consumers catalog and online shopping across an exciting selection of products including apparel, shoes, home décor and furnishings, outdoor, health and beauty, electronics, toys, food and gifts. Colony Brands has offered a strong internship and co-op program for more than 40 years and hires approximately 75 interns annually across marketing and other business disciplines.

The Colony Brands Internship Program provides hands-on, purposeful experience with significant responsibilities giving students great resume value and industry insight as they start their career. Interns also receive:

Additional training on topics that range from business communication to emotional intelligence to help support the transition from college to career
Service opportunities to give back
Social events to help students meet and have fun with their colleagues
Generous pay and benefits