Marketing Expertise

 Apparently, most Americans don’t think they are living up to their creative potential – according to new research from Adobe only 39% of Americans say they are. If you want to see the data from Adobe for yourself, click here. At the same time, I am sure that most marketers would say being creative is an important characteristic to have. Okay, so what’s the definition of being creative?

Creativity has a wide variety of definitions. According to Wikipedia, there are over 100 definitions of creativity and being creative. But, there are some common themes – being able to see something new, unusual, and/or novel that is of some value or is useful in some way.

In Kelley Indianapolis' undergraduate marketing degree program, students have to develop a complete marketing plan for an existing, local brand. One of the reasons that these local companies work with Kelley students is because they are hoping the students will help them figure out something new and different they could be doing to be more successful. So, it makes sense that we might do some exercises to expand or highlight students’ creativity. Here’s one assignment. At the beginning of the semester, students are given the page below and told to come up with the most creative way to use these patterns.

This semester, I also encouraged them to not feel restricted to two dimensions – they could use these patterns in any creative manner that occurred to them. Over the next 10 weeks, I reminded them about the assignment and gave them the opportunity to pick up additional copies or patterns. Well, I was totally amazed at how creative some of our students are. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the most novel ways these patterns were used:

• How about a diorama of a foreign community or village?

• Anyone interested in a flower? Or, a pinwheel?

• Or a hanging twirlie?

• A caterpillar? Or, a set of coasters?

• 3D versions of the pattern?

• A story depiction of Fat Tire beer, a brand we’ve been analyzing all semester?

• Or substituting your face for one of the patterns?

• And even creating a fractal?

Bottomline – our students found a wide variety of novel ways to use these patterns several of which would also be quite useful. Which do you think is most creative?

As a marketing professor, I am always keeping my eyes open for examples of strong marketing. At the same time, I try to think of ways to help my marketing degree students experience these examples for themselves rather than having me just tell them about it.

For the last several years, I’ve kept track of TOMS Shoes. Actually, one of my students first shared the story of this company with me. He was one of those students who cared both about business and doing good. His team did a presentation about TOMS’ dual focus of making a profit and giving back to the community. In case you don’t know TOMS story, here’s the elevator pitch: With every shoe you purchase, TOMS gives one to a child in need. As part of his Amazing Race experience, Blake Mycoskie (TOMS’ founder) discovered a lot of children without shoes. He set up his company to help change that.

There are many things from a marketing perspective that TOMS does right:

• Product – the basic shoe is comfortable and interesting. They constantly change up the designs to keep customer interest. They work with designers to add extra cachet. They even have seasonal offerings. But, the basic shoe is great. Product also includes packaging, which again is a hit for TOMS. Check out the photo below from Savannah Smiled’s Tumblr(http://savannahsmiled.tumblr.com/). The box reminds you of the cause and TOMS story. Inside, there’s a shoe bag, a logo sticker and a letter from Blake.

• Price – these are definitely not the cheapest shoes around. But, that’s not really the point is it? Instead, the price point is acceptable (basic shoes are $44 - $58) especially when you realize that you are really buying two pairs – one for you and one for another. TOMS does little discounting; the most frequent is free shipping.

• Place – TOMS is primarily sold in their own online store. But, they can also be found online at Amazon and in select bricks & mortar stores including Nordstrom’s and independent specialty boutiques.

• Promotion – this is where TOMS excels. Great website. Having received TOMS emails for about 2 years, great email marketing strategy. TOMS also does all of the social media – twitter, Facebook, Pinterest. This year, they’ve direct mailed one catalog (which I know got my mom to buy another pair after seeing all her choices). And, the blog is very engaging. TOMS doesn’t rank in organic search for shoes, but that’s a highly competitive category. The cause marketing initiative “One Day Without Shoes" is where TOMS’ efforts are unparalleled. One April Tuesday every year, One Day Without Shoes asks people all over the world to take off their shoes to see what those without experience every day. This initiative has its own website, highly linked to TOMS of course. The website itself has a lot to offer – a robust story; an event locator and ability to register your own event; a national challenge to get organizations to register their members with a Blake party for the winner; downloadable event materials including rally signs, street stencils, DIY shirts, pocket cards, stickers, banners, displays and toolkits; an iPhone event locator app; videos; a photowall; even a way to do it virtually via Sims and all of the social sharing integrations you could want.

So, this year I asked my undergraduates to participate in this event for extra credit. Although they thought it was a way to earn bonus points, I hoped they would experience the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Lucky for me, my class meets on Tuesday so they could come to class without their shoes. Naturally, I too went without shoes for the day – yep, those blue toenails are mine.

Afterwards, they have to reflect on the day and share their thoughts with me. Their reflections covered a couple of key themes:

1. You become a champion of a cause and play a key role informing others:

“Fortunately, right before my M450, while walking through the hallway between the library and the business building, a student stopped me and thanked me for participating, claiming she did not have the courage to do so. It made me feel amazing. It’s funny how one person can make that big of a difference.”

 “Also, I realized that very few people are aware of this issue. With many people unaware of TOMS or the event, I found enjoyment in explaining my slightly kooky appearance in the middle of the library. I felt like I was an insider with great information about a good movement/cause.”

“I love being able to explain to people why I am walking around looking like a crazy person, it brings a spirit of humility upon me.”

“One thing that I learned during my experience of “One Day Without Shoes” was how much awareness that simply one person can make by going barefoot. I never believed it until I did it on April 10. More and more people kept on asking me about why I wasn’t wearing shoes and just like the website had mentioned raising awareness can be achieved by drawing attention to certain things.”

“It was cool how people would ask you the reasoning behind being barefoot, because I was able to spread the word about one day without shoes.”

2. Without shoes, you spend more of the day looking down to try and protect your feet:

“Before this experience, I didn’t realize how much I took shoes for granted. Every step I took was calculated and not one went without me looking down to see the next. I think it was a good experience to essentially walk a mile in someone else’s shoes... Only walking that mile barefoot. When I was walking barefoot outside, it was the thing on the top of my mind. Whereas when I have shoes on, I think about what I’m about to do next, what I have to do later that day, etc. I never think about the next step I’m going to take.”

“Today, I was without shoes. I spent a great deal of my time looking down in order to make sure I didn't step on anything sharp or jagged. Walking without shoes also made me walk a little slower than normal.”

3. Without shoes, your feet get dirty and they hurt:

“At times it was painful and agonizing to think about how dirty my feet were getting.”

“At the end of the day, my feet hurt in spots that don’t usually hurt!”

“My feet became very dirty and they were starting to ache after awhile.  I also realized that you use different muscles in your feet when you walk without shoes.”

4. We take our shoes for granted, worrying about which ones to buy rather than being glad we have them

“Sometimes I spend so much time shopping for the 'perfect' shoe when in all actuality I should be grateful to have shoes period. It is important at times to step back and be thankful for the basic needs of life.”

“We as Americans don’t realize how good we have it in our country. We take for granted the fact that the many people in the world do not have one pair of shoes while we all tend to have several pairs of shoes for different occasions.”

Dear TOMS Shoes –

Kelley School of Business Indianapolis undergraduate marketing students and I want to thank you for giving us an opportunity to undertake a worthy experiential education activity. 

We vow to go “One Day Without Shoes” again next year!

(FYI – in case you didn’t know, IUPUI won The Challenge in 2011 and Blake will be visiting our campus on April 30, 2012 to celebrate our efforts and share his story)

While I usually share ideas about marketing on this blog. Today, I am drawing from the right side of my brain to share some funny happenings at our house. Hope you enjoy the story.

“Why is my daughter calling my husband’s cell phone?” I wonder as I start to rouse in the middle of the night. Before I fully awake, I realize this is impossible – I saw her go to bed upstairs several hours ago. I roll over to go back to sleep thinking that the noise is coming from outside the house and wondering what can be making that strange ringtone-like sound?

Over breakfast the next morning, my husband and I discuss our last night’s sleep. Turns out we both were awoken several times by the weird, X-Files spooky, whirring and chirping. Neither of us recognizes the sound. Living on the lake, we are used to a wide variety of bird sounds – ducks and geese, blue herons, woodpeckers, song birds and even an occasional owl. But, this sound is new, different, annoying and LOUD.

We take in the view of the backyard, our pool and the lake from the sunroom where we eat breakfast. We notice our chocolate lab, Bella, is intently staring into the pool. Of course since it’s spring and still too cool for swimming, the pool is winterized with a discreet blue cover. Still, there are three to five inches of water on top from accumulated rains and melted snow. This water is gritty, murky and laden with dissolving leaves. She’s intently focused on something in the muck.

We head straight down to see what is amiss. Hah, looks like Bella has found a frog! But wait, in the pool skimming net we see the “frog” is actually a toad. Oh no, looks like we have March Madness in reverse. Our Elite Eight recruited their friends and we have a Sweet Sixteen. Apparently, it’s mating season in our pool. Mystery solved!?

Want to learn more about these slimy backyard friends? Check out their call at the Indiana DNR website.

Recently, Kissmetrics (which hosts one of my favorite marketing blogs) had a post called “What You Can Learn From These 10 Infographics.” So, here’s what I learned – mostly, I don’t like Infographics and they are multiplying at a rapid pace. Hope I don’t sound like too much of a wet blanket and grumpy academic. Kissmetrics tells us that although infographics have been around for decades (think about graphic representations of data you’ve seen in printed brochures), they have become the go-to tool of choice on the web. There are lots of good reasons why people are interested in infographics:

• Rich visuals are helpful in web marketing and search engine optimization – they showcase expertise, they are shareable and they can be linked to. Oh, and sometimes they go viral!
• They can be more engaging and content marketing is all about engaging your audience
• There’s so much data bombarding people today that they welcome something that makes data easier to understand

But, after viewing several hundred infographics over the last six months, I’ve come to a different conclusion – most Infographics give me a headache. So, here’s my list of reasons why:

1. Data Confusion. The point of an infographic is to help us “see” data more clearly. Many infographics are stuffed full of data, but they don’t actually help us see what the data mean. Instead, they take a lot of time to interpret. So, kudos to Time Inc. for a great infographic showing wear Americans live – you should definitely check out the visual at this link TIME INFOGRAPHIC
2. Data Inundation. My theory is that someone said, “Let’s stop making PowerPoint slide decks. Instead, let’s take 10 slides and smash them into one giant slide.” I actually like the content, look and feel of this St. Paddy’s Day infographic on Visual.ly. The graphics are easy to interpret – you can see the data quickly. But, they’ve jammed about 10 data tables into one graphic. I lost the point about halfway through. Maybe I am just lazy. But, I need my data chunked out in smaller bits.
3. Impossible to print or reuse. When I do find data I love and key points I want to make later in my classes and presentations, I can’t actually leverage the materials. These graphics are intended for the web. So, they are not traditional print sizes. And, because they are so visually dense, the file size is huge. Don’t believe me, just try it for yourself
4. The data gets dated. Because infographics are meant to be shared via the web, they tend to stay around for a long time. Even in the Kissmetrics post, they highlight two infographics where the data is stale. Even so, this infographic about the progress of BP relief well drilling in 2010 is cool to look at and pretty easy to interpret.

But, here’s the real challenge. As a quantitative marketer, I love data. I desperately want to see people taking data and making easier for others to visualize. So, I really, really want to like Infographics.  But alas, I keep finding myself disappointed. I am coming to believe that it might just take video to help us visualize data, especially big data. So, here’s my list of great videos that really helped me visualize data:

• Jer Thorpe talking about his experiments with data visualization and a new software he created to analyze twitter feeds based on NY Times stories – It’s a TED talks
• Visual.ly has an area where you can see the interactive timeline of how rumors spread – I like the one about the London Zoo
• Here’s another TED Talks where Drew Berry has found a way to visualize the molecular process of DNA replication. I am not even a biologist and I was captivated.

Granted, these videos take more time. But personally, I find them very engaging! Oh and I did truly appreciate this infographic one of our Kelley marketing students created last fall. I think it gets the point across nicely.

 So, what are your favorite infographics? What are you doing to help others see your data more clearly?

 In my last post, I mentioned how much I love snow skiing and shared my latest downhill ski adventure. I also love cross country skiing. Over Spring Break, I was out for a long, long cross country ski when it hit me that successful marketing ends up being a blend of these two types of snow skiing. How so? Well, let’s see what all three have in common:

• They get your heart pumping – in cross country, you are doing a lot of hard work that can leave you out of breath if you don’t hold back. Downhill is an adrenaline pumping rush of high speeds. But, great marketing can be an awesome rush too. When you launch a new product or new campaign and you see how well it’s working – the phones are ringing, people are clamoring to try it, prospects are saying, “yes, I do want to hear more”, you send an email and donations jump $1,000... It feels great!

• They take focused concentration – cross country skiing may look easy, but trust me that if you get your weight unbalanced, down you go. The speeds of downhill feel awesome, but you have to be looking out ahead of where you are going to make sure there are no hazards. And, marketing means being strategic – understand your prospects’ behavior, lay out a plan to change that behavior and be ready to adjust because every marketing plan needs adjusting in implementation. Oh yeah, and you better be monitoring how it’s working so you know when to adjust.

• They all take practice to master – need I say more?

• You have to expect the unexpected – there are very few flat surfaces in cross country skiing. Once you climb a hill, you never know what’s on the other side but it’s typically treacherous. After all, cross country skis are about as wide as your foot and not that easy to control. In downhill, it’s all fun until you are out of control or another skier suddenly looms right in front of you or you realize that the rest of the slope is covered in moguls (these are those large bumps on the slope) and exposed rocks. And, there are plenty of examples of marketing campaigns that went awry – how about product delays that leave buyers searching for your product since the ads were bought before you knew there was a delay, or a Groupon that’s so successful it crashes the website, or even worse, no one even noticed your latest campaign or product? In fact, when you are laying out your plan it probably makes sense to come up with Plan A, B and C.

• Finally, they all work better when you have great equipment and tools – in both kinds of skiing, better equipment usually means more comfort, more responsiveness and easier maneuvering. With marketing, better software makes it easier to create, manage and monitor what you are doing. But, I’d argue that marketers also benefit from the tools we typically teach in our marketing classes – frameworks for understanding what’s happening in a market and with customers, strategies for how to manage through these situations and best practice examples to guide future decisions.

Okay, so why do I say successful marketing is a blend of the two? Well, cross country skiing is a lot like the planning and strategizing part of marketing – you are doing a lot of hard work and you’ve got to have a bigger picture in mind. Most cross country trails are several miles in length and take you out to somewhere and back. You provide the power that gets you to your destination.

Downhill skiing, on the other hand, is a lot more like marketing execution. You get things started and watch how they unfold. Your job now is to keep things moving and remove hurdles along the way. The execution is all the more fun when you know you’ve already done the hard work to plan for success! Likewise, I relish my downhill skiing days after a day spent going cross country.

With all three, I’m glad I still have plenty of time to practice my craft. If you believe Malcom Galdwell's assertion in Outliers, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to be freakishly great at something. So, at least with skiing I've got quite a long way to go!

While I love teaching students working on their marketing degrees, I have to admit that I do look forward to Spring Break because it usually means a chance to get in some snow skiing. I've gotta be honest, downhill skiing is one of my favorite activities. And, there is a limited window of time when you can easily do it. Plus, skiing at spring break gives me a chance to reflect how what's happening in my classes and rethink how I want to finish out the semester.

Now, I've been skiing for quite a while...let's just say more than 20 years. And, I've been using the same skis since before Dick's bought Galyan's (which was some time in 2004). I know this because my right ski still has a Galyan's label on it. But, when it comes to skiing my motto has been "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

But still, even a loyalist like me sometimes lets their eyes be distracted by a bright new shiny toy - you got it, the latest rocker skis. So today, I demo'd a pair. And, they were really playful. A few runs hitting some moguls and I was feeling very comfortable and confident. So, we decided to head into the bowls. Now, those of you not familiar with bowls might not realize that these are considered "extreme" trails. Actually, trails is an overstatement as they are more typically just snow-covered ground through the woods on steep faces of the mountains. You make your own trail, being as aggressive as you dare.

So, we hit The North Face and Hawk's Nest. At this point, we could have taken the "easier way" to the "Paradise Lift". But, we felt good and decided to take the risk of doing even harder slopes. Then, we hit the Sock-It-To-Me Ridge followed by The Last Steep. As we were making our way down what was clearly the steepest slope of the day, I started to go across some rocks and in seeking a way to avoid them lost my confidence and my edge and started sliding right down the mountain sideways. Then, my first ski flew off. I figured that wasn't good and really jammed my remaining ski in to try and stop. Instead, I had too much momentum and rolled head over heels. I figured this was not good, but as they say, "a rolling stone gathers no moss." Neither did I.

Lest you worry, the story ends well. I eventually stopped sliding downhill and was completely uninjured. The picture at the right gives you sense of how steep the mountain was. And, I only started sliding about 2/3 of the way down which although hidden behind the trees was actually the steepest part. As I picked myself up and tried to find my 2 skis and 2 poles, I started reflecting on how I had survived. Then, it hit me that it was much like the last corporate reorg that I survived. So, here are my rules of survival:

1. Protect your head. In skiing, this means wearing a helmet (which I did). In a corporate life, this means finding some powerful mentors to shield you. Of course, it helps to have these folks in place before the reorg starts
2. Tuck your head in. In either situation, having your head or neck sticking out is probably too risky right now
3. Bring your arms and legs in as close to your body as possible. Your goal is to avoid peripheral damage. Same as #2 above in terms of the payoff for taking a risk
4. Be calm because this too will pass. Don't panic and start acting crazy. Take deep breaths. Find your "happy" place...
5. When it's all over, breathe a sigh of relief and thank god you were lucky this time.

I am not suggesting that knowledge, experience, and capabilities have nothing to do with survival. Quite the opposite. Being knowledgeable and increasing knowledge through education definitely help. I've been scuba trained and have done rescue first aid training several times. Experience gained through hard work help ensure you are doing the right things most of the time. And, both of these traits will help others want to support you. Still, I do believe that every now and then we all need a little luck. And boy did I feel lucky today!

One final thought - always remember your support team too. While I was busy shaking all the snow off and checking to make sure I was intact, my constant support team known as my husband was at the ready to jump in and help out when he could. This time, it was just to help recover skis and poles. But boy was I thankful he was there.

Today, trying something new was a calculated risk. While that risk had a few questionable moments, in the end it paid off: I found a new pair of skis that help me perform better than before, I had an awesome day, and I had an adventure worth sharing with others. What's your next calculated risk?

On Friday March 2^nd, Kelley hosted its 66^th Annual Business Conference in downtown Indy. I always look forward to attending this conference as it gives me a chance to take a deep breath and think about something more than what’s going on in my classes. But, this year I was especially excited given the theme of “Incite Innovation”. You know it’s going to be a great day when you start by hearing what John Kao and Ray Kurzweil are thinking (click on their names if you want to see what they are up to). And, they both had some very interesting and futuristic ideas to share. But as a marketer, I really enjoyed the luncheon talk by Don Knauss, Chairman of the Board and CEO of The Clorox Company. He shared several ideas that anyone working on their undergraduate marketing degree or marketing MBA needs to remember:

1. It’s not competition that will kill your business, it’s not paying attention to customers that will kill it. So many companies seem to focus on what others are doing instead of understanding what customers are doing. Customers’ needs change. If you don’t keep up with them, they’ll find their own alternatives and fire you.

2. In order to innovate, you have to start with what problem customers are trying to solve. Then, apply advanced technologies to help them solve that existing problem. My favorite example was how Clorox has improved Glad Bags. People want to send less plastic to landfills. But, trash bags that rip are a nightmare. So, Clorox borrowed collaborated with P&G to bring diaper technology to create a stretchy, thinner trash bag.

3. Be careful when you are trying to understand what customers want. Often, they aren’t great at figuring out what they really want or need. But, they are great at complaining. So, figure out what problems are causing them to complain. We used to call this Problem Detection research. It’s still a great idea for existing products and services. Sometimes now, we refer to this as focusing on the Customer Experience.

4. Let’s not forget the macroenvironmental trends. Since innovations are only good when people want to buy them, it helps to look forward at trends that might be impacting your customers. Clorox apparently looked at future trends and identified four that they think will affect their products: 1) Increasing concern for health and being healthy, 2) Making sure that what we are doing leads to a sustainable future, 3) Keeping products and services affordable (a nice way to say we are more price-sensitive), and 4) An increasingly multicultural US consumer. As they choose between innovations to move forward, they compare them to this set of trends and tweak their improvements or prioritize them against future potential.

Thanks, Don. It was great to be reminded about how to understand customers and innovate solutions to keep them happy and productive using our products. So marketers, let's create the innovations that add value and excite our customers to support our brands!

An article in the Indy Star a week or so ago caught my attention. The headline reads: Gum may not stick around. My first thought was, “What are they talking about? I love gum.” Well, hold on. The main thrust of the article is that gumball machines are falling out of favor. While I was surprised to discover that only 27% of gumball machines dispense gumballs any more, it does make sense. Those huge gumballs are not really a great experience – they are huge and sometimes hard to bite into. When you do bite one, you sometimes discover that it was kind of stale. But even worse, you get a big, immediate shot of sugar that quickly disappears. Instead, you are left with a flavorless bit that’s often difficult to chew. So, I do get why we are not chewing too many gumballs any more.

But, the end of the article suggests that total gum sales are down in 2011. So, this data also made me pause. How is it that Americans are chewing less gum than they used to? So, I set my undergraduate marketing degree students to figure out what’s going on. We started by brainstorming what needs chewing gum fulfills, that is what job do people hire gum to do? Here’s what we came up with:

• Freshen your breath
• Remove food from your teeth after eating
• Give you something to do when you are bored
• Stave off hunger so you can avoid calories
• Keep your mouth wet when you are thirsty
• Help you quit smoking
• Get your vitamins

Then, we started thinking about all of the alternatives to meet these needs. It turns out that there are lot so alternatives. Think about some of the new choices we have:

• Mints and Mouthwashes – there are plenty of new choices here including all kinds of long lasting ones. They’ve innovated functional features too.
• Anyone hear of Wisps, the baby on-the-go tooth brushes?
• iPhone and other smartphone apps – I don’t know about you but I am almost never bored when I have my iPhone.
• Low cal snacks – hey the snack people discovered people were worried about their health and we have an explosion of 100 calorie, baked and other better for you options.
• Waters – what kind of water do you like: tap (on the go Brita filter bottles), flavors (any, and I do mean any flavor can be found), and even vitamin-enhanced

This is one of the ongoing challenges for marketers. Part of getting your marketing degree is learning how to figure out who your real competition is. Your real competition is always changing. It’s not just the alternatives in your own product category you have to think about. You also have to monitor all those options that can substitute for your category and do the same job you do. The customer is hiring a product after all, not a product category. So, think more broadly – what other choices are preventing your brand from being chosen?

One of the key ideas I share in my marketing MBA and undergrad courses is that marketing is much broader than advertising. Yes, we use a lot of examples of advertising to help key concepts come alive. And yes, there are a lot of marketers who basically spend their days creating advertising or marketing communications of some sort. And, probably if you ask a bunch of salespeople what marketers do, they’d say, “create ads.” But, I do like to stress that “Promotions” is just one of the aspects of marketing.

Okay, I realize that some people will disagree with me right from the start when I tell students there are 4Ps in Marketing – Promotions, Product, Price and Place (Distribution). Of course, I also tell them (although I might not repeat it enough to really stick) that not everyone agrees about the 4Ps. Actually, what I say is that one way to think about Marketing is via the 4Ps. We can argue whether there are 4, 5, 6, 7 or an infinite number of Ps. But, really what I want them to realize is that there are multiple dimensions to marketing that should work together to accomplish a brand’s positioning and market goals. I suspect they kind of feel beat over the head with this idea based on an email I received last week:

I was reading this article this morning and noticed that a PROFESSOR at George Washington said the goal of marketing is to create some sort of buzz, create memorable campaigns, something edgy. But I associated these comments more with advertising than marketing. I know advertising is a part of marketing, but I thought it was interesting that the quote sounded like she was substituting advertising for marketing.
http://news.yahoo.com/nd-tourism-director-ad-wasnt-meant-racy-000559311.html

Right away, I was proud of this student for asking a great question. But being curious like I am, I went ahead and clicked the link to see what had caused this brouhaha for a Kelley student. That’s when a bolt of lightning struck me – in some markets, maybe the domain of marketing is mostly that promotions “P”. The quote above was about a campaign for tourism to North Dakota that was quite controversial. Well, let’s put on our North Dakota Tourism Marketer’s hat: you have no control over Product (ND either has fun places to visit or not, you don’t create fun places), or Price (individual locations set their prices), and very little over Place (actually, New Zealand has done an awesome job of helping people buy their NZ destinations online). So, what the marketer really controls is how it is promoted. To this marketer, it is possible that marketing=advertising.

I contrast to one of our Kelley supporters up the road in Carmel, IN – Delta Faucet (click if you want to check them out). The marketing group at Delta Faucet not only recognizes the importance of all 4Ps, but product development and R&D report into the marketing function. Great, innovative products are a key component of their brand strategy. So, it makes sense that product development should be tightly aligned with the rest of the marketing team.

So, I guess my new advice to our students seeking marketing degrees is to understand what the real domain of marketing should be in your product category. If it really is primarily advertising, then do it really, really well. But, if there is any way to see marketing more broadly, try to manage that too. So, what’s the domain of marketing in your product/service category?

• Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance
• Stamina
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Power
• Speed
• Coordination
• Agility
• Balance
• Accuracy

Bottomline, Crossfit is a hard-charging, get your body in peak shape kind of workout. I don't know about you, but I am sure my body could stand some improvement. Of course, the key to being successful to these kinds of hard workouts is having a coach who teaches you proper technique and helps keep you from doing too much, too fast. As experienced Crossfitters and certified coaches, Peter and Jared are prepared to do just that.

For my part, it's great to see our grads taking charge of their destinies and committing themselves to something they feel passionate about. So, check out Crossfit Naptown and say "hi" to a couple of our Kelley grads. http://www.crossfitnaptown.com/

Oh yeah, here's Peter showing off what Crossfit has done for him!

Watch Peter with fellow Kelley alumnus and business partner Jared Byczko discuss running their own business.

These four years of college have gone by quick! I feel like just yesterday I was a senior at Brownsburg High School, and now I will be a graduate from the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis in May. It actually seems pretty crazy to me, and a little bit scary. It feels like there are so many questions I don’t know the answer to. Will I be able to find a job? What if I don’t end up liking my job? Should I go back to school?

It was never a question of whether I would go to college or not, rather a question of where. I remember visiting several different campuses, and finally deciding on Indiana University Bloomington. I knew IU was an excellent school, and it was also a plus that a lot of my friends from high school were going there too. Unfortunately, after my first semester I decided that Bloomington was not for me. The campus was too big, and I couldn’t find my place. I moved back home and transferred to IUPUI in the spring. I figured I would finish my basic freshman courses and then transfer somewhere else. Instead, I decided I wanted to major in business and that the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis just might be what I was looking for. Turns out, it was!

I have had many great experiences at IUPUI as a Kelley student, and my M450 class is one that stands out. Taking this course has been very eye opening for me. Since I decided on a marketing major, I have not been exactly sure what my purpose as a marketer will be. I never even considered the opportunities in the field of social entrepreneurship. Finally, I began to understand the importance of marketing and the impact it can have. My first impression of M450 was that it would just be another marketing class with another group project to worry about. I was wrong! I don’t feel like I’m just working on a group project as a student in M450. I feel like I am actually working as a marketer. This class has allowed me to gain real life experience, and I look forward to using these experiences as I further my marketing career.

This post was written by Ashley Patterson as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.

I have a love-hate relationship with many things…sleeping in, watching the Colts play this season, autocorrect on my phone, and last but not least my marketing strategy class.

It has been very exciting this being my last semester of undergrad at the Kelley School of Business, but it has also been my most challenging one. I decided to take Marketing Strategy this semester and when I first saw the syllabus I was actually very excited. I saw the focus of the class would be a project where we would get to do all the marketing for an event called Homeward Bound, which is a walk to raise money for organizations that help the homeless in Indianapolis. (For more info on this event check out this link: http://homewardboundindiana.org/central) It sounded like an awesome idea and something that could be fun, especially considering how much I love planning events.

As the semester began, I suddenly started to realize that the project was actually going to take a lot of work. As we began planning, we just kept running into more and more obstacles and I began to get a little overwhelmed with it all. I had never really gotten an opportunity in a class that allowed the students to participate in the marketing and planning of something real. I went from making marketing decisions for a made up company to making them for an event that was actually going to happen and several organizations were dependent on the outcome and how well we perform. It was a scary change, but also a much needed reality check, because after this year when I go and work for a company, my decisions will matter, and if something doesn’t work there will be real consequences not only for myself, but for others also.

Marketing Strategy has been one of my classes that has required more of my time, but it also one that I will be able to put on my resume and look back and say that I made a difference in my community because of the work I had done in that class. Ya know that’s just about how all love-hate relationships work isn’t it? Even though auto correct on my phone drives me insane some days and I’ll just want to be done with it, I know most days it makes my life easier. Same with my Marketing Strategy class, even though some days I feel like it could be a full time job within itself, I know that the real world experience I am getting from it is just want it need especially in my last year of school. And the purpose behind the whole project-the idea coming together to help others-is what I love.

This post was written by Megan Kuntz as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.

Have you ever looked at the syllabus for a class and thought, ‘Oh my goodness, how will I ever survive?’ I know I’m not the only one that has felt this way a time or two! After reading the ever-so-long 14-page syllabus for M450 I definitely felt overwhelmed. But it wasn’t the 14 pages that really got to me, or the ‘Welcome to the Real World’ heading, or even the list of group and individual assignments. The thing that scared me the most was the thought of organizing a walk from start to finish all in just a few short months. Granted I realized I wasn’t going to be on my own and had a teacher who likely knew about event planning more than I could fathom but I was still scared to death!

Looking back across the semester, I have been able to think about how I took the overwhelming thoughts of M450 and broke down the class in order to succeed. I’ve learned throughout my college career that many tasks can seem much more manageable by breaking them down piece by piece. This is usually when I do my best work.

The most obvious way of breaking down tasks was by assignment. However, I also took it one step further. With each assignment or task I have broken each one down even further by brainstorming first, having a rough draft or five, and then finishing with my final product. Even if this means sitting down at the computer and typing the title and coming back to it later, it helps. I have found by doing it in increments, I can adjust it in different ways and finish with the best I have to offer. This approach can be used throughout many other classes and in the real world.

One last secret to success I have utilized throughout M450 and college so far is to use your resources! My biggest resource and one that people are often afraid to use is your group. You may be afraid of ‘slacking’, letting others do the work, and other common phobias of working in groups. However, a large part of college and life is working with others so why not use the help while you can? Other resources students forget to use include teachers, librarians, and the library itself. That’s what you pay for!

In the end, I would recommend using a few of my secrets to success to ease the pain when you come across those daunting 14-page syllabi. It will be worth it and make the process much less stressful. Also, remember that whatever you do in college, at work, in M450-have fun!

This post was written by Wenting Jiang as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.

Two photos were taken on Nov. 10, 2011 after sunset, beautiful Indy downtown.

After sunshine is gone, lights are on, the city is quiet. It looks peaceful and beautiful. However, you don’t know what is really going on under the beauty. A photo can be out of focus; citizens can only focus on the superficialities. However, who is going to check out another side of the city?

This is just another regular night for homeless people, and they are looking for places where they may stay over night in this cold coming winter. Is there anything we can do to make their nights differently?

Homeward Bound Central Indiana is helping raising money to fight homelessness:

“Join us for a one-mile walk through downtown Indianapolis as we come together for an important cause: ending homelessness in Central Indiana.”

This is one the most valuable and meaningful things I’ve ever done: creating this event with my classmates from Marketing Strategy class (M450) at the Kelley School of Business. I am doing is what I am learning. What I am doing is helping to solve social problems. The Semester will end, but supporting the community will never end.

Join this event to show your support! It is not only about fundraising, but also about changing our homeless neighbors’ lives. Little things together can make a big difference.

On December 19, 2011, 5:30 PM - 8:30PM, 222 East Market Street, Downtown Indianapolis. Join our walking teams to be a supporter!

BLOG: http://wentingmkt.tumblr.com/

This post was written by Karey Hammond as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.

I remember high school graduation like it was yesterday. It seemed each and every conversation included questions along the lines of, “Where do you want to be in five years?” At the time, I really wasn’t sure. Now with graduation from the Kelley School of Business-Indianapolis(KSBI) approaching, I look back on what I’ve accomplished in the past four years. What I quickly realize is that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of peers, professors, friends, family and even strangers. The support I have received continues to motivate me to take advantage of opportunities to help others.

This semester, my marketing strategy course has given my peers and I a chance to make a difference in Indianapolis. Not to mention, it provides us with real-world marketing experience. By carrying out the entire marketing campaign for the 2011 Central-Indiana Homeward Bound event we have an opportunity to give help and hope to our homeless neighbors.  The thing is, 52 students and one professor can’t make the event a success alone. Each person who joins the cause by registering to walk, making a donation or volunteering makes a difference.

My group is in charge of the email campaign for the event. We have been lucky enough to receive expertise from our mentors Brenda Bishop and Matt Borden. Not only have they become aware of the cause, but they have truly become part of our team. They have provided us with experience, knowledge, guidance, and support that will let us reach a level of success we couldn’t have reached alone. No doubt about it.

This isn’t to say we didn’t face any roadblocks. In fact, there were many. And I must admit there were moments when I wondered if we could even pull it off. In the end it was the motivation and teamwork that allowed us to send out our messages and we look forward to a successful event.

As the typical graduation questions already made their way into conversation, I still have some uncertainty about where I will be in the future. But the experience I have gained at KSBI has made me certain that I have countless opportunities to make an impact on the world by joining forces with the people around me.

This post was written by Tom Mitrani as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.

Going to IUPUI has been one of the best experiences in my life. I have learned more from my teachers and students that I thought possible.

Going into M450 has been a life altering, mind challenging journey that was both unexpected and exciting. I went into this class thinking it was going to be just another everyday grind reading textbooks and taking exams week after week. Boy was I totally wrong.

M450 is unique because we actually have a project that seriously affects people in our community. Our whole class has a goal or should I say mission to raise has much money and support for a very good cause. We are in charge of designing a walk for the homeless. When I say designing I really mean that we are responsible for every single aspect that goes into creating a CHARITY WALK It sounds simple, just get some people together and donate some money and go walk around for a bit….not that easy!!! For my own experience it has been challenging and also fun. I started out in a group that was supposed to generate money from sponsorships. That means calling different companies up and meeting with them and trying them to be our lead sponsor or simply a sponsor that gives our cause a little money for their name on a t-shirt. Next I heard of a different group that was in charge of e-mail and data marketing. My teacher (Kim Saxton) who is great by the way said this was a new group where you could learn the ins and outs of this new and exciting trade. So I was hooked I wanted to learn something new. I joined this group and my work schedule did not coincide with my other group members. Professor Saxton realized this and she noticed that I was taking the initiative with some of the resources at work by creating by own corporate team so she decided that it would be better for me to go solo.

Very GOOD decision! Right know I have created my own team with my company and I am recruiting new members as we speak. I am using the resources from some of our customers and different charity organizations to spread the word of our charity walk. The flexibility awarded to me by Professor Saxton is one of the main reasons that IUPUI Kelley School of Business is so great! They don’t treat you as just a student, they know that you are an adult and they have the trust that the skills and hard work that you but into your college career will shine with whatever obstacles that you might encounter.

This post was written by Paige Civils as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.


I have never had a class quite like M450 which I guess is bit out of my comfort zone. After reviewing the syllabus I was pretty excited when I saw there were no tests, and the class would only meet about half as much as my others. When I was told my classmates and I were in charge of organizing a community event, my excitement began to decline. I thought that’s crazy, what do we know about organizing events. Knowing agencies were depending on our efforts was a bit scary.

After getting over the initial shock I began realizing how planning the Homeward Bound Community Event was one of the most useful experiences of my college career. I was on my own and was responsible for making things happen. This does not mean it was easy, I quickly learned from my mistakes along the way. No matter how detailed of a timeline my team made, we could never stick to it.  Making connections with those in the workforce would be our best friend; Google could not provide us with all the answers.

Contrary to past experiences our professor was actually there to help us, making the process much easier. Our mentors really took an interest in us, and went to the extent of providing my team members with career leads. I was impressed with the fact that this was not just another school project; it was a resume worthy experience. I met great people along the way, while helping the community. What could be better than that?

So if you are looking for a real world opportunity to apply the material you have learned throughout your Kelley career, I encourage you to enroll in BUS-M450.

This post was written by Natalie Davis as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.

You know, when I first came to IUPUI I had little interest in being involved in the community and definitely didn’t expect to get college credit for it. Now, four years later, I have a different outlook on working with not-for-profit organizations, thanks to the Kelley School. And you’d never believe the number of ways participating in bettering the community has benefited me. My first year here, I worked with a group at the Dayspring Center to provide shelter, clothing, and meals to homeless families in Indianapolis. It was the first time I had seen the homeless situation in Indianapolis or lended a hand to those suffering from it. In M450, a senior marketing class, I’m working on a larger scale to help the homeless individuals of Indianapolis. We’re organizing and promoting the Homeward Bound Central Indiana walk as an effort to end homelessness. These and other community activities through IUPUI have truly opened my eyes to a world I had never seen before.

When you join IUPUI you can definitely expect to become active in the local community. While the out-of-class work sometimes seems dreadful, it really has enabled me to learn so much. From my experiences I have benefited internal and in the business world.

Internal Benefits:

·         Opens mind to a world not formally familiar with

·         Become part of a much larger movement

·         Personally contribute to bettering my community

·         Evokes a good feeling in a sometimes dark world

External Benefits:

·         Work with people and face real world problems

·         Broaden network for future for through meeting people

·         Looks great on resumes

·         Develop skills as a leader, in communicating and with organization

With such busy schedules, we often don’t have time to gain work experience while in school; these community activities have given me the opportunity to gain experience outside class work. You’d be shocked at the number of times I have referred back to these community services in interviews for internships and jobs. Joining the Kelley school or IUPUI provides students with a gateway to a better education through great schooling, culture and community involvement.

This post was written by Kelly Brown as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.

I vividly remember being in high school, sitting through lectures and thinking to myself, “I will never use any of this information in real life!” I often dreamed about college classes, and how what I was learning would actually be relevant to my career…or at least interesting. My educational experience at the Kelley School of Business has been everything I’d hoped for and then some.

As a graduate, you have thousands of colleges to choose from, so why not choose one that values teaching its students skills that you can actually use in real life?

With spring graduation rapidly approaching, I have chosen four things I have taken from my experience at Kelley:

#1-You Get Out of the Experience What You Put Into It

One of my biggest regrets during my time at Kelley was that I did not get involved with any student organizations. Student organizations are a great way to meet other students outside of the classroom in a fun, social setting, while gaining leadership skills and experience as an organization member.

#2-You Can Make a Difference

For those of you who think social entrepreneurs are only the Bill Gates’ of the world, think again. A required class for marketing majors, M450 takes seniors and turns them into social entrepreneurs. You and your classmates are given the reins to plan a fundraising event that will greatly impact the lives of less fortunate within your community.  

#3-Not For the Faint of Heart

Countless hours in the library, studying on Saturdays, group meetings, pulling all-nighters to write papers…all things that occurred on a regular basis during my time at Kelley. Juggling work, school and a social life is definitely frustrating, but seeing all your hard work pay off at graduation makes it all worth it.

#4-Group Projects Actually Have a Point

Let’s face it, Kelley is big on group projects. Now if you’ve never really been a big fan of working with others…get over it. You will participate in what feels like a million group projects over your Kelley career that I guarantee you will be your greatest source of frustration, but in the end, you gain valuable critical thinking and problem solving skills that can be applied in your post-graduate career.

Photo Source: http://t1.thpservices.com/fotos/thum4/008/354/bdl-016450bl.jpg

This post was written by Sean Mccarthy as an assignment in M450 Fall 2011.

I was stumped. 

All decisions until I reached college regarding school had been selected for me: what classes I would take, who my instructors would be, and what I would learn.   When I was nearing the end of my high school career, I was cautiously selecting a university and resiliently choosing a course of study.

I realized that I could always transfer schools and select a different major if necessary, but I didn’t want to go through all of the trouble.

I knew that the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis (KSBI) was a member of the Kelley School of Business family, which ranks among one of the country’s best business schools as ranked by publications like Business Week, U.S. News & World Report, and the Wall Street Journal.

After joining, I found that the KSBI incorporates all aspects of business within each class and ultimately transformed my thinking. About everything.

As a marketing student, I am currently working on a project in a Marketing Strategies course at the KSBI that works with a local charitable organization to raise funds for homeless agencies. This organization, The Indiana Association for Community Economic Development (IACED), hosts a walk each year known as “Homeward Bound”.

As a class, we have undertaken the entire marketing campaign for Homeward Bound 2011-Central Indiana, meaning the success of this year’s walk depends completely on student efforts.

My team specifically has assumed the responsibilities for creating an email marketing campaign that will target potential walkers, donors, and volunteers. I am thrilled about the amount of invaluable real-world experience I am receiving from this project. At the same time, I am learning a ton about email marketing and making great networking connections. (Not to mention, this project will look great on my résumé)

Projects like these are only a fraction of what the KSBI has to offer. And after all, business is a large part of life. In fact, I consider myself a business.

Once I graduate college I will have to sell my product, which consists of my skills, intellect, etc. Who will buy my product? Will it be the employer I hope for? Will my product overthrow the competition?

I’ve transformed my thinking.  And by joining the KSBI, I have enabled myself to build the brightest business possible, all while strengthening my résumé and gaining real-world experience.