SOB Marketing Students Win Big in National and Regional Competitions
CNU Luter School of Business marketing students Lucas Dalton, Amber Godfrey, Tiffany Swiney, and Terri White received an unprecedented three awards for their marketing plan for Hallmark Cards. Our students placed second in the nation, receiving the Silver ECHO for their entry in the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation's (DMEF) National Collegiate ECHO Competition. They also received the Silver MAXI and a special award for the best direct mail package in a regional competition sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association of Washington Educational Foundation (DMAWEF).

This was the first time that CNU students competed in these contests. Over 240 teams from 114 universities submitted entries for the national competition. Unlike most schools that make the ECHO competition a marketing class assignment, CNU students prepared their entry as an extra curricular activity. Faculty advisors Drs. Lisa Spiller and Carol Scovotti worked with the ECHO team over a three-month period in the evenings and on weekends to help them complete their project on schedule.

The DMEF is the educational arm of the Direct Marketing Association. Its mission is to support the academic community as it prepares students for careers in direct marketing. The Collegiate ECHO Competition gives students an opportunity to turn theory into practice.

This year students were challenged to combine their knowledge, research and creativity to prepare a direct marketing plan for the corporate sponsor, Hallmark Cards, Inc. ECHO entries were judged by direct marketing industry leaders and senior marketing members from Hallmark. Our students conducted research to identify key segments among the target market. They used the results of their research to define an overall marketing strategy, establish a media plan and create advertising materials. Their entry also included a comprehensive return on investment and budget analyses.

The Direct Marketing Association of Washington Educational Foundation invited colleges and universities in the Mid-Atlantic States to submit their ECHO entries for a regional competition, the MAXI - Marketing Award for Excellence and Innovation. Distinguished industry professionals of the DMAW judged almost 100 entries. CNU students were awarded second place in the overall competition. They were also awarded the Guy Yolton Award for Creative Direct Mail, presented to the team that creates the best direct mail package.

Involvement in direct marketing competitions fits in well with the School of Business' new direct/interactive marketing specialization. The curriculum change from the traditional to the interactive approach was prompted by demand in the marketplace. Today marketers strive to cultivate long-term customer relationships as they have come to realize that it is more effective to retain and develop a loyal customer base than to continually recruit new ones. CNU is one of the few undergraduate institutions nationwide to implement a degree program in direct/interactive marketing.

The new CNU marketing curriculum builds on the fundamentals of direct/interactive marketing to help students understand that its use supports the organization's mission and strategic business initiatives. Students learn how to develop and use customer research, databases, telephone marketing, direct mail, Internet, print advertising and package designs to maximize customer satisfaction.

Congratulations to the ECHO team and their faculty advisors!