Collegiate ECHO Direct/Interactive Marketing Challenge 

 

DMEF and Microsoft congratulate the winners of the 2009-2010 Collegiate ECHO Challenge, in partnership with Microsoft Advertising, Bing and Microsoft, Inc. We thank all who participated, all the faculty advisors and everyone who fanned our Collegiate ECHO Facebook page. The Challenge was open to all undergraduate and graduate students worldwide. 

 

To find out about the 2010-2011 Challenge, bookmark this page, and/or fan (or like) Direct Marketing Educational Foundation on Facebook (see the social links near the upper right of this page) and watch here for the announcement! 

 

About Microsoft

 

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. (microsoft.com)

 

 

About Microsoft Advertising

 

Microsoft Advertising provides advertisers and publishers with media, tools and services to drive deep and profitable engagement with their audiences. This includes a global media network of Microsoft properties such as MSN, Bing, Windows Live, Xbox LIVE, and partner properties such as Facebook, WSJ.com and Verizon. (advertising.microsoft.com)

 

About Bing™

 

On May 28, 2009, Microsoft Corp. unveiled Bing™, a new search engine and consumer brand. Bing takes a new approach to the user experience and has intuitive tools to help searchers make better decisions, focusing initially on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business. For additional information about Bing, and the vision behind its development, check out links to the Videos, Search Progression, Product Guide or Microsoft PressPass. (bing.com)

 

 

 

The Challenge (Option 1)

Bing is a relatively new brand on the market. Your challenge is to create a compelling marketing campaign, utilizing a combination of direct/interactive distribution channels that achieve the following objectives:

 

• Increase awareness of Bing & improve Bing brand favorability with target audience
• Generate 50,000 new purchases through Bing cashback (bing.com/cashback)
  

To accomplish this, you must have a clear understanding of the products, the target consumers and the marketplace.

 

The Challenge (Option 2)

The search box was one of the main reasons consumers downloaded toolbars. Now, popular browsers contain an embedded search box reducing the need to download additional toolbars. Your challenge is to develop the next generation of toolbar features that consumers value most and use direct/interactive distribution channels to market the new Bing Bar.

 

• What would the ideal Bing Bar look like, and what would it let you do?
• How would you position the Bing toolbar so that the target market tries it out?
• What response rates do you anticipate after launching your marketing campaign?

 

To better understand the toolbar environment explore some of popular ones on the market and their current functionality: MSN Toolbar, Yahoo Toolbar, Google Toolbar, ASK Toolbar and AOL Toolbar.

 

Benefits of Participation

 

• All participants will have the opportunity to submit their résumés to Microsoft along with their entry - experience with a Microsoft project such as this one is a résumé builder and has clout with the sponsor.
  
• Students will gain hands on experience in digital advertising through a real-world business case study challenge.
• Students will be encouraged to think about their direct/interactive marketing strategy on an international level.

 

See the Challenges here.

 

Questions?

Sorry - neither Microsoft nor DMEF is taking emails or phone calls - instead "Like" our Fan page on Facebook.  That's where we'll address all questions, post updates, provide news and spread  additional information about the competition.  Click the link below to find us:

Or, type Collegiate ECHO Challenge in the search box when you're on Facebook.