Is it Friday already?

I am sorry for slacking this week on the Blog, but time just seemed to disappear. Studying for midterms has taken its toll, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. Let me bring you up to speed.

Last Friday, S.C. Johnson came for an Applied Learning. David and Gabe gave us two case studies to delve into. First, we looked at the Scrubbing Bubbles Automated Shower Cleaner. I am sure you have heard of this. It was the thing you put in the shower, pushed the button, and it sprayed your shower with Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner—pretty cool concept. David laid out the initial launch of the product including its advertising campaign and challenged us with making improvements in years two and three. I have to say that I was impressed with our groups. Each group seemed to quickly identify the areas for improvement that S.C. Johnson saw and provided a range of solutions that matched up with what was actually implemented. Score one for the CBPM.

Then Gabe took us through a similar process with Off’s Smooth and Dry product. I had no idea that insect repellent could actually dry upon application so he totally won over a new customer today. Our challenge was to come up with the appropriate marketing channels to use in the release this new product. I found it funny that even without budget constraints most groups tended to be cost conscious. We also limited ourselves to only four or five channels, while Off ended up using over 12 so I guess we still have more to learn.

Either way, these events are great because we get to apply what we are learning in class. I sometimes leave class and wonder if I really learned something or not. I am beginning to realize that I am actually retaining what I am learning in class. I think Jan and Deb (our marketing professors this semester) would be proud. It is also nice to feel confident about something class related after struggling through Finance and Data to Decisions. Hey, they grade on a curve, right? Sweet.

Have a great weekend!