Undergrad Fellows Compete, Showcase Design-Marketing Skills

Mark Koepsell, vice president of New Business Development for CORT, talks to winning team members from left, Taylor Johnson, Leigh Harney, Lizzi Bollinger and Clare Jackson. CORT's Vice President of Marketing, Robert Buzzell, looks on in the background.

Winning team members, from left are Lizzi Bollinger, Clare Jackson, Taylor Johnson, April Chaires and Leigh Harney

A selection of Robert H. Smith School of Business marketing undergrads and art design-major counterparts at the University of Maryland recently tested their skills under the scrutiny of major-company executives.

Three five-member teams competing as "ad agencies" presented branding and promotional strategies for a furniture rental company looking to bolster its recent venture into the college student market.

This early December competition was the final project for students in the Design and Innovation in Marketing Fellows capstone course, Design Applications in Marketing and Branding.

CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company staking claim as the world’s largest provider of rental furniture, provided the model for the students. Taylor Johnson, Leigh Harney, Lizzi Bollinger, Clare Jackson and April Chaires comprised the winning team.

Adjunct professor Howard Bomstein said the judges cited the team’s comprehensive approach to research and creative execution. “I was gratified and pleased with the outcome,” he said. “The students, although not professionals, exhibited the kind of thinking and performance that will serve them well in their future pursuits”.

Judging and providing feedback to the students were Steve Swenson, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio, Washington; Tom Culligan chief officer for the Washington Times; Caitlin McCarthy, account director, Williams Whittle Advertising; and Bob Buzzell, vice president for marketing for CORT.

Bomstein, vice president of Williams Whittle and with 30-plus years of ad agency experience, guided the students, who in the roles of agency professionals, researched and evaluated CORT’S market niche and created branding materials as part of a comprehensive strategy to enhance the company’s appeal to college students.

“The students learned firsthand from local experts in media, research and marketing about how to compose a winning presentation and how to structure a re-branding effort for an existing brand that better matches its current target audience,” said Bomstein.

In this case, the students targeted undergraduates seeking furnishing options for off-campus housing.

“This Fellows program carries a mission of teaching students up-to-date skill sets to help them in today's marketplace,” said Mary Harms, Tyser Teaching Fellow and Design and Innovation in Marketing Undergraduate Fellows Program Champion. “Howard's approach to organizing the capstone course in a way that mirrors the advertising world is very beneficial, as our business students work with design students in a collaborative approach to solving the charge given to them by the firm.”

The two-year Fellows program - one of 13 such programs available to Smith School undergrads - brings together marketing students with art design majors. The students carry 3.0 or higher GPAs and are selected by faculty.

Greg Muraski, Office of Marketing Communications