Members of the University of North Georgia (UNG) chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) participated in the Kennesaw Marketing Association (KMA) Invitational at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, in March. UNG students Preston Reid and Abbie Tanner placed third in the marketing case and pitch competition. They received $500 for their presentation.

"We spent many hours on our case study, and it was very cool for our work to be recognized. It was nice to be able to place in the competition," Tanner said. "It was so out of my comfort zone because I'm not great at public speaking. But it was a good opportunity, and I was able to learn a lot."

Tanner is a junior from Dawsonville, Georgia, pursing a degree in marketing and a minor in Spanish.

The event is a regional marketing case and pitch competition, designed for college students interested in gaining applied marketing and communications experience. It provides an opportunity for students to apply their marketing knowledge, creativity and strategic thinking to an actual business challenge.

Georgia-based Signature Image Atlanta Med Spa sought innovative marketing strategies to achieve the key goals of increasing their customer base, enhancing brand awareness among its ideal target audience and differentiating itself in the highly competitive medical aesthetics industry. A budget of $75,000 was to be allocated, Mary Norman, senior lecturer of marketing in UNG's Mike Cottrell College of Business, said.

"I knew very little about the industry itself. I have female friends, and they knew a lot more about than I did, but I just did my research," Reid, a junior from Cumming, Georgia, said. He is pursuing a degree in marketing.

Students were able to network with other marketing students and local Atlanta marketing professionals and emerging leaders. Both Reid and Tanner said this was their favorite part of the event.

"It was a great opportunity to hear from other marketing professionals to see what they do in their day-to-day life and their jobs," Tanner said. "It was very interesting. I was able to network and build connections, and I made a lot of connections on LinkedIn. It was really good overall."

Reid preferred learning real-life stories.

"I networked with some industry professionals, and I heard their stories about how like how their careers turned out. I think it was a very beneficial experience for me career-wise," Reid said. "UNG offers so many opportunities like clubs that offer experiences like this. I'm trying to get as much experience as I can while I'm in college. Hopefully this opens doors for me."

Kaitlyn Bache, a senior from Marietta, Georgia, pursuing a degree in digital marketing, along with Dawsonville, Georgia resident Lorelei Gnepper, a sophomore, pursuing a degree in marketing and Adrea Agulera also participated from UNG.

"They did a great job preparing and presenting, too. Congratulations to all the UNG AMA participants," Norman said. "Our AMA team is already looking forward to next year's case competition."