Examples of Past Events

Selling Your Product to Retailers – Procter & Gamble
Presenter: Doug Raftery, Vice President of Customer Business Development
Panel: Chris Hahn, Global Project Manager, Bryan Hamilton, Assistant Brand Manager, Nik Nayer, Senior Buyer at Target

Read more about this seminar in the Wall Street Journal.

This two-part session gave the students a unique opportunity to learn about persuasive selling and then apply that learning in a real-world situation. Mr. Raftery shared his selling techniques and business expertise with the Center’s students, and gave them insight into the current retail landscape for consumer products. He then provided the second-year students with data and consumer insights from a recent P&G product launch of Pantene.

Teams of students sifted through the data and put together sales presentations. The following week, each team had a turn to present to a panel of buyers, seeking sell-in of the new product line. Students got real experience in communicating benefits of a launch, selling in a product line, and working with a cross-functional sales team.

Innovation, Sustainability and Brand Identity - Johnson & Johnson
Colleen Goggins and Chris Hacker

Chris Hacker, renowned for his design skills and advocacy for sustainable design, joined Johnson & Johnson as Chief Design Officer of the recently created Global Strategic Design Office.  Chris’s presentation focused on revitalizing iconic brands such as Band-Aid through packaging re-design along with the challenges of incorporating sustainable business practices. 

Launch of 1-Day ACUVUE Disposable Contact Lenses – Johnson & Johnson
Presenter: Terry Koritz, Vice President

Mr. Koritz reviewed the eye care industry, then led the students through an in-depth discussion of the challenges and opportunities faced by Vistakon when launching 1-Day ACUVUE lenses. The case study focused on things that worked well during the launch and on ways that the launch could have been improved in the United States.

“Convince to Buy & Delight Your Customers” – Intuit
Presenter: Scott Cook, Chairman of Executive Committee

Scott Cook walked students through the evolution of Intuit’s process for convincing customers to buy and use tax preparation software. He reviewed how their marketing communications and strategy changed to reflect learning about prospective customers and their needs and concerns. The students had ample opportunity to discuss and ask questions during this informal session.

In a second presentation, Scott shared his experiences with customer-driven innovation. He led an interactive example of product design that incorporated customer response and highlighted the common disconnects.  He shared an example of a recent product development of accounting software that relied heavily on the inputs of a core group of end-users.  Scott talked with the Center's students about many of the ideas and approaches he used as he worked to build Intuit into a multi-billion dollar company.

New Product Launch Case Study – ConAgra
Presenter: Tim Ehresman, Director– Marie Callender’s and Marketing Staff

The Center’s students got an in-depth look at the process Con-Agra went through while developing the “Banquet Crock-Pot Classics” line. Mr. Ehresman and other ConAgra marketing representatives led students through ConAgra’s positioning and concept development process, and described the ideation sessions and concept testing. The students were given the opportunity to ask questions and think through solutions to issues that would typically be handled by brand managers.

J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency Visit – Kraft Foods

Center students traveled to Chicago to visit the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency accompanied by a Brand Director for Kraft Foods. They met with agency executives and learned first-hand the importance of encouraging consumers to develop personal relationships with a product.

Applied Syndicated Data – Kimberly-Clark and A.C. Nielsen
Presenter: Christine Klaubauf

Students from the Center for Brand and Product Management joined the students from the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research in this day-long workshop on working with market performance data. Students took part in two sessions, the same training an incoming Kimberly-Clark Brand Manager receives on working with Nielsen data. The two training sessions covered Syndicated A.C. Nielsen data and Homescan Consumer Panel.

Ethnographic Insights – Intuit
Presenters: Mark Schar, Chief Marketing Officer and Jane Boutelle, Marketing Consultant

The Center's students gained a better understanding of the role of –and value of– ethnographic research in an organization. The students had a chance to apply this learning, accompanying and observing consumers on a routine shopping trip, seeking insights from their behavior. They then presented their findings to fellow students and Advisory Board members.

A Day in the Life of a Brand Manager – General Mills
Presenter: Eric Galler, Marketing Director

The students from the Center for Brand and Product Management heard the perspective of a Marketing Director from General Mills. Mr. Galler began his career in 1989 at Pillsbury (now part of General Mills). He’s worked on a variety of product lines including Progresso Soup, Pillsbury Sweet Rolls, Cookies, and Pie Crusts. As a Marketing Director at General Mills, Mr. Galler is currently focusing on developing new product opportunities for several divisions.

Mr. Galler’s presentation provided the students with a glimpse into what a brand manager does during the course of a typical day. He used the analogy of a brand manager’s job being like a ringmaster at the circus. The job of the brand manager in the “circus” is to coordinate the different functions and to act as the champion of the brand.

Interviewing and Resume Skills Workshop - Kao Brands
Presenter: Tara Khoury, Vice President and General Manager

Tara Khoury, the Chair of the Advisory Board at the Center for Brand and Product Management, led a session with the Center's students providing interviewing skills and resume tips. Ms. Khoury gave the students specific guidance on what top companies are looking for on the resumes of prospective brand managers. Based on his personal experience conducting interviews, she also provided students with an overview of what to expect in their upcoming interviews for full-time and internship positions.

Mock Interview Session

The Center's first-year students got a chance to practice their interview skills in two full-length interviews with experienced product management professionals. The mock interviews took place in the actual interview rooms and students were required to dress in professional attire. After finishing the interviews, each student received individualized feedback.

Center for Brand and Product Management Advisory Board Meeting

The students at the Center take part in two board meetings a year - fall and spring, which are held at the Fluno Center on campus. The evening before the meetings, the students have dinner with the board members. During the fall board meeting, the second year students gave presentations on their summer internships.   Several of the board members then shared their leadership stories and gave advice to the students.

During the spring board meeting, Kevin Keller, E.B. Professor of Marketing at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, presented on the sources, drivers, and benefits of customer-based brand equity and a framework for achieving brand excellence.  Following this, Tara Khoury led the group in a brand-building exercise along with a forum discussion on the top ten skills students need to jump-start a successful career in brand management.