Two Olin Business School students won the top prize in an international marketing plan competition. Seniors John Ludeke and Rebecca Tucker were recognized for their marketing plan to curb childhood obesity in a ceremony Oct. 15 at the Marketing Agencies Association Worldwide (MAA) Globes Awards ceremony at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The bachelor of science in business administration students beat out entrants from 17 different countries. Their winning plan’s objective was to develop a primary-school promotion program to aggressively combat childhood obesity in American children ages 6-12. The plan engaged children, parents and the community in preventing childhood obesity. They called the program “Come Out and Play” and included activities in schools, celebrity involvement and corporate sponsorship.
The MAA is an organization of CEOs, presidents, managing directors and principals of top marketing services agencies whose goal is to raise their company profiles on both a national and a global platform and to influence the future of the marketing industry. The MAA has held a competition for professional marketing firms for more than 30 years. This year, the group created an arm of the competition specifically for business school students.
Carol Johanek, adjunct professor of marketing at the Olin Business School, supported the student team as they worked all summer on the plan. Johanek said that the opportunity that the competition presented was multifaceted.
“The whole purpose of the competition is to expose students to sales promotions so they can see the significant role it plays, but there are so many other benefits to it. The students get exposed not only to marketing and promotion agencies, but to the top-level officers in those agencies,” Johanek said. “The students see how the agency world works, and it gives agencies the opportunity to get to know some really bright students. What’s more, it provides great exposure for Washington University to help build corporate relationships.”
The Globes trophy was awarded to Washington University, and Ludeke and Tucker received a Globes certificate.