The document provides tips for participating effectively in marketing case competitions. It recommends forming a diverse team and thoroughly questioning each other's ideas. Primary and secondary research should be conducted to back up solutions with data. Financial feasibility must be included. Presentations should focus on clear content over flashy aesthetics. Strong performances in both the written case submission and live questioning rounds are important. Overall, the experience of participating in case competitions is valuable for career development regardless of the outcome.

1. By
Pavan Bhambhani
LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/pavanbhambhani
Sravanth Vangara
LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/sravanthvangara

2. If possible.. For the entire season

3. But… not at the cost of comfort of working with each other
No.. I am not talking about gender diversity or quota system, which everyone absolutely abhors!

4. Play the Devil’s Advocate!
Cross Question each-other’s idea until the entire idea is completely fleshed out !
Keep your egos aside even if your ideas are being thrashed by a team-mate!
Remember, it is better to be thrashed behind closed doors rather than being thrashed on stage or
not winning at all!

5. The devil lies in the … Details!
Think from various perspectives – the market, the economy, the company, the protagonists
(sometimes – if the case is given in the form of a story), the current happenings!
Don various hats and read between the lines – why is the company asking such questions!

6. Ideas are many… few are realistic!
Make sure that your ideas or solutions fit in with the company’s goals, vision and mission
statements!
Don various hats and read between the lines – why is the company asking such questions!
OHYES,THEY ARE NOT CRAP!

7. Marketing has no connection whatsoever with numbers!
Any marketing competition values hard-work and the eye for detail
Getting your hands dirty by going to the market will only help you understand that the case is a reflection
of the reality ! The insights you get are … PRICELESS!
Faking Primary Research i.e. creating a questionnaire and faking the numbers seldom works.. Because its
like .. SHOOTING IN THE DARK!

8. Step 1: Come up with a questionnaire – use online, offline modes and capture the data
Step 2:We suggest using “Qualtrics” – brilliant tool to analyze the data captured
Step 3:Try coming up with a trend/graph/gap in demand –supply etc. based on the data captured
Primary Research!
Interrobang – 180 (100+80) surveys – EITHER ON THE STREETS
OR THROUGH ONLINE CHANNELS ACROSS INDIA

9. Imagine hogging at the restaurant only to realize you forgot your wallet at home.
You’d be in similar trouble if you forget including the financials.
It’d be really awkward standing on the stage with empty hands when the panelists ask “So what
about the financials?”This is because most of the panelists tend to give a lot of importance to the
financial feasibility because at the end of the day, money is what drives the idea.
While you don’t need CFA folks in your team, having a team mate who is good with the basics of
Financial Management helps a lot

10. Sadly! you never get those reports for free! However, there are
other useful reports available for free(from sources like Euro
Monitor/Market Line.You just need to search/jugaad them
Moving on to secondary research!

11. Not undermining them:Try to come up with the content and structure your thoughts based on them
BUT HEY,
you can come up with your own 2*2 matrices! Or even 3*3!
Example: ITC interrobang – based on the data
analysis we came up with a positioning matrix

12. Product StrategyNeed Gap Analysis Customer Preferences Concept Testing Brand Architecture Stakeholder Speak
Step 1: The percentage of respondents
for whom the respective cookie
satisfied a particular need (hunger,
taste etc.) was calculated
Step 2: Within each sub-group
obtained in step 1, the occasion wise
percentage consumption was
calculated
=x
COMPOSITE
POSITIONING
INDEX SCORE
POSITIONING MATRIX

13. What’s the difference? – You would say!
Example: Pepsi or ITC interrobang
BUT THERE IS!

14. Look… A submission!

15. The same submission.. Now a
Presentation

16. You need to know Photoshop or some Fancy Software to win!
Aesthetics are important, it helps but CONTENT IS … the KING! –
Some of the people might disagree – but its OK!

17. More than half the battle is won by the way you deal with the Q&A of
the judges

18. Make it a point to attend the stage rounds
At the end of the day… There is no harm in accepting your
deficiencies, learning from your mistakes and applauding your
colleagues who would have deserved to be there!

19. Enjoy working on the Cases!
To cut a long story short, everyone out here is ambitious – more or less comes here hoping
for a good placement.
We can tell for sure – that all these case competitions are very relevant to the times we are
in – thus it gives a lot of talking points in the interviews!
Basically, whether you win or not – it HELPS!

20. ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL!
Maybe what we did right, might not work for everyone…
So hoping to see some of you here… NextYear… with some of your own Stories!