Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec

Imagine you’re a full-time MBA student…or a business or commerce undergraduate … bursting with creativity…with a big idea.

Now, imagine having the opportunity to create a multi-million dollar marketing campaign for a major, major brand. This is Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec (CNTAE) competition, created by McMaster University and sponsored by Chevrolet. (In addition to our multicultural marketing outreach with GM, we are also very proud to support Chevrolet and McMaster and the CNTAE team as a co-Platinum Partner, along side The Globe and Mail and Marketing magazine, of the competition.)

Business students – undergrad and post-grad, minor or major – have an opportunity to create a $5 million marketing campaign for the Chevrolet Spark.  At a value of over $30,000, the prizes are worthy: each winning team member will drive home in a new 2013 Chevrolet Spark. Other prizes include two $2,500 scholarships, two $1,000 scholarships, and internship opportunities.

Announced in November of last year, the process began in earnest on January 23, with entrants submitting a 2-page summary outlining their big idea. From there, a number of groups were invited to make an “elevator pitch”; those groups were then whittled down to 31 groups to submit their “strategy document.

Now in its fifth year, the competition was the idea of McMaster DeGroote School of Business marketing professor, Mandeep Malik. Logistics are handled by the CNTAE Executive Committee, made up of McMaster commerce students, but the “campaigns are judged by a panel of industry experts in marketing, advertising, public relations and business strategy, along with educators from Canadian business schools.”

In the initial press release, Kevin Williams, president and managing director of GM Canada (and no stranger to us here at the | New Mainstream®) said, “This is our third year as lead sponsor of Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec and each year we are impressed with the quality of submissions put forward by Canadian students.”

Of the 31 groups, the top 10 have already been chosen, and the final presentation is looming – Tuesday, March 27 at Toronto’s Inter-Continental Hotel. The gala, featuring keynote speaker Alan Gee (Chairman of Blammo Worldwide) will showcase the top 10 each delivering their pitch in the form of a 30-minute presentation. You can read more about the top 10 teams here.

Good luck to all!