With so many advertising options available — including broadcast, digital, print, and social media — it’s not easy to create a unified communications strategy. To be successful, future marketers need to know how to keep their messaging consistent across various channels.
To help students get hands-on experience with managing marketing campaigns, Stukent developed an all-new simulation: Stukent IMC Simternship™. In this simulation, students create an integrated marketing communications campaign that moves customers through the marketing funnel, helping them understand the best types of marketing campaigns — at the right time of year — for each market segment.
During April’s 4-in-1 Launch Event, Stukent showed off the features and benefits of this new simulation. Let’s take an in-depth look at Stukent’s IMC Simternship™!
Why Stukent IMC Simternship™?
“We’re teaching students how to [build IMC campaigns] so that when they walk out the door, they have the skills they need to thrive,” says Diane Law, author of the “Integrated Marketing Communications” courseware. “They can start doing their job and show their boss ‘I can do this!’ and add value to their organization.”
In Stukent’s IMC Simternship, students will create a campaign for Buhi’s Smart Luggage line, which has been struggling. The goal is to create an engaging, effective integrated communications marketing campaign to boost product sales.
How Stukent IMC Simternship™ Works
In Stukent’s IMC Simternship, students will play the role of a marketing manager at Buhi Supply Co. If you’ve used a Stukent simulation before, you’ve probably heard of Buhi — it’s the fictitious bag company that sells backpacks, messenger bags, duffel bags, and more. Basically, if it’s a bag, Buhi sells it!
When students enter the simulation for the first time, they will start with the introduction round. Here, they will view the walkthrough video that not only acquaints them with the storyline, but also gives them helpful hints, tips, and best practices for success.
Each round, students will receive messages from their supervisors at Buhi. Students should pay attention to any attachments, as these documents contain reports on consumers’ geographics, demographics, and psychographics, giving them critical insights into customers’ behavioral characteristics.
In the Notifications Hub, students will answer questions from coworkers, customers, and colleagues each round. This feature provides students with a valuable knowledge check — if they don’t select the ideal answer, the simulation will tell them where they can find more information in the complementary courseware, Diane Law’s “Integrated Marketing Communications.”
Stukent’s IMC Simternship contains eight engaging, diverse rounds. Each round imitates a fiscal quarter of the year, which means the simulation covers two years of an integrated marketing communications campaign.
Students start the simulation by building customer persona cards using the data provided by Buhi Supply Co. With that information, they’ll develop positioning statements, brand promises, and targeted product descriptions. For example, “Back-to-School Mindy” lives in Colorado, spends her free time hanging out with her friends, and uses a messenger bag or backpack to carry her school supplies. Her favorite communication channels are Instagram and Snapchat.
Below Mindy’s demographic data, students can select one of four marketing funnels for her segment. Then, students will develop a positioning statement for Mindy, as well as select a target audience, brand promise, and product description.
Next, students will determine the best way to reach their target audience. They can create campaigns with broadcast media, digital marketing, social media, direct marketing, and more. These options give students a robust experience with a wide variety of marketing tools, which will give them insights on how to allocate budgets across multiple campaigns or channels.
When students run the simulation, they get a chance to see their results — including their units sold and the units sold by their competitors. In the simulation, students are trying to take over their competitors’ space year-to-year to increase sales on Buhi’s Smart Luggage line.
As students continue through the rounds, they’ll have the opportunity to see the results of their work, adjust their strategies, and target Buhi’s market segments at different points in the buyer’s journey. Round to round, students get to see how their hard work impacts the company’s overall success.
And that’s Stukent’s IMC Simternship! This all-new simulation provides students with unique insights and prepares them for successful futures in the marketing field.
To schedule a demo of Stukent’s IMC Simternship™ with a Stukent course consultant, book an appointment online. Or, see the new simulation for yourself and get FREE instructor access to Stukent’s IMC courseware and simulation on our website.
