BizNetix recently launched the Web site www.retainthebrains.com

Retain the Brains is a marketing plan competition for local college students, where the "product" to be marketed is the Greater Rochester Area and the target market is 18-28 year old men and women. Retain the Brains, (a positive spin on the term "brain drain") is this community's first opportunity for college students to market Rochester to themselves and their peers. It will be open to students at all area colleges, and has already gained the recognition and support of Greater Rochester Enterprise, the Greater Rochester Visitors' Association, and the Rochester Business Alliance.

Visit www.retainthebrains.com for more information.

 

 

How the Competition Will Work

This is a marketing plan competition by undergraduate college students… for undergraduate college students! You're competing to write the marketing plan that will help keep you, your friends and your peers here in Rochester after they graduate and enter the workforce. You're competing to have the best plan to present Rochester's best to people just like you.

Of course, the competition will have two tiers - the individual college level, followed by the regional finals. Every college in the Greater Rochester area is eligible to have an unlimited number of qualified teams compete, and every student is invited to form a team of up to five people to compete! This means YOU!

• First thing, form a team of up to five undergraduate students.
• Next, send in a Notification of Interest form to your college captain on behalf of your team by March 7th. Select your college from the drop down above to see who your college captain is.
• Between March 7th and mid-April, work on your plan! Use our Marketing Plan Outline and PowerPoint Template to prepare your plan and presentation.
• Submit five printed copies and one electronic copy to your College Captain by the date for judging at the college level. To see a list of dates associated with your college, select your school from the drop down menu above.The college-level competition will be conducted near the end of April before a five judge panel on your campus.
• At your presentation, bring five printed copies and one electronic copy of your PowerPointpresentation for the judges. Give the electronic copy to your college captain.
• The college-level competition is open to the public and other students at your college-invite your friends to support your team!
• One winner from each college will be selected to advance to the regional finals, and the marketing plans and PPT presentations from the finalists will be forwarded to the judging panel by the college captains.
• In the first week of May, the winning team from each college will present to a seven judge panel. The seven judges will be:
  • Mr. Michael Finney, CEO and President of Greater Rochester Enterprise
  • Ms. Sandy Parker, President of Rochester Business Alliance
  • Mr. Tom Richards, Chairman of the Board, Greater Rochester Enterprise and RUMP Group founding member
  • Mr. Paul Hudson, President of Roberts Communications (the agency that handles the "Made for Living" campaign)
  • Mr. Greg Marshall, Director of Marketing, Greater Rochester Visitors Association
  • Mr. Arunas Chesonis, CEO, PaeTec Communications
  • 1 judge still to be named
• Highlights from the winning plan and noteworthy concepts from other plans will be published in various media outlets.
• The themes and messages from the winning Marketing Plan will become integrated in our community's Rochester… Made For Living Marketing Campaign.