Live Case – Project
Make Recommendations for Ultrasonic Power Corporation’s Future Forward Marketing Strategies
A Collaboration Between
Ultrasonic Power Corporation is looking to you for recommendations on a future-forward marketing strategy! They are looking for suggestions on best channels to reach current and prospective customers, especially as they are expanding their target audience to include segments of the medical industry. They need your assistance in deciding the best tactics for search engine optimization, improving organic rankings, and evaluating strategies for increasing traffic on social media channels. They are also looking for your ideas on the type of media that will improve their organic rankings. A successful project will provide sufficient evidence ( and depth) to move forward with several marketing strategies.
Project Topics
Marketing
Company Information
| Company | Ultrasonic Power Corporation |
| HQ | Freeport, IL |
| Revenue | N/A |
| Employees | Unlisted |
| Stage | Small Business |
| Hiring Potential | N/A |
| Website | http://www.upcorp.com |
Company Overview
For more than 40 years UPC has served end users and OEMs requiring precision industrial ultrasonic cleaning equipment. As a manufacturer, UPC provides cost-effective, safe and “green” solutions for cleaning applications with our extensive product line featuring ultrasonic generators, transducers, and standard and custom cleaning systems.
Experiential Learning Program Details
| School | Northern Illinois University (NIU) |
| Engagement Format | Live Case - Think "Hackathon" or Case Competition with a whole class of students! This learning format allows educators to deliver experiential learning to students at scale. Students are often split into groups to work on a live case (or a series of cases) from a real host company that directly relates to key learning objectives. |
| Course | Business in Action, Spring 2022 (Redisi) – Ultrasonic Power Corp |
| Level |
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| Students Enrolled | 40 |
| Meeting Day & Time | Redisi: Online Synchronous MW 9:30-10:45 am CT |
| Student Time Commitment | 4-7 Hours Per Week |
| Company Time Commitment | 1 Hour |
| Duration | 10.57 Weeks |
Program Timeline
| Touchpoints & Assignments | Due Date | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Project Reveal
Project Reveal
Students are introduced the the project topics.
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February 2nd, 2022 | Event na | |
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Students Submit Project Preferences
Students Submit Project Preferences
Use this process to elect your preferences and be assigned to project teams. [INSERT LINK]
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February 2nd, 2022 | Event na | |
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STUDENTS! Take the Project Kick-off Survey!
STUDENTS! Take the Project Kick-off Survey!
Take a few moments to complete this PROJECT KICKOFF SURVEY before the project begins!
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February 9th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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Project Launch
Project Launch
[NEED TO COORDINATE with Greg to schedule videoconferencing meeting with class}
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February 21st, 2022 | Event na | |
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Milestone 1 Deliverable Due
Milestone 1 Deliverable Due
Please upload your deliverable using the link above.
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March 7th, 2022 | Submission Required submission-required | |
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STUDENTS! Let us know how you are doing!
STUDENTS! Let us know how you are doing!
Please take a few minutes to let us know how the project is going for you using this TEMPERATURE CHECK SURVEY
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March 9th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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Milestone 2 Deliverable Due
Milestone 2 Deliverable Due
Please upload your deliverable using the link above.
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March 28th, 2022 | Submission Required submission-required | |
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STUDENTS! Let us know how the project is going!
STUDENTS! Let us know how the project is going!
Take this short survey to let us know how the project is going for you! [INSERT TEMP CHECK LINK]
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April 11th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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Milestone 3 Deliverable Due
Milestone 3 Deliverable Due
Please upload your deliverable using the link above.
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April 11th, 2022 | Submission Required submission-required | |
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Milestone 4 Deliverable Due
Milestone 4 Deliverable Due
Please upload your deliverable using the link above.
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April 25th, 2022 | Submission Required submission-required | |
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STUDENTS! Take a short survey on YOUR learning experience!
STUDENTS! Take a short survey on YOUR learning experience!
Please take a few minutes to complete this SELF ASSESSMENT SURVEY on your learning experience with this project!
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May 4th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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STUDENTS! Let us know about your observations and experiences working with YOUR PEERS on this project!
STUDENTS! Let us know about your observations and experiences working with YOUR PEERS on this project!
Please take a few minutes to complete this PEER EVALUATION SURVEY!
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May 4th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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Official Project End!
Official Project End!
Note: Schedule a time for student final virtual presentations to industry partners.
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May 4th, 2022 | Event na |
Key Project Milestones
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March 7, 2022 - Deep-dive into the Company
- What is the Company’s business model and brand?
- How does the Company define their target audience and customer segments? How is their business model changing to include additional customer segments (e.g. medical)?
- What products or services does the company offer and how are they defined and categorized?.
- How would you compare the company’s products with competitors and others in the same market space? What sets the Company apart and how does their product satisfy customers’ needs uniquely?
- What are the Company’s goals for their marketing strategy? How is success measured?
Suggested Deliverable:
Internal 2-page overview of company and project objectives. Questions for Industry Partner.
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March 28, 2022 - Analyze the Status Quo
- How has the Company reached prospective leads in the past? How have they turned leads into customers of the products or services the business provides?
- What SEO strategies are used by the company? What do organic search results show about the keyword ranking?
- What is the customer’s perception of the company’s brand, product, and services?
- How have strategies informed marketing campaigns? How is their effectiveness measured and assessed? Compile data into a visualization to track trends of successful and less successful strategies.
- Were these strategies repeatable? Scalable? Why or why not?
- What conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of prior marketing strategies?
Suggested Deliverable:
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Infographic & Summary Report
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April 11, 2022 - Compare the company's marketing tactics with competitors
- Who are the Company’s key competitors? What products and services do they offer? What can you determine about their business model and target audience?
- What marketing strategies are used by their competitors? What messages and content are they communicating? How often? What technologies and media/communication channels do they use?
- What is the customer’s perception of the company’s brand, product, and services? Which strategies seem successful? Which ones seem less successful?
- Compare the company’s marketing tactics with competitors ; what do you conclude about what works effectively – or not effectively – with certain customer demographics?
Suggested Deliverable:
Competitor Analysis Table/Diagram & Resource List
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April 25, 2022 - Make Recommendations for Improving Marketing Strategies
- Can you propose 2-3 digital, experiential, or social, marketing strategies for the company to consider?
- What additional information about target customers (for instance distributors, direct, medical supply companies and how their purchasing processes work) would enable the company to add value to these customer segments?
- How can the company improve organic rankings? What is the best tool for keyword rank (Semrush, Ahrefs, Rank Tracker)? What is the best process (content, backlinks, views) and media type (blogs, videos, testimonials, case studies) for improvement?
- What other technologies could be involved in different marketing strategies? How can you use them most effectively? How would you measure success?
- What information and tools can provide the Company in order to assess cost, reach, mediums, and any other components needed for a full understanding of this investment?
Suggested Deliverable:
Written Report of Recommendations & Pitch Deck
Project Resources
There are no resources currently available
Industry Mentors
Academic Mentors
Assigned Students
There are currently no students assigned.