The A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research
A message from Kristin Branch, director of the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research
Year in Review 2013–2014
Information about our program, our students, and our alumni
Applied learning and class highlights
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
KRISTIN J. BRANCH Director of the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research
Wisconsin Greetings! It’s hard to believe another academic year has come and gone! We are pleased to present this Year in Review, which highlights the year’s activities here at the A.C. Nielsen Center. We continue to recruit and educate phenomenal students in the field of marketing research and consumer insights. Our students are graduating with great jobs at leading marketing-driven firms, like best-in-class consumer packaged goods manufacturers and leading retailers, pharmaceutical firms, and strategic research provider firms. You will see our strong internship and full-time job placement results with hiring firms listed in this annual report. Our industry connections are essential for the Center’s continued strength, and we are grateful to our alumni, our External Advisory Board, and our industry partners for their tremendous support. Please continue to share your industry successes and struggles, speak in our classrooms, mentor and hire our students, and help us continue to improve the premier marketing research MBA program!
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Enjoy the 2013–2014 Year in Review. Please reach out to me or Neeraj Arora, A.C. Nielsen Center academic director, if you have any questions or if there is anything the Center can do for you. All my best, and Together Forward!
Kristin J. Branch Director of the A.C. Nielsen Center
ABOUT THE A.C. NIELSEN CENTER
History of the A.C. Nielsen Center The A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research, part of the Wisconsin MBA Program at the Wisconsin School of Business, was established in 1990 and is built on the legacy and funding of the Arthur C. Nielsen Jr. family, pioneers in the field of marketing research. Housed in the A.C. Nielsen Center, the premier marketing research MBA program is developing the consumer insights leaders of tomorrow.
Mission of the A.C. Nielsen Center The mission of the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research is twofold: 1. Train MBA students in the specialized ideas, issues, and techniques of marketing research to develop valuable business contributions 2. Discover and disseminate new marketing research knowledge
NEERAJ ARORA Academic Director for the A.C. Nielsen Center
“The A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research continues to attract intellectually curious students who aspire to become leaders in the consumer insights industry. Our faculty and staff, dedicated advisory board, and extended family of loyal alumni are proud to help shape and mentor these bright, young minds.”
We’re delighted to announce that Sarah Kervin has joined the A.C. Nielsen Center as the program’s assistant director! Sarah comes to the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. There she was academic and research specialist, and before that she worked as a logistics and planning coordinator for George Washington University. As you can see, she has a passion for higher education and is very happy to be returning to Madison, where she got her undergraduate degree in history.
“I am very excited to be back at UW and working with such amazing students, staff and faculty. I’m looking forward to a great first year and of course… On, Wisconsin!”
SARAH KERVIN
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THE CLASS OF 2016
INCOMING CLASS
2013
2014
2015
2016
49
39
46
50
Percent Admitted
26.5%
33.3%
43.4%
28%
Percent Accepted
84.6%
76.9%
60%
64.3%
ADMITTED STUDENTS
2013
2014
2015
2016
Average GPA
3.51
3.39
3.43
3.35
Average GMAT
693
696
677
670
Average Years of Work Experience
5.00
4.23
4.54
3.92
Percent Female
36%
70%
33%
33.3%
Number of Applicants
Curriculum for the Wisconsin MBA in Marketing Research SEMESTER 1
SEMESTER 2
Financial Accounting (3) Intro to Financial Management (3) Data Analysis & Decision Making (3) Marketing Management (3) Team Effectiveness & Management (2) Marketing Research (3) Current Topics Seminar (1)
Business Strategy (3) Operations Management (3) Economics for Managers (3) Quantitatively-Based Marketing Insights (3) Qualitative Models in Marketing (3) Current Topics Seminar (1) SEMESTER 4
SEMESTER 3 Ethics & Social Responsibility (1) Consumer Behavior (3) Current Topics Seminar (1) Plus Customizable Electives
Red: Marketing Research–specific curriculum
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Scaling, Factor, & Cluster Analysis (3) Developing Breakthrough New Products (3) Marketing Strategy (3) Current Topics Seminar (1) Plus Customizable Electives
THE MBA DEGREE MARKETING RESEARCH The curriculum supporting a Marketing Research MBA from UW–Madison is truly outstanding. While here, students receive a foundational MBA made up of core classes in accounting, finance, economics, and operations. But from their very first semester on campus they also take classes in their study of focus, like Marketing Research and Quantitative Models in
Marketing, taking the learning to a depth not offered by general MBA programs. We also offer our Current Topics class in all four semesters. Current Topics shows students how learning in the classroom is being applied at Fortune 500 companies. The classes also provide in-depth information about areas in which students are likely to be working after they receive their MBAs.
Current Topics Highlights CHICAGO FIELD TRIP WITH ORBITZ
PRICING! WITH PROFESSOR NOAH LIM
After consulting Orbitz.com (where we found some spectacular deals), we decided to visit Orbitz-Chicago and see how they market to their consumers! And oh, what a wonderful day of learning we had. Not only did we discover how their consumer insights and marketing departments worked together, but we were also treated to tips from a panel of executives on how to be a strong leader. Lots of people can say they are leaders, but understanding the characteristics recruiting teams look for really helped students create a game plan for how to gain that experience and then leverage it.
In Spring 2014 we brought in the renowned Professor Noah Lim to teach a special session to our students about pricing. He led an exercise where the students were immersed in a prisoner’s dilemma—do you cooperate or compete? The results of the session were staggering, with all teams deciding to compete. Professor Lim did a great job adding layers to the session above and beyond the typical prisoner’s dilemma to really twist a student’s perception of how to understand value price. It was a great learning experience.
Field trip with Orbitz and the Brand Center Pricing applied learning with Professor Noah Lim
KYLE NAFF (MBA ’15)
“When to use marketing research? In discussing this question, Orbitz told us they did not use marketing research to choose which famous fictional character’s persona to use in advertising or to test certain ads. There are times, they said, when the creative and brand teams need to make decisions based on where they want the brand to go, because research may sometimes keep teams from pursuing riskier strategies. It was very interesting.”
BRUCE COURTNEY (MBA ’14)
“The most important price is the first price. It sets the tone for your positioning, your product’s success, how competitive you are, and your brand. Focusing on your EVC from the beginning is key in understanding a customer’s willingness to pay for your product or service.”
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CLASS PLACEMENT
CLASS OF 2014 FULL-TIME PLACEMENT
BRUCE COURTNEY
TRACY DION
JUSTIN HAWKINS
MARINA MALLER
BONNIE PUTNAM
SALLY SA
TED SUN
ELIZA SWEDENBORG
Seeking in China
JOANNA WEISS
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AMY WOULFE
Sponsorship to Singularity University
CLASS OF 2015 INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT
KELLY GOLDTHORPE
STEPHEN GRIFFITHS
ASHISH KHANDELWAL
XIAOFEI LI
KYLE NAFF
FIONA SEVERSON
TR SNYDER
JEREMY SOUTHARD
JENNY ULVESTAD
SIMON LI
ZACH SMITH
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ALUMNI UPDATE
GRADUATING CLASS
2011
2012
2013
2014
Class size
12
14
11
10
Job placement*
12
13
11
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Median base salary
$81,425
$86,792
$94,273
$95,600
Median signing bonus
$15,368
$15,615
$18,291
$27,017
*Includes placement within three months of graduation
INTERNATIONAL 11% 26 alumni
MIDWEST 57% 144 alumni
EAST 13% 32 alumni
WEST 12% 29 alumni
SOUTH 7% 18 alumni
GAIL CASEY Consumer Insights Associate, General Mills (MBA ’12)
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“I knew the Nielsen Center was for me because of its focus on marketing research. It’s the perfect blend of a general full-time MBA and a very specialized degree in marketing research. It really brings it all together.”
EXTERNAL ADVISORY BOARD
The A.C. Nielsen External Advisory Board is made up of executives who ensure the Center stays up to date on what’s important to the marketing industry. They guide the Center in making sure we’re providing our students with the best education possible, and they also advise students on their careers. The Board is truly what sets our program apart.
Karen Ba (Alumni Rep) Partner StrataVerve
Vidyotham Reddi Consumer Insights Director General Mills
Bill Bean WW Director of Global Shopper Insights & Trade Research Colgate Palmolive
Tanya Schooley Director, Consumer Insights & Strategy Kraft
Beth Bubon Director of Analytics PepsiCo – Quaker Division
Greg Smith Associate Director Johnson & Johnson – McNeil
Yogesh Chavda Global GRMA Director, Family Care Kimberly-Clark
Diane Surette Executive Vice President, Client Services Burke, Inc
Steven M. Cooley Executive Director Market Research & Analytics Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois
Stacey Symonds Sr. Director, Consumer Insights Orbitz Worldwide
Merrill Dubrow President and CEO M/A/R/C Research
Bryan Vaughn Director, Global Business Insights Johnson & Johnson – Ethicon
Jim Greco Senior Vice President – North American Professional Services The Nielsen Company
Ron Weidemann Partner & Client Services Manager Answers Research
Lisa Gudding Executive Vice President GfK Custom Research
FRIENDS OF THE CENTER
David Guenthner Senior Director, Insights & Consumer Strategy Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Anshu Gupta Director, Global Market Research Eli Lilly and Company Amy Harding Associate Director, Customer & Market Knowledge Procter & Gamble Randall Janisch Manager, Advanced Product Research Ford Motor Company Jim Lane Vice President – Client Service Directions Research, Inc. Elaine Madansky Senior Strategist Global Consumer & Market Insights Wrigley
Dennis Degeneffe Owner & Principal Consultant Consumer Centric Solutions, LLC Ann Dencker Director of Insights & Strategic Research Hiebing Jeff Drake Retired Bob Drane Partner Growth Catalysts, Inc. Jay Luttrell Managing Partner GrowthSpeed Partners, LLC Donna Neal Retired
Paul Metz Senior Vice President C&R Research Services, Inc. Kyle Nel (Alumni Rep) Head of Innovation Labs Lowe’s Home Improvement Lynn Ray Director, Global Strategic Insights Johnson & Johnson – Vision Care, Inc.
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JOIN US AT THE A.C. NIELSEN SUMMIT
SAVE
THE DATE APRIL 23–24, 2015
2015 Alumni & Friends Summit: The New Marketing Research Frontier DATE: April 23–24, 2015 LOCATION: 975 University Avenue, Grainger Hall, Madison, WI 53706 Every other year, the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research invites our alumni and select friends back to the University of Wisconsin–Madison for continued learning on current topics and trends in the marketing research industry. The 2015 Alumni & Friends Summit will focus on showcasing
emerging research methodologies and changing technologies at the forefront of marketing research. Speakers and workshops will address a wide variety of topics including big data mining, neuroscience, mobile technologies and much more. Learn More: go.wisc.edu/acnielsensummit2015
WHY SHOULD I ATTEND? • Reconnect with classmates and alumni • Experience in-depth learning, networking, and community building in an intimate setting • Hear fresh perspectives from leading industry experts • Improve leadership skills • Network, make new contacts, and share ideas
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WHO IS INVITED? • • • • •
Marketing research alumni Current marketing research students UW–Madison’s marketing faculty External advisory board Industry partners
RECRUITING PARTNERS
A special thanks to our notable recruiting partners from this past year:
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STAY IN TOUCH CENTER STAFF
ACADEMIC POLICY COMMITTEE
NEERAJ ARORA
NEERAJ ARORA
JACK NEVIN
John P. Morgridge Chair in Business Administration and Academic Director for the A.C. Nielsen Center narora@bus.wisc.edu 608-262-1990
John P. Morgridge Chair in Business Administration and Academic Director for the A.C. Nielsen Center
Professor Emeritus and Academic Director for the Grainger Center
JAN HEIDE
KRISTIN BRANCH
Irwin Maier Chair of Marketing Professor of Marketing
Director kbranch@bus.wisc.edu 608-262-9116
NOAH LIM
CRAIG THOMPSON Gilbert & Helen Churchill Professor of Marketing
Associate Professor of Marketing
SARAH KERVIN Assistant Director skervin@bus.wisc.edu 608-263-4804
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