The Official Research Partner of the SMA Case Competition


On the heels of a recording-breaking year, the SMA is pleased to announce the details for the 2025 SMA Case Study Competition. We are proud to have SBRnet as this year’s official research partner of the Case Study Competition. In a continued effort to bridge academia with the industry, the SMA will work with SBRnet to secure a “real world” case and our competiting teams and judging panel.

2024 SMA Case Study Competition Champions — University of Oregon

Saachi Poddar
Jack Button
Archie Rohden
Owen Huyler

Advisor: Lauren Anderson

Eligibility

  • The competition is for undergraduate students only, competing in teams with a minimum of 3 students and a maximum of 4.

  • Each team must have a designated faculty advisor. The role of the faculty advisor is to coordinate conference registration and travel for his or her team(s) and, during the competition itself, to offer feedback on presentation style and proofreading/sentence structure. The faculty advisor may NOT, however, be involved with the formation of the case study solution and recommendations.

  • To be eligible, students and a respective faculty advisor must be officially registered for the conference no later than October 10, in order to receive the Case Study Preview.

  • New this year will be a team rate rather than an individual student rate. The team rate will be $800.

  • Registration is now open (click here to register your team)

  • SMA special hotel rate (click here to reserve your rooms)

Procedure

  • Student teams will respond to the case study over a 48-hour period.

  • Every faculty advisor entering a team(s) must notify SMA Vice President of Student Affairs, Becky Achen (beckyachen@ku.edu), no later than Friday, October 10th and provide the following emailed information:

    • Subject Line: SMA Case Study Entry

    • Name of faculty advisor

    • Email address of faculty advisor

    • Cell phone number of faculty advisor

    • Name of school

    • Tentative list of student team members (each team must have a minimum of 3 and maximum of 4 students)

  • On Friday, October 17, each participating Faculty Advisor will be emailed the case study, official rules & time of their presentation(s).

  • On Wednesday, October 22, all competing teams (along with their respective faculty advisors) are required to attend a 30-minute Case Study Competition Intro Session in the evening. 

  • Beginning on Thursday, October 23, teams will present their PPT presentation in different rooms, and in half-hour increments. Each team will have a maximum of 20 minutes to make their presentation, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A by the judging panel. Printed versions will NOT be required or accepted. Also, teams should not rely on the internet to access their PPT presentation or include items with internet needs within the presentation.

  • During Thursday’s RAP Session, the judges will announce the finalist teams.

  • The Finals presentations will take place on Friday, October 24.

  • The winning team will be announced at the Elevate Awards Luncheon on Friday, October 24.

AI Use Policy

Students may use generative AI tools to support their work in the case study competition. AI can be a valuable asset for researching the organization and field of interest within the case study, including marketing trends and industry data. Generative AI tools can also be useful in generating ideas and creating marketing collateral to support presentations and/or deliverables (e.g., logos, social media content, infographics).

  • Permitted Uses:

    • Gathering background information and industry insights

    • Requesting feedback on student-written drafts to improve clarity and depth

    • Brainstorming ideas or refining recommendations

    • Producing example marketing collateral or visuals for the presentation

  • Prohibited Uses:

    • Relying on AI to create the entire draft of solutions or recommendations

    • Copying AI outputs without critical evaluation or revision

    • Submitting work that does not reflect the team’s own analysis, creativity, and decision-making

If students choose to use AI, they must disclose what tools they used and how they used them in their presentation (e.g., on a disclosure slide). Students are responsible for verifying the accuracy of AI-generated content and ensuring it aligns with ethical and professional standards.

This AI use policy is designed to allow competiting students to demonstrate both their marketing expertise and their ability to integrate AI responsibly and creatively into professional practice.

Previous Winners

2024: University of Oregon
2023: Ohio University
2022: Ohio University
2021: Loras College
2020: cancelled due to COVID
2019: University of Massachusetts Amherst
2018: Southern Methodist University
2017: Loras College

Previous Cases