It was an intriguing challenge: reinvent the classic TV dinner in 14 weeks using new branding and packaging. Marketing students at Loyola Marymount University will be answering the challenge at a pitch event on Thursday, May 9, at 6 p.m. in the Von der Ahe Family Suite at the William H. Hannon Library.
The six presenting teams are enrolled in LMU’s M-School: The Institute of Marketing, the College of Business Administration’s innovative marketing program.
At the beginning of the semester, students were asked to reimagine the standard frozen meal. Team Munchbox came up with stand-alone vending machines that would be placed on college campuses, in office buildings, and at various locations around town. The machines would offer a variety of options for proteins, starches, vegetables, etc., that would allow consumers to put together a customized meal.
The Nom Nomz team developed healthy meals for youngsters. The meals would be delivered in thermal-sensitive packaging, kind of like mood rings, that adjusts color depending on the surrounding temperature. The branding would stress the importance of good nutrition in a fun way that appeals to children.
The M-School initiative is designed to develop the next generation of marketing professionals by taking learning out of the classroom and into the Los Angeles-area creative marketing and advertising community, where students are taught by top industry professionals on location at agencies and brands such as Google, TBWAChiatDay, Deutsch LA, Facebook, Electronic Arts, and TOMS Shoes.
The program focuses on developing the skills that are most relevant to today’s advertising roles – with an eye toward future competencies – including developing a core creative idea and marketing plan, generating consumer insights, developing creative content, creating a social media strategy, and leveraging digital platforms to connect ideas and measure campaign effectiveness.
The M-School program was developed in 2012 by a partnership between LMU’s College of Business Administration and thinkLA, a nonprofit membership organization that supports collaboration, innovation and creativity among the media, marketing and advertising industries throughout greater-LA.
