Team trumps the rest

Sebastien Guite (left) and Dominic Guay made up half of the Apprentice Challenge‘s winning team. The challenge was packed between the seminars, social events and networking opportunities that filled the calendar during John Molson School of Business’s Marketing Week. Jan. 23 – 27.

This was the first time Concordia had hosted the Apprentice Challenge, which pitted four teams of four students against each other in competitions similar to the ones played out weekly on the reality TV show.

In the first round, each team had to negotiate rock-bottom prices for five items including candy, soda and a cup of coffee. One team collected all five items without spending a penny.

In the next round, teams had 20 minutes to sell four small bags of candy to earn the highest profit margin. The winning team made $80 from transactions with passersby. The $200 collected in that round went to CASA Cares, a JMSB charity.

Finally, each team had to pitch 7-Up to a target audience. Marketing professor Lea Katsanis judged their success.

In the end, a tie-breaker was necessary and the whole challenge was won with a match of rock, paper, scissors. Sometimes, marketing success comes down to luck.