UCR students Devender Bohra and Deon Jamy led a spirited team of 18 Business School peers on a vibrant Mission: to reignite student engagement among the UCR diaspora with the aid of Aroundme.co, an instant meetup app founded by the duo.

Applying the theoretical knowledge of MBA, the team conducted a Live Marketing Project to understand what marketing channels work best in order to connect with a target audience of university students. Through this project, the team live-tested the effectiveness and user adaptability of the app using channels of in-class marketing, on-campus marketing, and social media. 

The Business School Faculty provided robust support, with guidance and invaluable mentorship from Professors Rich Yueh, Rami Zwick, and Ashish Sood.

How did the Team Achieve this?

The project set ambitious goals, including acquiring 500 users from UCR and facilitating instant student engagement with the help of AroundMe hotspots. A total of 4 teams working relentlessly made this project a success,

• In-Class Marketing Team
• Content Marketing Team
• Data Team
• Partnerships & Operations Team

The In-Class Marketing Team aimed to captivate audiences through presentations introducing Aroundme while testing user adaptability. Their mission was to acquire 500 users, foster instant engagement, and strategically target UCR's School of Business and Bours College of Engineering.

After each presentation, the team strategized to refine their pitch and develop unique ideas to make it more relatable and successful. During a class presentation, one team member would deliver the pitch while others distributed QR codes among the audience. The challenge of a 5-minute pitch was tough, but the team's effort made it flow seamlessly.

In order to make these presentations happen, the partnerships team ensured collaboration with 16 professors and 6 Teaching Assistants. Moreover, the team ensured strategic collaborations with Student-led organizations like Product Club to conduct the Product Workshop to kickstart the Live Marketing Project and AGSM Women in Business to carry out the stellar Product Marketing Speaker Event. The team further established collaboration with Blackstone Launchpad, an on-campus initiative that supports student entrepreneurship. With Blackstone LaunchPad as a partner, each team member received exclusive merch and a certificate for being a part of the campaign.

The operations team was a helping hand to all the team members, with them aiding the distribution of flyers for the in-class marketing team as well as carrying out the successful tabling at the Bell Tower as a part of the Wednesday tabling event. The tabling event was the next channel that the team aimed to test: on-campus acceptance of Aroundme! ​​The team's relentless pursuit of expertise led them to organize a standout product marketing speaker event. Renowned industry professionals, including Javier Angel from Atlassian, Mounica Battle from Microsoft, and Diana Almendarez from Tyler Technologies, graced the event. They shared insights on evolving trends in product marketing and offered valuable opinions on the live marketing project. The collaboration with AGSM Women in Business, a rapidly growing club in the UCR School of Business, made this event a resounding success.

While the Presentations were going on the front end, the data team was constantly monitoring the progress in terms of how many QR code scans were taking place and the increase in users and repeat users, measuring the impact of each presentation. They identified high-impact hotspots and potential use cases based on user behavior. The team's dashboard provided actionable insights, turning complex data into a clear view of user interest and engagement.

The Content Marketing Team established a robust social media presence. The team diligently covered the entire campaign and showcased it on social media. The Team was responsible for the coverage as well as personal branding of team members. The team's strategic planning, online community engagement, and on-the-ground coverage of workshops showcased their dedication to the project. Now, their mission further extends to promoting the Live Marketing Project as a case study in the form of a documentary, targeting 150000 impressions and connecting candidate profiles with at least 100 employers. In order to achieve this, the team secured $1000 in LinkedIn Ad Credits courtesy of Microsoft for Startups.

AroundMe successfully achieved its goal of acquiring 500 users at UCR, showcasing the power of collaboration, innovation, and strategic marketing. The Live Marketing project is a true testament to the fact that an MBA is all about applying that theoretical knowledge to the practical world and constantly striving for innovation.

Stay Tuned for the Marketing Documentary.