M.S. in Marketing Students Help Porsche Develop a Post-Pandemic Marketing Plan

Atlanta-based Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche vehicles. Established in 1984, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. PCNA employs approximately 350 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, service, marketing and training for its 189 dealers. They in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with best-in-class experience.

PCNA faced two specific challenges.

• Targeting a younger demographic
• Developing experiential marketing strategies for the post-COVID-19 world

During summer 2020, M.S. in Marketing (MSMK) program students worked with PCNA on addressing these challenges int their capstone course, Applied Marketing Strategy (MK8392) under the guidance of program director Alok Saboo, Taylor E. Little Jr. Professor of Marketing.

For eight weeks, student teams developed actionable marketing strategy recommendations for PCNA to implement. Their ideas included experiential IRL (in real life) activations with digital/virtual amplification authentic to the brand while resonate with the younger target audience – all with the goal of developing and maintaining the top of the top funnel through brand awareness, affinity and ongoing engagement and cultivating future brand consumers.

“Being the subject of Robinson’s Applied Marketing Strategy capstone project was an opportunity for Porsche’s Experiential Marketing team to gain direct insight into experiences that appeal to young, driven members of the target demographic,” said Keitha Blackburn, PCNA manager of experiential marketing. “The students produced realistic strategies that can be applied even as we navigate the current challenges of the pandemic. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and quality of their work.”

Learn about Robinson’s M.S. in Marketing program.