KNOXVILLE — MBA students interested in shopper marketing careers now have one more reason to consider an MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. UT Knoxville’s full-time MBA program has partnered with UT Knoxville’s Shopper Marketing Forum to create an Excellence in Shopper Marketing Fellowship. This inaugural scholarship will be awarded to a Class of 2012 student who will begin the program August 2011.
The goal of the $25,000 Excellence in Shopper Marketing Fellowship is to recruit outstanding full-time MBA students who are committed to careers in shopper marketing, product management and/or brand management. The $25,000 scholarship is paid as $8,333 for each of the program’s three semesters and is credited against MBA tuition.
Shopper marketing is about influencing consumers when they are on the path to purchase. It’s a collaborative blending of retailing, branding and sales efforts, with a heavy emphasis on analysis and shopper insights. UT’s Shopper Marketing Forum brings together senior-level leaders to discuss shopper marketing challenges and opportunities.
“The vision for the University of Tennessee’s College of Business Administration is to be the nation’s go-to university for shopper marketing expertise,” said Amy Cathey, executive director of UT’s full-time MBA program.
Through coursework, applied learning experiences and faculty mentorship, the student receiving this award will develop the skills and networking necessary to achieve his or her career goals. Special consideration will go to a student with past work experience in consumer packaged goods and who has a strong commitment to continuing a career in consumer packaged goods marketing.
“Along with social media, shopper marketing is hot; it is one of the fastest growing segments of consumer goods marketing today. Major consumer goods manufacturers such as PepsiCo and its Frito-Lay division, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, and Bush Bros. are all desperate for talent specifically trained in shopper marketing. The same goes for powerful brokers such as CROSSMARK; retailers such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Lowes and Home Depot; and agencies such as Mars Advertising,” said Dan Flint, full-time MBA marketing faculty member and director of UT’s Shopper Marketing Forum. “Our MBA program is committed to providing companies with graduates who are skilled in state-of-the-art shopper marketing practices. This fellowship will help us attract someone whose career we can accelerate.”
Over the past several years, the University of Tennessee MBA program has more than doubled the number of scholarships available to prospective students.
“These awards allow us to attract the best and brightest students in key areas that are valued by industry,” added Cathey.
For more information about these awards or the MBA program, visit http://MBA.utk.edu.
For information about applying for the Excellence in Shopper Marketing Fellowship, visit http://MBA.utk.edu/faqs/Shopper_Marketing_Fellowship.pdf.
For information about the UT Shopper Marketing Forum, visit http://ShopperMarketing.utk.edu.
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C O N T A C T :
Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)