TOUCHDOWN: Haas MBAs Score at NFL Case Challenge
Students from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business took first place in the finals of the NFL Case Challenge at the NFL offices in Culver City, Ca., in front of a panel of league executives and university judges.
The winning Haas team consisted of Brandon Doll, Steffanie Johnson-Magnus and Natalie Rudd, all MBA 14.Students were asked to recommend a new program or product that would drive growth for NFL Media. The winning Haas team advised the production of a behind-the-scenes documentary called The Grind: Road to the International Series. The film would be produced by NFL Films and broadcast in the UK, a market the NFL has been trying to crack since they began broadcasting games over seas in 2007.
George Scott, general manager of NFL Club Sites for the Media Group, was blown away by the winning presentation.
“Halfway through your presentation, I’m hitting myself in the head, thinking, ‘How are we not doing this already?” he said. “We need to do this!”
Johnson-Magnus said her team drew from two Haas courses in particular, those being Core Strategy with Assistant Professor Ned Augenblick and Brand Strategy Boot Camp with Lecturer Bill Pearce, former chief marketing officer of Del Monte. She also explained what she thought set her team apart from the rest of the field.
“I think what ultimately set us apart from the competition was that we not only had a great story, but we also had a great plan for taking it from concept to consumption through the intended distribution channels, the promotional strategy, and expected revenue streams.”
Tom Brady, VP of content for the NFL Media Group, couldn’t have agreed more, saying, “If you’re selling something, you have to tell a story. And when it came down to it, one group told their story just a little bit better.”
