Many automakers can't figure out how to reach Generation Y.
"Car manufacturers are scared to death," said Robert Gilbert, clinical associate professor of business administration at the University of Pittsburgh. "Research shows Generation Y is not as likely to buy a new car as previous generations, so they need to know how to connect with this market."
So this semester, 22 senior marketing students in Gilbert's class are working with Mazda to help the car company come up with a strategy to appeal to this younger crowd.
As ProsInMotion, the student-run agency is developing and implementing an integrated marketing campaign for the new 2014 Mazda3. If they are successful, the campaign they develop may be implemented on a national scale when the car is released in January 2014.
Working on the project since the semester's start in August, Anne Bohlander, director of public relations for ProsInMotion, said it has been a long process, but a valuable experience. Starting with more than 800 possible campaign themes, they settled on "What Drives You?"
"We surveyed our peers for feedback and found "What Drives You" was the clear winner," she said. "Of course it has its literal meaning, but it is also a way to challenge Gen Y to attain success."
Given a $3,000 operating budget from Mazda, on Thursday, the work of the students culminates with the CARnival, an event they are hosting at the William Pitt Union from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which includes a variety of activities that will introduce students to the new Mazda3, including games, giveaways and the opportunity to sit in the driver's seat.
They are also focusing heavily on social media and guerrilla marketing campaigns, such as dropping tiny paratroopers with Mazda's logo from the third floor of the Cathedral of Learning, to covering the sidewalks around Pitt's campus in chalk with the "What Drives You?" tagline.
"The benefit to these companies is they get insights on how to connect with Generation Y," Gilbert said. "And for us, we get an operating budget and the chance to give students the experience to develop and implement a full marketing strategy."
Bohlander said they have been working with Mazda throughout the entire process to get approval on their marketing strategy.
"This experiential learning opportunity is closer to agency work than we can get in any classroom and it's more responsibility than you would get in a typical entry-level internship experience," she said.
Pitt is one of seven colleges throughout the U.S. working with Mazda. Following Thursday's event, the students will put together a final report which includes the results of their campaign and how effectively they were able to reach students. Representatives from the top two schools will be invited to pitch their work to Mazda executives in December.
In years past, students in the ProsInMotion class have worked with organizations from the Central Intelligence Agency to the National Football League, as well as Honda, Chevrolet and Nissan, winning a number of national competitions.