# Undergrad Marketing Competitions The Macy's Marketing Challenge Connects Students with the Brand By Michael Hemsworth | Published 2017-01-09 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marketing-challenge References: [macyscollege](http://macyscollege.com/undergradchallenge/) The [Macy's Marketing Challenge](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/macys-mstylelab) is focused on connecting the brand with bright students in order to help the retail company develop fresh, innovative insights into how to position itself online and in-store. The competition consists of [undergrad student teams developing a strategy](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/omnichannel-leadership-program) and submitting it to the brand. The first-place winners of the challenge receive [Apple](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/claim-app) Watch as well as a trip to New York City to pitch the idea(s) to the senior leadership team at Macy's. The Macy's Marketing Challenge provides second and third-place winners with gift cards to Macy's, and acts as a dual-purpose endeavor by the brand. It creates a positive experience for students with the brand as well as connecting them with top-tier innovators at the retail brand to get a behind-the-scenes view of the company. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.1/10 - Popularity: 11% | Activity: 14% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Student Marketing Competitions:** There is an opportunity to create marketing competitions and challenges geared towards undergraduate students to provide fresh and innovative insights to companies in retail and other industries. - **Collaboration Between Students and Brands:** Encouraging collaboration between students and brands can help companies connect with a younger demographic and receive innovative marketing strategies. - **Innovation in Retail Marketing:** Accessing innovative insights from undergraduate students can lead to new marketing strategies and disruptive innovation opportunities in the larger retail industry. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail:** Retail companies like Macy's can utilize marketing competitions to generate innovative insights from students and develop new strategies for in-store and online positioning. - **Education:** Marketing competitions can be utilized by academic institutions to provide students with real-world marketing challenges as well as to connect them with potential employers. - **Technology:** Incorporating innovative technology into marketing competitions can generate new and creative marketing strategies as well as provide opportunities for students to develop their skills in emerging technology fields. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Gamified Back-to-Campus Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uo-haul.md) - [Educational Fashion Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/design-graduates-initiative.md) - [Small-Format Department Stores](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smallformat-department-stores.md) - [Chic Private Retailer Housewares](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arch-studio-home-collection.md) - [Southwestern-Inspired Home Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/macys-1.md) - [CPG-Focused Innovation Launchpads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/innovation-launchpad.md) - [Gen Z-Centric Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shift-happens.md) - [Community-First Beauty Hubs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/club-mac.md) - [Comfortable Collegiate Apparel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/yale-university.md)