BSC Students Develop
Campaign Proposal to
Market Rish Equipment’s
Komatsu Dozers and Excavators

Bluefield State College students in this semester’s “Integrated Marketing Communications” class recently developed and presented marketing plans designed to help Rish Equipment increase sales of massive heavy equipment for construction industry giant Komatsu. The students’ proposals have been approved by Rish officials and will now be presented to Komatsu, International executives later this month. Students pictured include (seated, left-to-right) Alethia Gore, Adizatou Maiga, Jennifer Bennett, Andrea Browning, Whitney Morris (standing, l-to-r) Aaron Starling, Montoya Kemp, Alan Felts, Nicole Redmond, Andy Peery, Phillip Taylor, Adam Fulford, Matthew Burdette, Josh Westmoreland, Kerry Harper, and Libby Shafer (not pictured—J.V. Flanagan, Katrina Hall, and Joshua Hart).

( Bluefield)—Three weeks into the semester, Bluefield State College students in the “Integrated Marketing Communications” class expected to be about seven chapters into their textbook. Instead, they were finalizing marketing plans designed to help Rish Equipment increase sales of massive heavy equipment for construction industry giant Komatsu. The students’ proposals have been approved by Rish officials and will now be presented to Komatsu, International executives later this month.

Lee Nestor, a BSC graduate and current Rish Equipment employee, approached Dr. Elaine Scott (Dean/BSC School of Business) at the start of the fall 2006 semester, seeking marketing students’ input in developing and implementing advertising strategies that would increase sales of Komatsu bulldozers and excavators by 5%. The challenge was handed to Susan Mann, marketing instructor, who pitched the opportunity to her “Integrated Marketing Class.” “The students saw this as an awesome opportunity to put together real, tangible marketing strategies that would be pitched to a major manufacturer,” she said.

Dividing into two teams—one to develop a campaign for marketing excavators and another to market bulldozers—the student teams were told to plan their proposals based on $96,000 budgets. Josh Westmoreland, a member of the excavator team, detailed his group’s focus. “Excavators are not mass marketed,” he explained. “We keyed on reaching the primary decision makers. We wanted to show current and potential customers that they were important.” To achieve that goal, the team didn’t used radio or television advertising. “We used functional marketing tools, hard hats and similar items to give to customers. We developed a new local that stressed branding, image, and local awareness. We proposed advertising at FedEx Field (home of the Washington Redskins of the NFL), and we pitched the concept of a golf tournament for current, past, and potential customers.”

The bulldozer team took a different tact. “We understood that the coal industry, particularly in West Virginia, was a very important market,” recounted Alan Felts “That’s why we used a more regional media mix—Metro News, West Virginia Media, and advertising on special events like NCAA basketball’s ‘March Madness,’ the Super Bowl telecast, and promos during the ‘We Are Marshall’ movie.”

Using the course textbook as a guide during their three-week preparation period, the students learned the value of a teamwork approach to marketing. Then, they presented their proposals to Nestor, who subsequently presented the students’ work to Jay Mullen, Rish VP of Sales.

“The students came up with some great ideas,” Nestor said. “They have a true grasp of marketing, and their suggestions provide a practical approach to getting the ‘biggest bang for our advertising’ buck.”

“Our students really embraced this project,” noted Mann. “This challenge demanded a great amount of time and effort, but it gave our students a dynamic ‘real world’ experience that is invaluable. It was a rewarding, energizing experience.

October 9, 2006