Greeley, Colo., (Oct. 24, 2012) - Two Students from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Monfort College of Business will participate in the State Farm Marketing and Sales Competition Oct. 26 at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) for a chance at financial awards. Several public and private universities will compete using tools such as Facebook and Twitter to enhance marketing strategies selling a mock auto insurance policy to young adult customers.
"The high caliber of students in this competition continues to impress us," said State Farm Vice President-Agency for Colorado Eloy Martinez. "State Farm is glad to provide this opportunity for this year's class and will be rooting for them as they advance in the competition."
Monfort College of Business UNC Professor of Marketing Dr. Vish Iyer selected students Lauren Zdanowitz and Nicole O'Dwyer to travel to UCM to compete on an individual and team basis. According to Charlie Schwepker, UCM professor of marketing, there are two rounds of sales role plays and the top four students will advance to a final round. One of the charges for students will be to present their plan for how local agents can utilize social media to reach the young adult market.
Students will be judged by an independent panel of judges, and will receive an overall score which determines their ranking in the competition.
Outstanding teams and individuals will be honored during the evening awards ceremony, which will include remarks by State Farm leaders. State Farm helps cover travel expenses for all of the students selected to participate in this event, and makes the financial awards for top finishers possible. State Farm has also added a "Recharge Café" to this year's program giving students a break room to relax and visit during the competition, and also offering students the opportunity to learn about and interact with some of State Farm's leading edge technology.
Angela Thorpe, State Farm Public Affairs, (303) 264-1560.
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
