Students in Leigh Major’s marketing class channeled their inner entrepreneur earlier this month as they pitched a panel of judges on ideas for new consumer products they’ve been developing over the past several weeks.
Major’s students visited Wegmans’ grocery store in Geneseo earlier this year to learn about new product development and consumer behaviors.
Students then broke up into small groups and, working as a “company,” turned their attention to creating an original product or concept and an associated marketing campaign, which teams then pitched to a panel of judges which included representatives from Wegmans.
“Each and every student in this class was absolutely fantastic,” said Major of her students’ presentations. “There was not one student or group who did not ‘bring it.’ Their media, presentation skills and teamwork were at the highest level. The Wegmans representatives were beyond impressed and asked if they could be involved with the class and future presentations. They had nothing but wonderful things to say about all of the students that presented and loved their ideas and professionalism.”
Butter Me Up, Inc.
For their company, Butter Me Up Inc.’s, product, the team of Austin L., Brody M., Jake D., Jack F. and Ethan C. came up with The Butter Stuck, a device that allows you to spread a stick of butter onto a surface without the use of a knife.
The Butter Stick is designed in the style of a glue stick or a tube of chapstick. All you have to do is pop the lid off, twist the base of the stick and then spread the butter.
“Easy to use,” “simple” and “practical” were some of the words judges used in their assessment of the product.
Check out their presentation below.
Butter Me Up Inc. team members are pictured presenting their product, The Butter Stick, to a panel of judges earlier this month.
The Parfaitinators
For their idea, the Parfaitinators team of Sophia R., Noah L., Teagan W. and Olivia G. pitched a self-serve yogurt parfait bar.
The bar would feature different yogurt flavors and a variety of toppings like berries, granola and honey that would allow customers to create highly-customizable parfaits.
“Great idea - convenience wins,” wrote one of the judges in their review.
“Connects to Wegmans’ family-oriented vision,” wrote another.
Check out their presentation below.
The Parfaitinators are pictured above presenting their idea, a self-serve yogurt parfait bar, to a panel of judges earlier this month.
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club team of Chloe P., Gabriella S., Piper K., Sarah D. and Erin K. pitched judges on a resealable cereal bag in the style of a ziplock that would allow customers to keep cereal fresh for longer and cut down on spilled product.
One judge called the idea “brilliant” and praised the group for its presentation.
“You all seemed confident with all the information,” he wrote.
Another lauded the group for its product slogan: “Lock in the freshness.”
Check out their presentation below.
Members of The Breakfast Club team are pictured above presenting their product, a resealable cereal bag, to a panel of judges earlier this month.
The Twisters
The Twisters pitched the judges on pretzel twists for Wegmans’ bakery section. The team of Kennedy F., Emmanuel C., Lee H., Jayden W. and Trevor S. told judges the pretzel twists would come in packs of four with a choice of dipping sauce.
One judge praised the product for its low price point - 4 twists for $5 - and the ability to eat the snack “on the go” while another liked that the product required only a few simple ingredients.
Check out their presentation below.
The Twisters team is pictured above pitching its pretzel twist idea to a panel of judges earlier this month.