The end of the school year is a busy time. With exams, presentations, and final assignments, most students have enough stress on their plates. But for four Ivey HBAs, that wasn’t enough.
Split into two two-person teams, the HBA students signed up for Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec months ago. Section mates Tom Grainger and Amanda Chan represented one Ivey team, and brothers Matthew Tan and Justin Tan the other. They progressed through the marketing case competition’s first two phases and travelled to Toronto on March 31 for the final presentation. The teams placed in the top 10 out of 178 original applicants.
“It was a lot of build up to finally deliver an idea we’d worked on for months to a room full of people,” Grainger said. “We had one shot to make sure everything that was now second nature to us was communicated very clearly.”
The Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec website tells participants it’s “their big break into the industry,” and understandably so. The final presentation judging panel consisted of 26 industry professionals, and beyond that, the students met professors, campus ambassadors, competition sponsors, and other Top Ad competitors – an extraordinary opportunity to network.
“We weren’t just there to compete – everyone really wanted to meet each other and build our networks,” Matthew said.
A taste of real life
For the students, competing in Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec was a chance to apply what they were learning at Ivey to the real world.
“We had no real safety net – we weren’t hiding behind schools,” Grainger said. “School is a little more of a coddling environment. If something doesn’t go well, it’ll hurt your mark and you’ll get another opportunity. It’s a learning environment. This was the real deal.”
They gave kudos to Ivey for preparing them well, saying the assignments they were given contributed to their success in the competition. These assignments, namely the 48-hour reports, taught the HBAs how to work in short time frames, research and collect information, and make decisions in tough scenarios.
Beyond the schoolwork, the Ivey culture also contributed to their success. The four Top Ad participants have a level of drive and work ethic that can be matched only by their peers at the School.
“These are attributes we share, and I think the reason is due to the culture we have here at Ivey,” Justin said. “We know from our talented section mates and other classmates, that to succeed, you’re going to have to give it 100 per cent.”
