by Nikko Briguera
MarkProf Batch 2009: “We made it through the rain”
In the midst of a series of typhoons during the last quarter of 2009, thirty one student leaders were brought by their passion to the country’s most prestigious 7-week marketing, management and leadership boot camp: MarkProf Search for the Top 25 Marketing Management Trainees of the Philippines. After going through three rigorous screenings at the Makati Hope Christian School, the thirty one participants were chosen by distinguished industry leaders from among the hundreds of graduating college students from all over the archipelago.
Great Lectures
Throughout the duration of the 7-week boot camp, the participants immersed themselves in a series of lectures about different areas of sales, marketing and leadership. The lectures were delivered by respected names in their own fields. The lecturers included country’s top marketing experts, brand managers, advertising executives, and NGO leaders. The sessions were held in various locations such as Procter and Gamble (Makati City), Unilever (Manila), Lamoiyan Corporation (Paranaque City) and Asia Pacific College (Makati).
Big Ideas
Beyond simply listening to the lectures, the participants were subjected to a sophisticated grading system to measure their performance. The major tiers of the system consisted of the class participation and Big Idea case tests. The system determined who among the participants will move on to the succeeding segments of the camp.
To further test their ability to apply their learning into real life solutions, the participants were grouped into different teams which were assigned to help certain non-government organizations. The NGOs include SOS Children’s Villages, Kythe, Independent Film Cooperative, Kanlungan Center for Migrant Workers, Child Protection Unit and Sibat. After 7 weeks of consultations, the group presented their final findings and recommendations for the management and marketing aspects of the NGOs. The final case presentations were judged by established industry practioners. In the end, the group assigned to SOS Children’s Villages (Dominic Briguera, Samantha Huang and Lauren Villegas) won the Best Final Case Presentation. They were followed by Kythe (Jason Chan, Emile Garcia, Geraldyn Perez and Marie Abigail Posadas) as 1st runner-up and Kanlungan Center for Migrant Workers (Gwendalyn Chan, Tabitha Hererra and Patricia Lalisan) as 2nd runner-up.
It’s all about having FUN!
Beyond mastering the art and science of marketing management, the MarkProf Bootcamp 2009 also provided an opportunity for meaningful social interactions among the participants, MarkProf alumni and mentors. Through events such as the Socials Night and Graduation Night, the Bootcamp proved that it’s possible to build camaraderie among a diverse group of people—students from different schools and professionals from different companies.
The MarkProf Graduates
Amidst the great challenges—from the unpredictable weather to the difficult Big Idea assignments, 21 participants graduated as MarkProf’s top marketing-management trainees for 2009, with Dominic Augustine B. Briguera of UP Diliman emerging as Batch Valedictorian.