the chief marketing - Illuminati 2026 | Reprise-Innovate-Compete-triumph

THE CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER CHALLENGE

Objective of the event:

The CMO Challenge is an intellectual, case-based competition where participants’ marketing acumen is tested. They will be given a hypothetical situation in which they have to step into the shoes of a CMO of a popular/struggling brand and suggest a marketing strategy to introduce new brand extensions and increase market share or prepare a turnaround plan for reviving a struggling brand.

Prizes:

1^st – 10,000
2^nd– 4,000
Registration Fees: Rs.300

Description of the event:

It will have 2 rounds
Round 1 – Marketing Maestro
Round 2 – The Ultimate CMO’s pitch

Round 1: The Marketing Maestro – Duration: 60 Minutes
This round will test the marketing knowledge of participants through a quiz.

The quiz will consist of 10 questions per team.
+10 will be given for every correct answer, -5 for every incorrect answer.
The top 5 teams will qualify for Round 2.

Round 2: The CMO’s Pitch – Duration: 180 Minutes (3 Hours for Preparation (PPT) & 20 Mins for presentation)
In this round, participant teams will be given a case of a Successful/Unsuccessful/Collapsed Brand. The participant teams have to present a marketing plan to revive/establish/strengthen the brand before the jury members.

Guidelines for CMO’s Pitch (Round.2):

The presentation should include the following:

a. Problem Identification (If the team is given the case of a failed brand):

Neglected/Potential Market Segments for Product/Brand Extension.
Why the brand declined?
What mistakes were made?
What immediate issues need solving or attention?

b. Strategy Building for failed brands (If the team is given the case of a failed brand):

Past corrective actions (What should have been done).
Present strategic plan (What should be done now).
Revamped Strategy for Relaunch.
OR
b. Strategy Building for Successful brands (If the team is given the case of a growing successful brand):
New Product/Brand Launch Strategy.
Target Segments & Positioning.
Pricing, Promotion and Distribution Strategy.

Rules for the event:

Team participation, Maximum 4 participants in a team
The Action plan should be presented in the PPT as per the format given by Organising team
The PPT to be presented should be an Original work created by the participant team. Use of AI software is strictly prohibited.
For Round 2, participant teams have to mandatorily submit the PPT to the organisers before the final presentation in front of the Jury members
The organisers will check and verify for AI detection and plagiarism. In case the organisers find any team using AI or if the plagiarism is more than 10% the team will be disqualified on immediate basis.
In round 2, any two members of the team can present the plan to the Jury members. All 6 teams will be given 15 minutes for the presentation.(10 minutes for Presentation, 5 minutes for Q&A session with Jury members

Faculty Co-ordinators:

Prof. Pushpak Deshpande,

+91 9004737696,
pushpak.management@itmbu.ac.in

Prof. Chirag Rathod,

+91 7600134481,
chirag.management@itmbu.ac.in

Prof. Aayushi Nathvani,

+91 9429912550,
aayushinathvani.mng@itmbu.ac.in

Student Co-ordinators:

Vandana Jangid,

+91 9157082547,
jangidv237@gmail.com

Arya Upadhyay,

+91 8320873880,
aryaupadhyay07@gmail.com