The Carlson School brand management team recently took second-place at the 2010 Elite Eight Brand Management Case Competition held at the Carlson School.  The team competed against seven other brand management student teams from some of the nation's top business schools.

For its achievement, the Carlson School team was awarded $5,000.

Elite Eight consisted of eight teams of five-students each who were presented with a strategic brand management challenge currently faced by this year's sponsor company, Eaton Corporation. The teams were given 30 hours to prepare a structured case analysis and accompanying recommendations. Teams presented their findings to a panel of expert judges from the sponsor company who then critically assessed the students' brand management, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

"As a 'first-timer' to the case competition scene, I was amazed by the exhilaration of the process," says 2010 Carlson School team member, Carina Sarbaugh. "Not only was it amazing to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from banding together to tackle a tough business problem, but it was truly inspirational to do so in the company of seven other top branding MBA programs.  I will never forget the experience of competing in the Elite Eight."

"The Elite Eight is a great crash-course application of strategy, marketing, and teamwork skills," added fellow Carlson School teammate, Jill Haspert.

The $10,000 first-place award went to the team from the Hass School of Business (University of California, Berkeley); the third-place, $3,000 award went to the team from the Fuqua School of Business (Duke University).

The other schools that participated in the 10th anniversary of the student-run competition were:

• Kelley School of Business (Indiana University, Bloomington)
• Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University)
• Stephen M. Ross School of Business (University of Michigan)
• The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania)
• Anderson School of Management (University of California, Los Angeles)