2009 Google Online Marketing Challenge

I copy here the interesting Google Online Marketing Challenge call for registration:

Registration is now open for the 2009 Google Online Marketing Challenge, which runs for any three consecutive weeks from late January to late May 2009: http://services.google.com/events/marketing_challenge_2009_reg

With over 8,000 students from 47 countries, the inaugural Challenge was a huge success. A survey of participating instructors showed that 96% would recommend the Challenge to other instructors, and the same percentage would run the Challenge in a future class.

Give your students a compelling learning experience and maybe win a week's holiday, for you and the students, at a five star hotel in San Francisco. Part of your holiday includes a day at the nearby Googleplex, to meet the team behind AdWords.

Here's how the Challenge works: Your students receive US$ 200 in Google ads to drive traffic to a business website of their choosing. Google also provides teaching materials and other resources. Students compete with groups from their institution and with student teams globally.

The Challenge is not a simulation. Students enjoy gaining real-world experience, spending real money for a real client. You have a great student project; clients gain free advertising and Internet consulting. Your department and school garner good public relations from the client businesses.

The Challenge is open to undergraduate and graduate students anywhere in the world, details at http://www.google.com/onlinechallenge/ . If interested, this Journal of Interactive Advertising article describes incorporating the Challenge into your class and gives a few hints for
being competitive. http://jiad.org/article109

You can also send questions to

• Jamie Murphy jmurphy@biz.uwa.edu.au, or
• Charles Hofacker chofack@cob.fsu.edu, Florida State University, representing the Americas.
• Ana Isabel Canhoto Ana.Canhoto@henleymc.ac.uk, Henley Management College, representing Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
• Larry Neale l.neale@qut.edu.au, Queensland University of Technology, representing Australia and Asia Pacific.

Over a dozen academics on the Challenge Academic Panel <http://www.google.com/onlinechallenge/panel.html>