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How to win National Level Case Study Competitions_
How to win National Level Case Study Competitions_
The secret ingredients of getting into the finals of a corporate case study competition:
Before I share the recipe of success, let me point out what do these case study competitions mean.
So far, I've been a part of three different teams that have been staged as the National Runners Up of:
Round 1 Strategies
In this round, the largest amount of elimination takes place. Out of thousands of entries, top 100 are picked.
The criteria is often a one-slider presentation or a 3-10 slider presentation. In the initial months of
participating, I realized that my team was getting through the one-slider competitions but not through the 3-
10 slider ones. That is when it struck me that the key to win in this round is to show how much effort you've put
in. We were not getting through the 3-10 slider ones because our slides had blank spaces. The person
shortlisting PPTs in this round will not be a senior manager. So, the criteria has to be 'the effort put in'. Show
what you've done.
You can do that by filling up your slides with data, research as well as recommendations. Just make sure each
slide is utilized enough to show the effort that went in making the 3-10 slides.
The next thing is to show that you went out of your way to meet the consumers and suppliers of the company.
This is called conducting the primary research. You must also back it up by data you procure from analytical
reports. This is called secondary research. The sources we use for this are - EMIS Intelligence, Euromonitor
and Statista. Now, both the researches must be present in your slides and extensively covered. Try to click as
many pictures as you can with consumers/stores and put them in the slides.
Katalon
Now, this much is hygiene, and if you've done this, chances are you'll get through the first shortlist. But,
something about your presentation has to sound as an exciting factor and that role is often played by
videos/infographics/GIFs, etc. When you write your recommendations, present an easier way for the person
shortlisting to understand what you're trying to say. We used videos, GIFs to put across our point. We also
made sample apps (using custom animation) to show how the idea would work. These are called wireframes.
Do these along with a well designed and formatted PPT and you'll get through Round 1 for sure.
Round 2 Strategies
This is often a video conferencing round. The panelists are marketing/sales managers who cannot see you but
only your PPT. Some tips that can help you sail through this round:
Don't present the same PPT. Your initial PPT must be having a lot of data. This is the time you hide it
because the person you'd be presenting to would be an expert on data.
Instead, focus on the primary research you did. Now, here's the catch - managers love consumer
insights. So, when you're saying you met consumers, don't tell unnecessary things. Just mention how
many you met and what insights/problems were you able to catch.
In the very beginning of your presentation, just after your title slide, mention the two key ideas (no
detail) but just the name of the idea. This is called anchoring. You would want the manager to pay more
attention whenever you present that idea later.
In the recommendations part, must include the video/GIF again. Your primary focus should be to
explain your idea using it to showcase your creativity.
In this round, the criteria often is how comprehensively you've covered everything. These managers are
like a check before you get to present to the C-suite. They try to check if you've covered every ground.
Round 3 Strategies
This is the finale round, wherein you present to the CXOs of the company. Now, the interesting mistake
people often make here is that they complicate things a lot. I've seen so many PPTs that were full of numbers
and data and I couldn't help but feel sad for the teams presenting them. The thing is, the CXOs are busy
people. They'd give only 10 minutes per team. Now, in those 10 minutes, why would you want to bore them
with number work? They already know the numbers. What they don't know is how to creatively solve the
problem.
No guesses that such teams never won any competitions. The teams which followed this format always won:
1. Problem Statement - They have often not read the problem, so it is only fair to let them know what
you're trying to solve about their company. Mention the scope of the case i.e. which areas were no-go
(told not to interfere into) so that they don't quiz you on it.
2. Research - It actually means effort/procedure. All you need to tell them is what you did - how many
consumers you met, how many stores you visited, in short - how much effort did you put. Put pictures
and videos if possible.
3. Insights - Based on the research and relevance to the problem, what were the top 3 insights?
4. Ideas - So, how do you propose to use the insights and solve the problem? Your idea could relate to
any of the 4 Ps - Product, Price, Promotion or Place. Here, you must also show the wireframes/GIFs etc.
5. Feasibility - This is critical. You must be able to prove that whatever you're suggesting is
implementable. There has to be technical, financial, operational feasibility. Apart from that, your idea
must be innovative, acceptable to consumers and scalable.
6. Finance & Timeline - The last slide should be a very brief summary of how much will the company need
to invest, what will be the return (impressions, sales, profits, etc.). Also present the roll-out timeline of
your ideas - you don't plan to launch everything together, right?
1. Prototypes - Let's say you come up with a product idea. Make its physical prototype and take it to the
finale to show to the judges. One of the teams even made a sample app and won!
2. Animations - Use the custom animations creatively. In OYO's competition, the winning team showed
how the app will allow consumers to view the house live and they made us see a house live using
animations. Try working with custom animations like move, swipe, rotate etc.
3. Confidence - One of the teams was so confident of their research that when they spoke, everyone knew
they were not lying. Be thorough - both with your data and presentation.
4. Innovative - It doesn't matter if the idea is wacky, as long as it is innovative, it earns a tick-mark. Try to
reject ideas that are obvious. Think on what might not have been thought by anyone.
Here are a couple of points different CXOs have shared in these competitions -
Amaze them - They look for opportunities to have that 'wow' moment when they feel like they didn't
know something and their team couldn't think of it.
Cover it up - They like thoroughness. So, during the cross-questioning, you should be able to prove
your point by backing it up with data from primary research or secondary research.
Keep it simple - Don't give 10 ideas and say every idea is excellent. Give 2-3 good ideas and mention
how you suggest them to prioritize.
Be original - They have known the industry much better than you. They can catch in seconds if you try
to copy an idea from some other country.
Stay aligned - Each company has some values. If your idea goes against them, you're gonna lose for
sure. Match it with their values and you'll win the competition.
With these, I'll leave the floor open for any questions. Also, just remember that these competitions add a lot of
value to your profile, especially if you are planning to get into a B-school or if you are in a B-school.