The Ken Bernhardt AMA Atlanta, Outstanding Collegiate Marketer Award, is designed to highlight critical individuals driven to make a difference in the marketing industry. AMA Collegiate Members have the opportunity to be recognized by some of Atlanta’s best marketing professionals.

In 2025, three college marketing students will be awarded from the Ken Bernhardt endowment fund. A maximum of (1) winner will be selected per college or university. The total amount of scholarships to be awarded is $10,000, with the following payment structure.

• $5,000 – 1st Place winner
• $3,000 – 2nd Place Runner-Up
• $2,000 – 3rd Place Runner-Up

To be considered for the award, students must meet the following criteria:

All awards will be announced via email and the winners will also be invited to attend the Atlanta Marketer of the Year (AMY) Awards where the winners will receive their awards and have the opportunity to network with marketing professionals.

QUALIFICATIONS TO APPLY

• Must be a member of both your Georgia collegiate chapter and AMA Nationals
• Your chapter advisor or marketing department lead will need to email Jamal Harris (JamHarris832@gmail.com) to confirm your active status.
• Must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Must be in good standing with your college/university
• Must be a student in marketing demonstrating key skills required of marketing leaders
• Must complete and submit the Ken Bernhardt AMA Atlanta Scholarship – Strategic Marketing Plan Assignment (Details below)

AWARD DETAILS AND DEADLINES

• All applications need to be submitted by Friday, March 14, 2025.

HOW TO APPLY

Please fill out the scholarship application here. Both the application and confirmation of AMA active status must be submitted by Friday, March 14, 2025.

Feel free to reach out to Jamal Harris at JamHarris832@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.

SCHOLARSHIP ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

Ken Bernhardt AMA Atlanta Scholarship – Strategic Marketing Plan Assignment

Background:

Imagine you are on the marketing team for Liquid Death, and your team has just launched Killer Cola, a new soda-flavored sparkling water. While soda sales are declining, new brands like Olipop are gaining popularity with consumers aged 18-25. Your task is to create a strategic marketing plan that ensures a successful launch and ongoing growth for Killer Cola. The goal is to get college students to choose Liquid Death’s Killer Cola as their drink of choice.

Components of the Assignment:

Market Research:

• Conduct thorough market research to identify the target audience, market trends, and potential competitors. Provide insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and the demand for similar products.

Product Positioning:

• Define the unique selling proposition (USP) of the product and determine how it will be positioned in the market. Explain why consumers should choose this product over competitors’ offerings.

Digital Marketing Strategy:

• Develop a high-level digital marketing plan, including online advertising, social media campaigns, influencer marketing, etc.
• MUST provide up to (2) examples of a social media post.
  • (1) video
  • (1) static

Submission Guidelines:

• The presentation should be shared in a deck/slide format (Powerpoint, Slides, Keynote, etc)
• Presentation Deck (required): PDF
• Video (required): mp4
• The assignment should be no more than (5) slides.
• Include visuals, graphs, and charts to support your analysis and recommendations.
• Use credible sources for market research data.