Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

The Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM) received another good news. On Sunday (22/10), the First Mover Team won first place in the 2023 National Marketing Plan Competition (MPC) held by the Marketing Club on Teaching (March) at Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES). With the theme "Marketing in the Hyper-Connected World: Strategies for Engaging Generation with IMZ 7.0", this competition invites students to contribute their creative ideas in developing marketing transformation for MSMEs. The achievement of the team consisting of three 2021 Management students: Rizal Eko Sayudi, Cynthia Nur Azizah, and Nadifa Silvia Maharani, are in line with Sustainable Development Goal no. 4 (Quality Education) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

The proposal prepared by the First Mover Team reviewed the complexity of the evolution of marketing models in the contemporary digital era. With the rapid advancement of digital technology and the formation of a hyper-connected ecosystem, the First Mover Team underscored the need for a new landscape and innovative strategies to achieve effective market penetration. The focus was on Indonesia's Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. The First Mover Team emphasizes the vital role of MSMEs in the Indonesian economy. Data from Bank Indonesia shows that in 2018, MSMEs contributed around 57.24% to Indonesia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), significantly contributing to employment and non-oil and gas exports.

The case study was Cokelat nDalem, an MSME in Yogyakarta that operates in the food and beverage (FnB) sector. Even though it has immense market potential, Chocolate nDalem needs to increase marketing proactivity, especially in the digital realm. In response, the First Mover Team was committed to developing an integrated digital marketing strategy to increase brand awareness and retention rate to increase sales. Rooted in the Marketing Funnel framework, their "The SIMS (Seamless Integrated Marketing Solution)" strategy mapped the customer journey through five critical marketing programs. The First Mover Team hopes that their various recommendations will create a widespread positive effect for Indonesian MSMEs.

The First Mover Team's journey to win this competition took work. Developing a creative and integrated marketing strategy was the main challenge they faced. Rizal expressed this as a team leader. "Analyzing nDalem Chocolate as an object of study brought challenges because it required a deep understanding of the business and market conditions for artisan chocolate," he explained. Thanks to serious struggle, the First Mover Team defeated seven delegation teams from various universities in Indonesia who qualified for the final round. "We hope that the strategy we have created can make a positive contribution and empower more MSMEs to compete in the ever-growing global market," said Rizal, representing the team's hopes.

FEB UGM congratulates the First Mover Team for their brilliant achievement!

Reportage: Adella Wahyu Pradita