Event Overview: Mark-o-Mind is a three-round marketing competition testing knowledge, creativity, strategic thinking, communication, and competitive decision-making — from a marketing quiz, to a creative legacy-based pitch, to a head-to-head brand strategy challenge. Round 1 — Mind
Over Market: Marketing & Business Knowledge — 30 MCQs Round 2 —
Legacy Pitch: Creativity + Marketing Strategy — Pitch + Q&A Round 3 —
Brand Standoff: Competitive Brand Strategy — Discussion + Cross-questioning
General Rules: Participants must complete registration/check-in before the event begins. Follow all instructions from organizers, volunteers, and judges throughout the event. Teams must remain together unless an organizer permits otherwise. Unfair assistance, plagiarism, copying, impersonation, or unauthorized communication may lead to disqualification. Maintain professional conduct and respectful communication at all times. Organizers reserve the right to modify timings or procedures as required. Organizers' and judges' decisions on rules, scoring, penalties, and qualification are final and binding. Round 1 — Mind
Objective: Test knowledge of marketing, business, brands, advertising, consumer behaviour, business personalities, current trends, and general business knowledge. 30 MCQs; each correct answer = 1 mark, incorrect = 0 marks. 1 minute per question — total round duration 30 minutes. Covers brands, ads, campaigns, consumer behaviour, business personalities, trends, and general business knowledge. Mobile phones, laptops, internet access, notes, or external assistance strictly prohibited. Answers must be submitted/recorded as instructed by organizers. Ties affecting qualification/ranking may be resolved via a tie-breaker question or rapid-fire round. Round 2 —
Objective: Combine creativity, strategic thinking, cultural understanding, and marketing knowledge by transforming an ancient Indian game into a modern marketing concept. Teams are assigned (or may select) an ancient Indian game as directed by organizers. Teams develop a modern marketing concept inspired by the game, covering: Target Audience, Core Marketing Idea, Brand/Product Integration, Promotional Strategy, and Social Media/Digital Marketing Idea. 30 minutes preparation, followed by a 5-minute pitch and 5 minutes of Q&A. Phones/laptops may be used for research and presentation, subject to organizer instructions. Props and creative presentation techniques allowed if permitted by organizers. Concepts must be original — copied or substantially plagiarized concepts may lead to disqualification.
Judging Criteria: Creativity & Innovation — originality, freshness, and quality of the idea Marketing Relevance — application of sound marketing principles Strategic Thinking — clarity and logic of the proposed approach Presentation & Communication — structure, confidence, clarity, and delivery Brand Integration — how naturally the brand/product fits the concept
Venue
LM Thapar School of Management, Dera Bassi Campus, Off Derabassi–Barwala Road, Punjab – 140507, India
Dera Bassi, India
Time: 30 min prep • 5 min pitch • 5 min Q&A. Judges' decision is final and binding. Round 3 —
Objective: A real-world competitive marketing situation where participants analyse competitors and build a convincing strategy to gain competitive advantage. Each team is assigned a brand/category and its competitor by organizers. Teams analyse the competitive landscape and develop a strategy covering: Target Customer, Pricing, Promotion & Advertising, Digital/Social Media, Distribution, and Brand Positioning. 25 minutes preparation, followed by a 10-minute competitive discussion and 5 minutes of cross-questioning. Laptops/phones may be used for research during preparation, as permitted by organizers. Teams must be ready to defend recommendations and respond to counter-questions from the opposing team and/or judges. Arguments must stay professional and marketing-focused — personal attacks or inappropriate content will not be tolerated.
Judging Criteria: Strategic Thinking — quality and logic of the proposed competitive strategy Market Understanding — insight into customers, category, competitors, and market dynamics Creativity — distinctiveness and effectiveness of ideas Feasibility — practicality and realistic execution Competitive Advantage — ability to create a meaningful edge over the competitor Presentation & Defence — clarity, confidence, rebuttal, and response quality
Time: 25 min prep • 10 min discussion • 5 min cross-questioning. Judges' decision is final and binding.
Disqualification & Penalties: Use of prohibited devices or unauthorized external assistance in Round 1. Cheating, copying, plagiarism, or misrepresentation of another team's work. Repeatedly exceeding allotted time or refusing to follow organizer instructions. Misconduct, abusive language, personal attacks, harassment, or disruptive behaviour. Use of offensive, discriminatory, defamatory, or inappropriate material. Any action that, in organizers' judgment, compromises fairness or integrity of the competition