You are choosing a NEW company, a NEW product, or a NEW market, plus a marketing problem or opportunity your team will address. Everything you build over the rest of the term sits on this choice, so the point of this

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22 Sep 2026 • 5 min read

Week 3 — Milestone 1: Concept Proposal 100 Points

Due Date: Sun, Sep 27, 2:59 AMClose Date: Sun, Oct 04, 2:59 AMSubmission Requirement: Up to 1 file allowed

One PDF, 1 page maximum · Due Saturday by 11:59 PM PT

Propose the focus for your Final Marketing Plan and submit it for instructor approval.

You are choosing a NEW company, a NEW product, or a NEW market, plus a marketing problem or opportunity your team will address. Everything you build over the rest of the term sits on this choice, so the point of this milestone is to get a clear, workable direction confirmed before you invest research time in it.

This is a proposal, not a plan. You are not expected to have answers yet.

TOPIC RULES — READ BEFORE YOU CHOOSE Your topic MUST be:

NEW — a new company, a new product or service from an existing company, or an existing product or service entering a new market. Remember, you are creating a marketing strategy, not evaluating someone else's. Real, preferably — a real company launching something real gives you evidence to work with. A hypothetical topic is acceptable but must be realistic and grounded in a real market. Researchable — you need to be able to find competitor prices, market information and customer detail. A topic with no public information will block you in future milestones. Narrow enough for one plan — one product for one market. "A new division" or "a full product portfolio" is too much. Your topic must NOT be:

An evaluation or critique of an existing marketing campaign or strategy A rebrand or turnaround of an existing product with no new offering So broad that your target market could be anyone If you are unsure whether a topic qualifies, propose it anyway and say what you are unsure about. That is what the approval step is for.

SOME TOPICS YOU CAN CHOOSE If you're stuck on which company or product to choose, here are four options you can choose from:

Edvisor, a new product Keurig, an established brand Patagonia, a company Olipop, a current consumer product Note that you are NOT required to pick one of these, and your grade will not be affected if you don't. You can pick any company, product, or brand as long as it meets the requirements in these instructions.

WHAT TO SUBMIT (REQUIRED SECTIONS) One page maximum. You must include these five sections:

Title: Include your name, course number, and the date you prepared the submission. The company or product: Say you're proposing. Say clearly whether it is real or hypothetical, and whether it is a new company or a new offering from an existing one. Background and context: The basic facts a reader needs to understand the situation: the market it enters, who already operates there, what is changing. You don't need more than three or four sentences. The marketing problem or opportunity: The specific problem you will solve or opportunity you will pursue with a marketing strategy. State it as a problem, not as a solution you have already picked. AI Disclosure Statement: Whether or not you used AI, and if you used AI, how you used it. HOW THIS IS GRADED This assignment is graded on a scale of 100 points, based on how well you followed these instructions and how viable your topic is for building a final project. For a project to be considered viable, it must be:

Researchable (Company): You must be able to research the company. This means choosing either a public company, or a private company that you have access to data about (if this is the case, say so in your proposal). Researchable (Market): Similarly, the market you're entering must have readily accessible data you use to base marketing decisions on (such as targeting, logistics, and media spend, to name a few). Remember to make use of the library's databases, which you have free access to as a student! If public data is sparse, but you're a subject matter expert in the market you're entering, please say so in your proposal. Manageable: Some topics and markets are highly technical, hard to research, or are hard to get up to speed within the course of a single semester, which could become overwhelming. If you're already a subject matter expert in the topic, or acknowledge the lift and still want to give it a go regardless, say so in your proposal. If your project is not viable, you may be asked to revise and resubmit before moving on. A revision request is normal and is not a penalty; it is cheaper to fix the topic now than near the end of the course.

Keep a copy of your approved proposal in an easily accessible place. Every later milestone builds on it.

SUBMISSION AND AI USE Submission — One PDF per student, one page maximum.

AI use — limited and transparent. You may use AI tools for support: background reading on a market, organizing your description, or checking clarity. You may not use AI to choose your topic or define your marketing problem. The direction must be yours, and yours alone.

If you use AI, add one or two sentences describing how. If you didn't use AI, include a sentence saying you didn't use AI.

Grading Criteria

Points

Includes required title information: student name, course number, and date.

Clearly states the company or product being proposed, specifying whether it is real or hypothetical, and whether it is a new company or a new offering from an existing one.

Provides concise background and context, including the market entered, existing competitors, and relevant changes, in three to four sentences.

States a specific marketing problem or opportunity to be addressed, framed as a problem or opportunity (not a solution), and aligns with assignment rules (not an evaluation, rebrand, or overly broad).

Demonstrates project viability: topic is researchable (company and market), manageable within the course, and not disqualified by assignment rules. If there are uncertainties, they are acknowledged.

Includes an AI Disclosure Statement specifying whether AI was used, and if so, how it was used, in accordance with assignment instructions.

What happens after you submit? Once submitted, you won't be able to resubmit This assignment only allows a single attempt

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