Through the course of COMM 296 my group and I completed a comprehensive analysis on Groupon’s Marketing Strategies and provided recommendations to expand their current customer base. This assignment allowed my group to apply many of the concepts learned in class to a real company. All in all, I found the project interesting and the knowledge that I gained valuable. However, if given the chance to start this project over, I would likely do some things differently.

Establishing a project plan and mapping out goals early on is paramount. The absence of a project timeline leaves much uncertainty with regard to time, and the roles of each group member. Outlining who will do what, and setting deadlines for different portions of the project helps keep a group with 6 busy members organized. This would have alleviated some stress that my team faced as the project deadlines neared.

For me, this project stressed the importance of group diversity. Having a group made up of people from all over the world offered unique perspectives on many aspects of the assignment. For example, my Team member Eric, a transfer student from Paris, provided insight to Groupon’s role in the daily deals industry in France. This information was very helpful in the process of researching Groupon’s world-wide influence.

When I read that the final portion of the marketing assignment was to create a 5-7 minute video I was skeptical. I was expecting, as a business student often does, a final report and presentation. The blending of these 2 assignments into one video was an interesting way of wrapping up our project. Overall, I enjoyed writing, filming, and editing the video. My prior experience with this kind of media was non-existent, so the production of the video was a valuable experience. Would I rather have prepared a final report and presentation? Yes. However, I am glad that I had the chance to create a video, and I am proud of our team for the way the video turned out.