Our group’s initial choice for the marketing project actually wasn’t TD Canada Trust. We had to switch from Pepsi to TD after finding out that Pepsi wasn’t in the UBC Library database, which ended up not making much of a difference in the end.
At times, if I had to be honest, I deeply regretted choosing TD. It was not an easy company to analyze due to its financial nature. My group members and I found ourselves constantly looking for simpler, understandable data. In addition to this challenge, it was difficult finding specific points of differences that were individualized to TD due to its extremely competitive market. We had to ensure that the other big banks weren’t doing the same things as TD when we wanted to point out a competitive advantage or stand-out appeal. Oftentimes, they were. If I had know how complicated TD was, I would never have chosen it.
In hindsight, however, I’m actually really glad that we chose TD. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have learned so much about the company as well as the banking industry – subjects I had little interest or knowledge in. As someone who loves marketing for its creative aspects, I’ve always run away from the technical sides to problems despite knowing that they, too, are extremely important in business. After learning about TD through this project, I realize that numbers may not be as scary as they seem. Once you start understanding how they work, they’re pretty enjoyable to work with!
The coolest part about this project was recognizing some of the terms in the research data (interest rates, employee turnover, cash flow) thanks to some of my past commerce courses. This definitely helped us simplify the tangle of data on TD.
And of course, I learned a ton about teamwork. Being specific with deadlines and delegation is so important when it comes to working together, and I was extremely fortunate to have been in a group where every single member was dedicated to contributing her own part.
All in all, Comm 296 was a very hands-on course that gave me lots of valuable experience and insight into the world of marketing, even in a dry and number-based industry like banking. I wouldn’t exchange this experience for anything.
Oh, and my biggest tip for next year’s Comm 296 students… Background music will bring your video to life!
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