Students in the Sam M. Walton College of Business Full-Time MBA program brought their semester-long marketing projects to life during Mock Market Day on Dec. 1, an experiential learning event organized and led by Lauren Brewer, a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Marketing. The event serves as the capstone for the MKTG 52203: Marketing course MBA students take during their first fall semester.
Throughout the term, student teams developed original product concepts designed for real-world viability at the Fayetteville or Bentonville Farmers’ Markets. Over 16 weeks, students conducted market research, identified target segments, built prototypes and developed comprehensive marketing plans—mirroring the iterative decision-making processes used by marketers, founders and product managers.
Mock Market Day brought that work into a dynamic, real-world environment. Students set up booths with signage, product samples, prototypes and promotional materials, engaging attendees in conversations about each concept’s value proposition, customer fit, pricing strategy and positioning. Visitors remarked on the creativity and professionalism on display, noting that several ideas could plausibly succeed in the Northwest Arkansas market. Many teams left the event with new insights and practical feedback to refine their final deliverables.
The seven participating teams showcased a diverse range of concepts, including:
- Freshly Baked – Guilt-free muffin bites
- Grandma’s Tales and Cobblers – Fruit cobblers in assorted flavors
- Harvested Whiskers – Catnip products for pet owners
- Hue & You – Personalized color analysis with swatch cards and custom palettes
- Lean Oven – Desserts that love you back
- SWILSIDE Wellness Co. – Sunscreen, bug repellant and lip balm bundle
- Ozark Vistas Photography – Canvas prints featuring scenic Northwest Arkansas
Attendees connected especially strongly with Grandma’s Tales and Cobblers, represented by Kaleb Kroenke, Eric Iglesias Sanchez and Habibur Rahman, and with SWILSIDE Wellness Co., represented by Hayden Swope, Cade Kilambi and Tate Whiteside.
Brewer said she was proud of the students’ creativity and professionalism throughout the process.
“Mock Market Day was a wonderful opportunity for our Full-Time MBA students to showcase their creativity and hard work for their Marketing course. I was truly impressed by the level of professionalism each team demonstrated and by how confidently they communicated their ideas. Watching them engage with attendees and gather thoughtful feedback was a highlight of the semester.”
MBA candidate Claudia Mercado, whose team created Harvested Whiskers, said the experience offered hands-on insight into how ideas evolve into viable offerings.
“This experience has been very valuable in my MBA career because it gave me hands-on experience in bringing an idea to life. My team’s idea was integrating catnip into the farmers market, and we were able to design a strategy, create promotional material, and even practice pitching our idea to the public. My biggest takeaway from this experience is learning how psychology can work with marketing. For example, we implemented a buy-one, donate-one program to create an emotional connection with customers. I never realized how brands use emotion to influence customer behavior.”
