In a head-to-head "battle for customers," Team $UPERMARKETers won the first annual Johnson School Marketing Challenge: Battle of the Brands, which gave six Johnson School teams the chance to create and execute marketing plans for real products.

Team $UPERMARKETers, which won $1,000 donated by American Express, plans to donate its winnings to benefit testicular cancer research. Their product was the Axe Detailer (by Unilever); the team was comprised of Eunice Jin, Evan Pettyjohn, Kay Fok, Brad Germin and second year adviser Cara O'Connor.

The contest included two weeks of competition designed to give Johnson students the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge and engage the Johnson community in an action-based learning experience to explore marketing concepts and trends.

During the first week of competition, teams selected a target group, determined how to position their assigned product and developed their marketing plan. In the second week, students executed their plan, promoting their product around the school using a $250 budget and marketing mix of their choice.

These efforts culminated in a product sale at the "Sage Social" in Johnson's Dyson Atrium Nov. 4, where members of the student body purchased products using fake cash. The winners -- chosen by a panel of judges based on application of marketing concepts, creativity, sales volume, profitability and presentation skills -- were announced at a ceremony luncheon Nov. 5.

Coming in a close second place was the Brand Funk Railroad team of Aaron Seabron, Richa Sood, Natalie Grillon, Adam Burke and second year adviser Mike Vaughn, which promoted Listerine Breath Strips (sponsored by Johnson & Johnson).

The event was presented by the Marketing Association and sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson and Unilever.