Turning Data Into Shelf Space: A Student Project with Merck Animal Health

Merck Animal Health has spent more than 130 years advancing healthcare through medicines, vaccines, and cutting-edge research for both humans and animals. Today, the company continues to compete in a crowded production animal health market alongside major brands such as Zoetis and Elanco. For Territory Manager Tar Tut, who represents Merck’s ruminant business unit across southeast Oklahoma and parts of Texas, the challenge is not just brand recognition—it’s earning more shelf space in the rural feed stores that serve small cattle operations across the region. 

“I would go in the stores, and although Merck had good brand awareness and good brand recognition, I wanted to see the entire store full of Merck products, not these competing products,” said Tut. 

Tut joined Merck nearly three years ago and recently participated in the company’s marketing immersion program, which gives field-based representatives the opportunity to learn how Merck develops and executes marketing strategies. During the program, Tut partnered with Samuel Bormann, a parasiticide product manager who had previously worked with CyBIZ Lab. Recognizing the value of student-driven market research, the team decided CyBIZ Lab would be the ideal partner to help better understand the retail dealer network and identify opportunities to expand Merck’s parasiticide product presence. 

The project centered on a key question: how could Merck strengthen its position in rural feed stores and move closer to becoming the number one manufacturer in the dealer network space? To answer that, a CyBIZ Lab student team conducted extensive research that included competitor and market analysis, dealer store surveys, follow-up interviews, and the development of customer profiles. Their findings ultimately informed a strategic marketing plan designed to help Merck better position its products with feed store retailers and production animal customers. 

The student consulting team included Gwen Wojewodka (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), Wesley Behrens (advertising), O’Neal Daniels (master’s in business analytics), Bennett Willman (entrepreneurship and supply chain management), and Izzat Azmi (marketing and finance). While most team members did not have prior experience in agriculture, Tut found that perspective to be a major advantage. 

“It was very refreshing to hear some of the ideas they were able to come up with that hadn’t crossed our minds because they had a perspective outside of the ag industry,” he said. 

One of the most important components of the project was gathering feedback directly from rural feed store retailers. When initial email surveys received limited responses, the student team quickly pivoted, cold-calling hundreds of stores to collect the insights they needed. 

Tut was particularly impressed by the team’s adaptability and professionalism. “I was very impressed with their maturity and their ability to get things done in a fast and effective manner,” he said. “They were always on top of meetings and came prepared with thoughtful questions and ideas.” 

The research uncovered several insights that challenged Tut’s initial assumptions. “To my surprise, I assumed that the decision to purchase a certain product was more price-driven,” he explained. “But it turns out customers cared more about a consistent product—one that wasn’t on backorder and came from a manufacturer they could trust to deliver on time.” 

The findings also reinforced the strength of Merck’s brand within the parasiticide market. Approximately 75 percent of survey respondents indicated they were likely to recommend Safeguard, one of Merck’s deworming products, demonstrating strong trust and brand recognition among retailers and producers. 

After the project concluded, Tut presented the CyBIZ Lab team’s executive summary to Merck’s leadership and marketing teams. The research quickly gained attention within the organization, prompting follow-up discussions with the retail marketing team. Many of the insights gathered by the students are now being incorporated into Merck’s strategic marketing plans for the coming year. 

For Tut, the experience demonstrated the value that CyBIZ Lab brings to corporate partners. “Working with CyBIZ Lab is incredibly effective and beneficial for the students working on these projects,” he said. “But from my client perspective, we received incredible research that was also cost-effective.” 

By combining real-world business challenges with student-driven analysis, the partnership delivered insights that will help guide Merck’s strategy in the dealer network space while giving the next generation of business professionals hands-on experience solving complex industry problems.