Humber OCMC

Humber OCMC: Hard Work Pays Off

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 16:15:00 +0000

The nerves were running wild on the bus to Blue Mountain on November 20th. Humber’s OCMC team couldn’t believe that it was almost over. All of the hard work, preparation and dedication over the last three months was about to pay off!

After a two-hour bus ride, the students and coaches of Humber’s OCMC team began settling in at the resort and prepared for a very exciting evening - Quiz Bowl!

Humber's OCMC team on the way to Blue Mountain, ON!

The Quiz Bowl challenge was an experience unlike any other. The wait between rounds was nerve-wracking for the students. However, walking out onto the stage and hearing the support from the many students and coaches in the audience made up for it. Humber representatives Brittney, Alena, Jorge and myself all performed tremendously and earned three points for Humber’s total score. This was a fantastic way to start off the competition!

Friday was all about the case challenge and individual events. The presentations happened all throughout the day. Some of Humber’s representatives were done by 9:00AM and others were not done until 4:00PM. Each team gave all that they had and impressed the judges with their presentations!

The Awards Gala wrapped up the event on Friday night and Humber was not disappointed with their placements. Overall, Humber placed second in the province - 13 points ahead of the third place team and only 2 points behind the first place team. This made history for Humber’s OCMC team! Not only is this the first time that Humber has placed 2^nd, but also nine out of the eleven categories that Humber competed in placed in the top five out of all colleges… Outstanding work, if I may say so. It was a night to remember. Visit the Humber OCMC Facebook page for a recap of the team’s placements!

Humber's OCMC team celebrating their victories after the Awards Gala!

It was an emotional and rewarding semester and the experience the team had was irreplaceable. The students of Humber’s OCMC team have certainly set the bar high for OCMC 2015 hosted by George Brown in downtown Toronto!

Humber OCMC Job Interview Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 15:25:00 +0000

Two out of four of the OCMC events that Humber students will be competing in are individual events, one being the Job Interview challenge. The objective of this challenge is to show the student’s ability to interview for a position in the field of marketing. Students in this event are told what job and company they are applying for however, contact with the company, other than through the company website, is forbidden. The students in this event must send in their resumes prior to the competition and, at the competition, they have a maximum of a 20-minute interview with the prospective company. For more information on the Job Interview challenge, visit http://ocmc.ca/events/job-interview/.

For Humber’s Job Interview representative, the most challenging part of the Job Interview is the fact that it is an individual event. They don’t have the same support that the other challenges have. They are familiar with the company and position, but they have no idea what questions are going to be asked and they will have no prep time at the competition. Their coach is preparing them during practices by asking mock questions. But even so, it is not a guarantee that these questions will be asked.

The Job Interview representative is constantly hard at work, preparing for the challenge. They are always eager to learn more about the company, the position and the industry itself. With the amount of effort and dedication to the OCMC team and to their individual challenge, the students of Humber’s OCMC team cannot wait to see our representative succeed at the Job Interview challenge.

Humber OCMC Students are the Best of the Best

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 17:04:00 +0000

Half way through the semester, it’s becoming apparent why only the best Business students were chosen for Humber’s OCMC team. While maintaining our practice schedule, we are balancing other classes, major assignments and studying for midterms. The team is feeling the burn. But is it worth it? You bet!

Back in the spring when we attended tryouts for the OCMC teams in which we were interested, we had little idea of what to expect, other than it was a prestigious honor to be selected to be a part of the team. We were told that the best Marketing students from across the province would be competing against each other, which is how Humber’s team was devised - with the best from the school! We knew that the cost of this honor was the work we would have to put into the team, but I don’t think we realized how much work it would actual take. It seems like the Quiz Bowl team may be feeling the brunt of this work because of all of the concept understanding we have to memorize on top of studying for our numerous midterms - but of course this is a biased opinion.

Our coaches are giving us an outstanding amount of knowledge and experience, and we are now getting a taste for what the other teams are up to.

Nancy Ryan, the outstanding coach of the Quiz Bowl team, gave the rest of the students of Humber’s OCMC team a taste of the “Quiz Bowl Life” this week by challenging the students to participate in a “Lightning Round”. It was a completely different vibe then our private practices because after every question was answered correctly, the team cheered. This was a great way to showcase how much work the Quiz Bowl team puts in.

Nancy Ryan in the midst of the Quiz Bowl Lightning Round with other members of the OCMC team!

Anthony Saraco, our Job Interview representative (more info on the Job Interview challenge here http://ocmc.ca/events/job-interview/), also gave us a taste of what his challenge was like and asked the team for input on his resume. As well, Shawn Manahan gave the team some insight on what the Sales Presentation challenge was all about (again, more info on the Sales Presentation challenge here http://ocmc.ca/events/sales-presentation/). Over the next few weeks, the case study challenges will be presenting a case analysis with a panel of judges every practice, to get them in the right mindset of how the competition will feel.

With the constant practicing and constructive feed back from both coaches and team members, the students of Humber’s OCMC team will surely be the best at this year’s competition.

Humber OCMC Case Study Challenges

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 14:51:00 +0000

As the weeks fly by, it's obvious to see that the hard work is paying off for Humber’s OCMC team. Practices are becoming more fun, getting more intense and the students are becoming more close-knit. You can see that the connections between our smaller teams, like the case study challenges and Quiz Bowl (more info on the Quiz Bowl team here http://humberocmc.blogspot.ca/2014/10/an-inside-look-at-quiz-bowl-team.html), are getting stronger, which I'm sure will show when it comes time for the competition!

The entire OCMC team practices every Tuesday afternoon. This practice is geared towards enhancing our analysis and performance skills. This is great because the majority of the team will be presenting a case study analysis at the competition, of which there are 8 challenges:

Marketing
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)
Marketing Research
Retail
Entrepreneurship
Direct Marketing
International Marketing
Prospect Pitching

At the competition, these teams will be put into a room and are allotted 30 minutes to dissect a case and create a 15-minute presentation for a panel of judges that they have never met before! (The IMC team is given 60 minutes because of the difficulty of their field). I'm freezing up during class presentations, so kudos to these teams for doing it in competition! Hopefully my skills will improve throughout the semester for my own benefit! For more information on each of the challenges, visit http://ocmc.ca/events/cases/.

Coach Christine and James, from the IMC challenge, with his crazy hair!

It's nerve racking for sure, but I have no doubt that Humber’s OCMC Team will do very well in all elements at this year's case study competition.

An inside look at the Quiz Bowl Team!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 15:00:00 +0000

The annual OCMC Competition is getting closer and practices are flying by! Humber's OCMC Team is comprised of 4 sections: Case Study, Sales Presentation, Job interview and Quiz Bowl. The Quiz Bowl is a segment of the competition where teams devised of 4 students, each from different schools, race to answer questions in order to earn the most points. I am lucky enough to be a part of our Quiz Bowl Team!

Quiz Bowl isn't like the other sections of the OCMC Team. We don't analyze or present cases, persuade someone to buy a product or sell ourselves to a prospective employer. We sit in front of a huge audience... And press a button... Oh and answer questions. Seems easy enough, right? Think again. We are expected to know 8 chapters of content front to back and 3 complete issues of Strategy Magazine! We have to understand hundreds of concepts and terms and we're only going to be asked 7 questions in each round? Wow.

Don't get me wrong - I love being a part of the Quiz Bowl Team. I believe that we get spoiled a bit. We have awesome practices preparing us for the Quiz Bowl competition, but on top of that, we also get trained on our presentation and case analysis skills just like everyone else. It's the best of both worlds!

However, I do have to give props to the other sections of the OCMC Team. They're expected to read, analyze and present a case study in only 30 minutes! From experience in the OCMC class, I know it's not easy. But it seems like the coaches are really preparing their teams and the students are improving every week. We’re all on the fast track to the podium at this year’s OCMC!

Students of Humber’s OCMC team attend IAB CANADA conference…

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 16:59:00 +0000

The IAB Canada MIXX Conference is an annual event that is held downtown Toronto at the Carlu on Yonge Street, a fantastic and very unique event venue. The students of Humber’s Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition Team (OCMC) were given the opportunity to attend this event, and what an honor it was! They were greeted by fantastic volunteers upon their arrival and quickly made their way to the first of a few presentations. Derrick Li of comScore, one of the leading companies in their field, wowed the students with fantastic research on leading trends in society and detailed information on demographic trends regarding mobile/electronic advertising.

The students were lucky enough to see presentations from professionals at the top of their industry, like Marie Josée Lamothe from Google and Martina Martinez from AOL. The conference really showed how amazing and interesting the industry can be. The information that the students of the OCMC team received was an invaluable asset that can and will be used during their preparation, and even presentations, for the annual OCMC Competition held this year in Blue Mountain, ON!

Marketing is Storytelling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 23:27:00 +0000

Picture this scene. There is a child is all ready for bed and grabbed their favourite Dr.Seuss book. They ran over to their bed jumping in, asking for the book to be read before they went asleep. The real question is what made the Dr.Seuss series one of the most successful and memorable books of all time?

Was it the amount of creativity that was put into the books or was it the morals and values that they taught? Was it the fact the endings were never satisfactory and always wanted to know where the story went? Whatever it was Dr.Seuss wrote 40 different books between 1937-1991, he sold half a million copies.

Markets could learn a lot from Dr.Seuss when it comes to developing the company’s marketing story. Dr.Seuss was able to define his target customers, creating something that would be relevant, inspirational, and “news worthy,” for years to come. He was the first one to step out of the box and create something that no one has ever been attempted before. Dr.Seuss was able to add morals and values that adults were proud of and wanted to teach their children.

When developing the story for your company you must always keep your main audience in mind. Like Dr.Seuss, this will help you when you’re trying to think of a creative, unique and most importantly “news worthy” story to tell your audience. The goal here is to develop a story that takes on a life of its own using the audience’s morals and values. Stories could use themes such as emotion, challenge, novelty, intrigue, and tenderness.

John Dickason Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 04:31:00 +0000

Christine McCaw Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:51:00 +0000

Advice from Ellen Sparling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:49:00 +0000

Peter Jurczak Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:49:00 +0000

Suzanne Ross Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:49:00 +0000

Nancy Ryan Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:48:00 +0000

David Bartolini Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:48:00 +0000

Shawn Richards Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:47:00 +0000

William Mlacak Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 03:47:00 +0000

Remembrance Day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 02:02:00 +0000

Canadians are very proud and loyal people, and will always remember the sacrifices that were made for the freedom of today. Marketers should not forget about Remembrance Day because Canadians will never forget. However, using it as the basis of a campaign should be carefully considered.

If Remembrance Day is in a marketing campaign, it could provide a very positive image in the minds of Canadians. The only way to get a positive reaction when using Remembrance Day for marketing is to take it very seriously so it’s not seen as being manipulative.

In 2010, Eddie Bauer attempted to use Remembrance Day in its promotions. Starting on November 9-11 there was a weekend sale and all of the fall merchandise was discounted by 75%. Canadians didn’t appreciate the approach that the American company took with its Remembrance Day promotion. According to the Royal Canadian Legion director of communications Bob Butt, “The Royal Canadian Legion does not like the fact that he’s using Remembrance Day as a sales pitch.” The ironic part is that Eddie Bauer has been hosting “Veterans Day” sales in the U.S. for many years and has been successful.

To read further about this article please visit http://www.marketingmag.ca/news/marketer-news/eddie-bauer-faces-backlash-over-remembrance-day-sale-5855

Bell Canada released a commercial a number of years ago about a young man standing at Dieppe, he then called his grandfather who fought in the war. The young gentlemen telephoned his grandfather and said “Thank You.” The commercial is quite touching and does not appear to be selling or promoting Bell products.

To watch the commercial please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd1FNPx_YN4

By comparing these two companies it shows that Canadians are a very proud and loyal people. Marketers must understand that there is a place and time for selling, but Remembrance Day is not. Instead companies can join the Canadians and make this day more memorable than ever since we must never forget.

A World Without Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 01:50:00 +0000

Why did you first decide to study marketing? For most of us, it was the decision to expand our knowledge and curiosity about the marketing world, and one day to have a career in this field. Can you image what a world without marketing would look like?

There would be no personality! Giving a company a personality is important in marketing. With the help of integrated marketing communications, direct marketing, and market research, companies are able to grow their own personalities for their consumers. Without marketing, the world would be so plain and little competition would exist.

Nothing would be memorable! The main purpose of creating a company personality is so the company is memorable. Being able to have consumers acknowledge the advertising efforts a part from the millions of other messages is what makes it memorable. This will ensure that consumers, both current and new, all know that the company is still around and happy to fulfill their needs.

Marketing is a long-term investment! Marketing is not just something that happens when a company first starts; it's something that is continuous. Prime examples of companies that invested are Coca-Cola, Apple, and McDonald's Though all of these companies are successful, they're continuously using marketing to continue to reinforce the branding they have created.

Being able to listen, react, and create is the most important part of marketing! Marketing is a conversation that is constantly going back and forth between the company and its customers. With the help of social media this conversation has never been easier for consumers to communicate their opinions. Being able to listen to consumer responses and, react to them is the sign of a successful company.

The world would be such a different place if there was no marketing! When being part of the Humber OCMC team, one must acknowledge how important marketing is to the business world. One must also understand the value marketers contribute in the success of a company. With the weekly advice from coaches the Humber OCMC team is one step closer to competing at the Windsor event on November 21-22. The sky is the limit.

Humber OCMC: Koolness with a Twist

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 01:47:00 +0000

I want to take you back to your good old high school days. No matter how long ago it was when you attended high school there were always some very distinctive groups within the school. You had the goths, the jocks, the popular kids, the nerds, the geeks and the list goes on. Most of all in every school there was always that one person who was considered to be, the kool kid.

The kool kid was usually mysterious, likely passionate about their favorite hobbies or interests, and very likable. The popular kids respected the kool kid and everybody enjoyed their company.

Once you’ve been accepted into the Humber OCMC family, you can become this kool kid but with a difference. Like the kool kid you will develop your personality by being yourself, confident, social, and positive as we work in a team environment. The difference is that you are part of the Humber OCMC team and you will need to work exceptionally hard to represent Humber College at the competition with your marketing knowledge. You must continue to develop your interests in marketing, by reading up on the topic and keeping up to date on current events. By developing this interest you are changing your perception of the marketing world.

To take us one step further in changing our perception in the marketing world is Ellen Sparling. Each week she provides us with lectures about analyzing a case and current marketing information. She teaches us about topics such as the threats and opportunities to ensure we can do a SWOT analysis correctly. Ellen also showed us the importance of the Canadian privacy laws and how the laws can affect a business.

The final element, and most difficult to master, in being part of the Humber OCMC team is to be able to create a great first impression. The kool kid was always able to create a very memorable first impression and made others want to see them again. When making a first impression the kool kid would always have good body language, be assertive, and never forget to smile. By using these three tricks of a kool kid to your advantage you will be able to make a great first impression with the judges at the competition.

The bottom line is that kool kids weren't like anyone else and didn't want to be. They were good at creating their own footsteps and took the risks that went with it. That is the same for the Humber OCMC team with the addition of good old fashioned hard work.

HUMBER OCMC FOR THE WIN!

Humber OCMC: The Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 23:01:00 +0000

When I first signed up for the Humber OCMC I understood it was going to be a challenge. In order to succeed in this competition, I knew I was going to have to put in a lot of time, effort, and commitment in order to stand a chance at the competition.

I remember when Nicholas and I completed our first case during the summer with adviser Sheryn Beattie, it was a grueling experience. We only had an hour to complete practice case. We managed to finish with only a minute to spare. I must say, that was one of the most stressful challenges in my life.

Being part of the Humber OCMC is an experience I will not soon forget. The best experience is working as a team with a mentor guiding us through the preparation phase. OCMC has provided us with the greatest opportunity to better our presenting skills with personal feedback from Christine McCaw. We had the opportunity to have Susan Typert from Black Cat come and speak to us. She is an excellent speaker and gave some advice on how to make an excellent presentation. Lastly, by being part of the OCMC we were invited to attend the IAB MIXX event and gained an enormous amount of knowledge about current Internet marketing trends.

The best part about OCMC is that this journey has just begun. I’m excited to see what the future holds for all of us. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will bring us closer to doing very well at the competition.

HUMBER OCMC FOR THE WIN!

Why YOU should participate in OCMC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:42:00 +0000

As I said a few weeks ago I was skeptical about participating in OCMC but it ended up being one of the most rewarding and influential experiences of my time here at Humber. So I thought it was important to explain why others should participate in OCMC and the overall benefits of the competition and the preparation.

Presentation Skills
Everyone at one point or another is nervous to make presentations. One huge benefit of OCMC is that presentations is all you do from DAY ONE! Presentations about yourself, mini cases and anything that will help make you less nervous on presentation day. OCMC really prepares you to practice, practice, practice so you can have a feeling of what the experience will be on the day of competition.

Networking
The OCMC coaches are a wealth of advice, knowledge and contacts. Participants become very close with their coaches and ask for advice, references and learn so much more about the marketing industry all from members of the faculty that generously volunteer their time.
The event itself also offers a great opportunity for networking. In 2012 there was a marketplace featuring both universities and employers and a small job fair which even got some participants interviews and subsequently jobs.

Friends
OCMC is a great opportunity to meet people you may never have had the opportunity to meet in any other situation. Both the members of the OCMC team and even participants from other colleges are people that you will be able to call your friends when the competition has come to a close.

-Rachel

What I learned from OCMC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:32:00 +0000

To be honest when I was approached about OCMC during the winter semester of 2012 I was hesitant to try out. I thought it would be fun but I was not confident in my presentation skills and wasn't sure what impact the commitment would have on my school work, job and social life. But after trying out, being enrolled in the course, preparing and finally participating in the event I can safely say that OCMC had a positive effect on all aspects of my life. I learned more about myself and my amazing teammates over the past 4 months then in my past 10 years of post secondary education.

My schoolwork
OCMC only improved my schoolwork and my drive to do well. The ability to make a PowerPoint presentation in 30 minutes and think logically about a problem can be applied to any subject. I can honestly say that I will never be nervous to make another presentation because of all the practice, support and encouragement and feedback that I received over the entire OCMC experience from my classmates, faculty and judges.

My job
OCMC was my job for the past four months both literally and figuratively. Since the semester began I have been responsible for the management of all the social media elements for Humber OCMC. I am the voice behind this blog, Facebook and Twitter. It has been an absolute privilege to get to spend the last four months telling the Humber community and people from all different parts of the world about OCMC and the amazing experience we had competing for Humber.

My personal life
I never imagined that a school course and such an intense competition could change my personal life so much. Who knew that sticking 20 people in a classroom and telling them they had to learn how to make a PowerPoint presentation in 30 minutes and present a case to a panel of judges would make a family. My teammates and the coaches are my Humber family. Thank you all for your hard work, constant encouragement, help, support and ability to be silly. I love you all.

-Rachel

The time has arrived!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:02:00 +0000

OCMC 2012 has finally arrived!! All the preperation, all the excitement, all the practice has come down to these two days. Two days where myself and the other members of the Humber team get to show what we are made of and what we have been working towards since September.

It all begins Thursday night with Quiz Bowl and I can't express how excited the entire team is to cheer on the Humber Quiz Bowl team. I can't wait to see the outcome of all their memorization and hard work! So for the Quiz Bowl team here are some things to remember as you prepare to compete Thursday night:

You know your stuff
Have fun
We are all routing for you and will be the loudest team in the auditorium...I can guarantee it!

Then Friday the case competitions, sales presentations and interviews begin! We have been preparing for these events for 2 and a 1/2 months. We are ready, but just in case nerves get the better of all of us on Friday here are some things to remember:

Smile
Take a deep breath
Speak slowly
Show conviction and passion in what you are presenting
Be supportive of your partner

Thursday and Friday will be stressful, exciting and something to be extremely proud of. The Humber team is ready and waiting to show what we are made of. Bring on the competition!

-Rachel

Coach offers inspiration to students

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 03:14:00 +0000

During the time leading up to OCMC our coaches and all the faculty involved are like our parents. They deal with all of our stress and nervousness like it is second nature. They are a source of constant support and encouragement and always try and make sure that we know that they know we are doing our absolute best! Without our coaches and other faculty support we could be nearly as prepared as we are for the upcoming competition and we would not perform nearly as well as they and we are sure that we are going to!

With the competition only a few days away I thought it would be good to get a little bit of advice and inspiration from Sheryn Beattie, the coach of the retailing team to inspire us as we prepare to use all we have learned and compete in OCMC 2012.

How did you first get involved in OCMC?
OCMC was started over 30 years ago as a provincial event. Humber was encouraged to participate 10 years ago and Humber faculty were asked to volunteer to help.

What do you enjoy most about being a coach for OCMC?

OCMC is all about student engagement. Working one on one with the students is a great way to share knowledge; their experience and my first hand knowledge working in the field. I love to see the students challenge their business knowledge and hone their presentation skills. Training for OCMC is like igniting a passion learning.

What are you most looking forward to during OCMC
OCMC is a fun and demanding event. I hope the Humber team does well but I believe the Humber team wins no matter what the outcome; they have all worked hard and will do their personal best.

What advice do you have for your team and other teams?
Take a deep breath, be supportive of your teammates and meet the case challenge with a clear strategy and think INSPIRATION! Be proud of your achievement, you are representing Humber and competing against the top marketing students in the province.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
"Life is not a dress rehearsal, enjoy every day as if it were your last."

What do you find is the best method of coaching a team?
Provide structure for the case method, but expose the team to the newest marketing trends, this will get them thinking about innovation! It is also important to expand critical thinking with trial and error through repeated case analysis. It is important to have the team understand that the business arena is very competitive and they must learn to think outside of the box for new ideas, be supportive of one another and take responsibility for their decisions.

-Rachel

Two weeks to go!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:09:00 +0000

This Thursday marks two weeks until the kick off of the 2012 Ontario Colleges' Marketing Competition and the Humber team is in full prep and practice mode...and the stress and anticipation are mounting.

For me, there has been some added stress because I lost my partner with just two weeks remaining. When I discovered that my partner would no longer be able to participate I was not angry but concerned, nervous and anxious. What was the next move? Could I or did I want to do the presentation on my own? What about my coach and the rest of the team, what would their reactions be?

Speaking to our teacher Will and my coach Sheryn was first on my priority list as they would be most familiar with my available options. They both automatically went about reassuring me that we would come up with something, that my semester would not be lost and that I would still get to compete.

I met with Sheryn and we discussed the options that we thought would work best for me since I needed a partner that was somewhat familiar with retail, someone that I could get along with and someone that was willing to help out. I stressed to her that I preferred it to be someone in our class because working with someone not already involved in OCMC would take more time than we have.

I took a bit of time but I was lucky enough to find a new partner! I am excited to start working together and teaching Tim all that he needs to know about retailing!

Tim's stepping in really shows the character of the members of the Humber OCMC team. I am a lucky girl to get to experience this competition with such friendly, supportive and fun individuals!

-Rachel