A creative drive

We all attend classes, go to lectures and do our homework. But how much of what we learn in class do we actually remember and apply to the working world? Marketing students from the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) got an opportunity to find out. Working side by side with Gargash Enterprises, students were given the responsibility of coming up with a creative marketing concept for the new Mercedes C-Class Coupe as part of their marketing course.

Students were divided into groups and competed to come up with the most original marketing concept that will sell the product.

Fresh ideas

Wassim Derbi, marketing manager of Gargash Enterprises, explained that the reason they chose to collaborate with students is to get fresh ideas from an age group close to their target market.

"Both sides benefit from this initiative," he told Notes. "Students get a real-life working experience which will prepare them for the future. We get an insight into how the community perceives our product and how to approach them."

The students were given the marketing and communications requirements along with an allocated budget to cover all project-related costs including media buying and event production. On the final day, students presented their strategy to the client and the group with the best proposal was given a chance to be implemented in the real world.

However, two groups were chosen.

Fourteen teams were first narrowed down to four, out of which the top two were selected: 'Expressions' and 'Bullzeye Promotions'. The work of these two groups will be used for the company's marketing campaign, which is expected to be launched next month.

Professor and students alike were excited to see the various marketing ideas. "The launch concepts developed by the students were most impressive," said Alun Epps, marketing professor at UOWD. "The fact that at the beginning of their marketing careers, the students were able to formulate a full product launch that required thinking outside the textbooks and theories is very rewarding for all concerned."

The process

Students said that the most important part of the procedure was conducting the research - and doing it thoroughly.

"We needed to research what people are expecting, their already existing perceptions about the brand and the target market, and the competition," said Hanna Volkozub, marketing student and a member of the winning team 'Expressions'. "Based on this and on the feedback of the target audience, we started making decisions on how we should tailor our campaign."

Hanna explained that the most challenging part of the campaign was changing the misconception that this brand is only tailored to the "middle-aged and wealthy".
"We had to create a campaign that's appealing to the youth and fun for the younger generation," she said.

Meanwhile, Kamiya Badlani and Sarah Kareem from 'Bulls Eye Promotions' mentioned other considerations they had to keep in mind.

"You have to consider that it's the summer in the UAE and so that means that most activities people seek are indoor," said Kamiya. "That means TV ads or ads that could be used in cinemas would be really effective."

Kamiya added that they wanted to create ads that foster one-on-one interaction with the viewers. With this in mind, the group created three teaser ads in which the final ad reveals the product.
"Our aim was to involve the audience with the ad so that they are active rather than passive viewers," Kamiya said.

Derbi said he looked for four elements when evaluating students' work: creativity, commitment, communication strategy and effort.
"It was very difficult to make a decision in the end as both teams demonstrated all of these characteristics," he said.

Overcoming obstacles

Students recognised that with this project came with many challenges. But they didn't let these challenges hinder their path to success. Coordinating with the other team members, managing our time and coming up with the most creative ideas were our biggest challenges," Kamiya said.

Sarah explained that while getting to express their creativity was probably the best part of the project, it sometimes also posed a threat.

"You don't know how everyone's reaction is going to be towards your ideas," she said. "It's almost as if every time you pitch an idea you're taking a risk."
Hanna, however, found budgeting to be one of the most difficult challenges in piecing together all the components of the campaign.

"You have to find the perfect blend of different communication channels and do your calculations right," she said. "We had to get information from newspapers, radio stations and TV channels regarding how much it would cost to place an ad and sometimes they would be reluctant to give us that information."

A worthwhile experience

Nevertheless, students said that all their work proved to be very rewarding as they had the opportunity to test what a career in marketing or advertising would be like and see if they have made the right decision in choosing their career path.

The verdict? "I'm looking forward even more to finishing university and doing this in life," Hanna said. "It was truly an exciting experience."

Sarah, a business administration student who took the marketing course as an elective, is now changing her perspective.

"In the beginning I just took this class to fulfil my class requirements," she said. "But now I've realised that my passion lies in the field of marketing and advertising and that I would like to pursue a career in those areas."