Teams from
Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School have swept the board at this
year’s Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM) Student Marketing
Competition.
The high-profile
event in London was sponsored by this year’s client: The Economist. More than
80 teams were asked to pitch a marketing campaign to The Economist on how to
attract more female subscribers to the globally influential publication. Students from Newcastle Business School
enjoyed an unprecedented night with the three teams entered claiming first,
second, and third place.
Entering the
competition gives students the chance to work on a challenging and real-life
assignment. It is also used by lecturers as a valuable teaching resource on
marketing and business courses.
Newcastle Business School undergraduate
team Be Heard, including Alice Oliver, Victoria Buxton, and Sam Brooks was
named overall winners for their campaign pitch, which highlighted the need for female audience to be heard, and engaged
through audio versions of articles. Second place went to Kristina Kramer, Sanae
Uchinaka, Ixora Voon, Kieran MacNamara, and Natasha Christou, while Sinead
Linsley, Emerra Bahari,
Nicola Wood, Paige Wheeler, and Ella Thackray took third.
Dr. Vignesh
Yoganathan, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Newcastle Business School, said: “This
is a truly outstanding result by all our teams, and one I’m sure will be
incredibly difficult to better. The IDM Awards is a prestigious event and a
powerful platform for the students to showcase their talents. It also attracts
major sponsors, and the success of our students will no doubt enhance their CVs
and career prospects.
“Judges from The
Economist also praised the teams for distinguishing themselves with pitches
that were of industry standard and above, and for displaying highly employable
skills. Indeed, as well as receiving a winning cheque for £1,500, the team from
Be Heard were so impressive that they have now been invited to spend some time
at The Economist’s offices in London to assist with creative marketing. This is
a fabulous opportunity!”
Previous competition sponsors for the
IDM Awards have included T-Mobile, Guinness, Toyota, Nestle, Student Beans, BMW
and Virgin Money Giving.
Professor John
Wilson. Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Business and Law at Northumbria,
added: “We are all immensely proud of this achievement. It reflects both the
quality of students we have at Newcastle Business School and of the quality of
the teaching we offer.”
