Student marketing team are unapologetic about reaching major marketing final

A team of prospective marketers from the University of Wolverhampton are among the ten teams shortlisted for the final round of the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) prestigious student competition, The Pitch. 

Now in its eleventh year, The Pitch sees students from leading UK and international universities compete to respond to a live client brief. The competition is sponsored this year by the UK’s leading health and beauty retailer, Boots, with teams challenged to raise awareness of the partnership Boots has with The Prince’s Trust, in a creative way that brings to life the expertise and ‘behind the scenes’ support for young people. 

The Unapologetic Marketers, studying for International Business Management and Business and Marketing Management degree courses in the University’s Business School, Samira Abdullah, Bruna Ianicelli and Gioan Peloumpi, pitched their ideas to the panel using the framework for a £200,000 budget incorporating earned, owned and paid media into their presentation. 

The top ten teams will pitch their campaigns in a live virtual final in front of business professionals from CIM, Boots and Mintel on Friday 18 March 2022. The winning team will be named CIM’s ‘Marketers of the Future’ and receive a one-year complimentary CIM membership and a £1,500 cash prize (to be shared amongst the team). 

Bruna said: “Overcoming the challenge and the practical application of theoretical knowledge was one of the most valuable experiences for me. Teamwork also enabled the exchange of knowledge and greater agility in meeting goals and objectives to develop the campaign, helping me to fuel my creativity and learning. It was a great way to gain more knowledge in Marketing and what it is like to compete with other students who have similar skills. This was a great opportunity to apply in practice the content learned at the University which will undoubtedly add value to my future career.”  

Samira: “Since starting at the University of Wolverhampton, I have had great opportunities to put the abilities I have learnt in my studies to the test. Working on the CIM project has given me a greater understanding of how large organisations operate in real-time as well as increased my research skills.” 

Dr Imran Maqbool Khan, Programme Leader in Marketing Management & Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing in the University of Wolverhampton Business School, said: “This was an amazing achievement by the student group and has given them a real insight into what working on a real-life pitch might be like when they start their careers. 

“Our aim at the Business School is to equip our students with employability skills that match employer needs and this is exactly the type of exercise which allows students to put their learning into practice.  We’re very proud of the team and hope that they can go further in the competition.” 

Pete Markey, Chief Marketing Officer at Boots UK, said: “It’s been brilliant to receive entries from across the UK and internationally, and to see the high level of interest from young marketers keen to respond to our brief and putting their marketing skills to the test. We’re grateful to everyone who submitted and look forward to seeing the students present their ideas in the final.” 

Gemma Butler, Marketing Director at CIM, said: “The last few years have provided challenges for young people’s careers, so it’s inspiring to see the breadth of talent in the applicants - not just in the UK but across the globe, with two international marketing student teams making the shortlist for the first time. 

“With the competition taking place virtually for the second year in a row, the students will need to draw upon their communication and presentation skills more than ever before. We’re very much looking forward to meeting the finalists and watching them bring their ideas to life.” 

For more information on The Pitch, please view here: https://www.cim.co.uk/events/the-pitch/students/  

For over 100 years, CIM has supported the marketing sector. With over 20,000 members in more than 100 countries, CIM strives for business leaders and opinion formers to recognise the positive contribution professional marketing can bring to their organisations, the economy and wider society. We support, develop and represent marketers, organisations and the profession all over the world. Our ability to award Chartered Marketer status recognises a marketer’s commitment to staying current and abiding by a professional Code of Conduct. 

Read the full student blog here. 

Anyone looking to study at the University of Wolverhampton should register for one of our forthcoming Open Days. 

ENDS