6 May 2016
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
The Annual Student Marketing Challenge took place on Thursday, May 5th in Cork Institute of Technology in association with the Marketing Institute of Ireland. This annual event showcases up-and-coming marketing talent and highlights the innovation and creativity of the next generation of marketers.
This year’s event took place in conjunction with retail firm Lidl and profiles the company’s vaunted sponsorship of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA), which was preceded by the innovative ‘Ladyball’ teaser campaign last January. Marketing students proposed strategies for Lidl to show that it is serious about its commitment to ‘being the biggest supporter of women’s sport in Ireland’.
Students were tasked with assessing ways for Lidl and the LGFA to work together to, attract more spectators to the All-Ireland Ladies Football Finals and increase participation in Gaelic4Mothers and Others. In the presentations students made recommendations for the activation of the LGFA sponsorship throughout the next three years and proposed other ways for Lidl to illustrate their commitment to being the biggest supporter of women’s sport in Ireland into the future incorporating the campaign hashtag #SeriousSupport.
The winning group, Jennifer O’Leary, Shane McDonnell and Miriam Meier, students of CIT’s Marketing degree presented their ideas on how Lidl can use a targeted campaign with primary Schools to fully activate the sponsorship. Speaking of the night’s event, Aoife Clarke, Head of Communications at Lidl Ireland, said “We gained some great insights from the presentations – the creativity on show was remarkable”.
The annual event is in partnership with the Marketing Institute of Ireland (MII) and Dr. Pio Fenton, Chair of MII Cork staged “The students demonstrated that the future of marketing as a profession is in safe hands. MII strives to ensure that Marketing as a profession is the home for Marketing knowledge – the students demonstrated that the emerging generation have a solid contribution to make”.
The Annual Student Marketing Challenge, in Cork Institute of Technology, in association with the Marketing Institute of Ireland, at the IT Building, CIT Campus, Cork.
Sarah Kelly, Kiah Feery and Jess O’Shea, all CIT Business students.
Picture: Jim Coughlan.
