Student comes top in industry partnership brand challenge

Undergraduate marketing student Amy Sills has come top in a challenge run by C&C Group and Strathclyde Business School's Department of Marketing as part of its Brand Management class.

C&C Group has sponsored the Department of Marketing’s Brand Management class for the past few years allowing students to apply knowledge learned in the Brand Management class to real life by working on one of their brands. In previous years, students have worked on Tennents, Heverlee, Orchard Pig and Drygate. This year, the students were tasked with applying their learning to the Menabrea brand.

C&C Group provide the brand for students to work on, with an assignment brief supplied by the Department of Marketing. Students then apply knowledge gained from the lectures and sessions delivered to present and propose a brand plan to help the brand move forward. All submissions are reviewed and graded by the academic team and the top 15 are sent to C&C Group to review and identify the top five submissions. The five selected students then present to the business at their Wellpark Brewery main office.

Amy Sills was judged to have the 'Overall Best Brand Plan' following a competitive pitching process delivered to the commercial team at C&C Group on April 3 2024 at the organisation's Wellpark Brewery.

Thomas McAlinden of the Department of Marketing, who teaches the Brand Management class, said, “I am delighted that C&C Group have allowed students from the Brand Management class the opportunity to work on a real-life brand and apply knowledge gained. The Department of Marketing places great emphasis on being a place of ‘useful learning’ and the engagement with C&C Group has allowed our students to apply theory to practice which helps our students develop various skills that will benefit them post-graduation.”

Amy said, "The brand management module was an excellent way to round up my learning within the business school as it bridged the gap between knowing the concepts we had studied for the past four years and understanding how to use them effectively. I really enjoyed having the freedom to select and apply concepts I felt would be most relevant to solving particular problems for Menabrea and being able to leverage my creativity when coming up with strategies. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and the skills it has equipped me with as I prepare to leave Strathclyde."

Angus Lawrie, Head of Premium Brands, C&C Group, added, "It was very enjoyable being involved in this process again this year. The students involved created the highest quality of work and it was exciting to see such amazing talent graduating from Strathclyde Business School's Department of Marketing. As always, a huge thank you to Thomas McAlinden for continuing to work with us on this initiative. We really value the ongoing relationship, time and thought that goes into the work shared.

"Congratulations to all the students on the high quality of the brand plans created. They were very well considered, strategically focused, and very well presented with a true passion for Menabrea, our Italian Alpine Birra!  There was a great deal of creativity applied on top of their strategic thinking, which really excited us. All the students' work was top class but a huge congratulations must go to Amy Sills for the winning plan. It was of an incredibly high standard - an exciting future in marketing awaits. We wish all the students the very best in all their pursuits after university."

Published: 16 April 2024