Two Strathclyde Marketing student teams make the final of international competition

Two undergraduate student groups have made it to the final of the Chartered Institute of Marketing's (CIM) The Pitch, a real-life marketing challenge open to students internationally.

The competition challenges aspiring marketers to react to a brief from a top organisation. This year, the competition was sponsored by Dogs Trust, the UK;s largest dog welfare charity, who challenged the students to create a real-life marketing plan that will help grow the Dogs Trust’s Companion Club. In today's economic climate, charities have to leverage effective marketing strategies that not only attract but engage their target audiences.

Now in its 14th year, the competition is designed to provide experience that equips students for their first professional role in marketing. It sees students from leading universities compete to address a real-life marketing challenge in a bid to win the title of 'Marketers of the Future'.

Marketing students Abbie Wong, Sian Blake, Connie Shepherd make up The Paw Promoters while classmates Farren Cleland and Heather Cook are The Pitch Perfects - they will all now be making their final pitches at CIM's undergraduate virtual final on March 13 alongside eight other undergraduate teams.

Abbie, Sian and Connie said, ""We are incredibly surprised and grateful to be progressing in the competition, especially given the global participation. This experience has shown us that taking extra opportunities can truly lead to unexpected success. The three of us have worked together on similar projects in the past and found ourselves to be a strong team with diverse strengths and capabilities - so much so that we were eager to collaborate again. As Honours year students juggling multiple deadlines, we weren’t sure if we could give it our all, but we made it work by carving out small, frequent portions of our spare time. It seems to have paid off, and we’re proud to be representing Strathclyde."

Farren and Heather added, "We’re incredibly proud to be finalists in The CIM Pitch 2025. This experience has allowed us to apply our marketing knowledge to a real-world challenge, showcasing our creativity and strategic thinking. We’re excited to present our ideas to the judges after perfecting our pitch."

Teaching fellow in the Marketing Department and team mentor Thomas McAlinden said, "Our students have really excelled in this competition over the last eight years. For the past 7 years, a Strathclyde team has won on an amazing six occasions - four times in the undergraduate section and twice in the postgraduate section. We now have two teams shortlisted for the 2025 final and I wish all five students the very best. I know for sure they will do Strathclyde proud. We had two teams shortlisted in 2023 and they both finished in the top three so we have high hopes for our two teams this year."

Maggie Jones, director of qualifications and partnerships at CIM said, “Selecting a shortlist for The Pitch is increasingly challenging each year. The students showcased an exceptional level of talent, and every team should feel immensely proud of their achievements.

“I’m very much looking forward to watching the teams present their pitches to our judging panel at the live final. Good luck to all our finalists.”

Stacey Conway-Jones, Interim Group Head of Individual Giving at Dogs Trust commented, “The ambition, enthusiasm and creativity we’ve seen from students all over the world has been remarkable. We thank everyone for their hard work in putting together such brilliant proposals for Dogs Trust’s Companion Club.

“Dogs Trust have loved being part of this collaboration so far, the proposals we have seen will be pivotal for helping us reach new supporters, retain existing ones, and boost the charity’s income. We wish the finalists the very best of luck and cannot wait to see you all in action in the final.”

Not only will the winners be crowned CIM’s ‘Marketers of the Future 2025’, but they will also receive a whole host of prizes including a team voucher for CIM training, a one-year complimentary CIM professional membership for each team member, and even the opportunity to name a litter of puppies from Dogs Trust.

Published: 4 March 2025