Student winner of C&C-sponsored brand management project announced
C&C Group have once again sponsored the Brand Management assignment for Strathclyde Business School’s marketing undergraduate students – in doing so, all students were given the chance to work on C&C Group’s brand ‘OUTC!DER’.
The students - 194 in total - were all tasked with coming up with a brand strategy and plan, with the top five students selected to go forward in the competition. The five selected - Alicia Evans, Scarlett Eccles, Jude Dudley, Niamh Casey and Jamie Patterson - were tasked with presenting to C&C Group on March 11 at Wellpark Brewery.
Alicia Evans was named overall winner of 'Best Brand Manager with Overall Best Brand Plan' for the Brand Management module by the judges, Michael McAdam, Brand Manager, OUTC!DER, and Elle Trinder, Assistant Brand Management.
Alicia said, “Being named the Best Brand Manager is incredibly rewarding. Presenting my brand plan directly to the team at OUTC!DER and C&C Group made the experience even more meaningful, as it meant the hard work I put into it was being evaluated not only academically but also by industry professionals.
“This has been a great confidence boost and reinforced my passion for brand strategy and marketing. My brand plan allowed me to bring together many of the concepts learnt throughout the module and apply them in a practical way. It pushed me to think strategically about positioning, target audiences, brand identity, and how marketing decisions can influence brand perception and growth.
“Working on a real-life brand made the assignment feel more engaging and meaningful. Finding out that I was presenting my brand plan to the OUTC!DER team and C&C Group added extra value and motivation, as it meant all my hard work went beyond achieving the highest grade. This was an amazing opportunity to experience what working in brand management looks like in the real world.”
Elle Trinder from C&C Group said, "It was a pleasure to welcome the top five Strathclyde business students to Wellpark Brewery as part of their final year Brand Management module. It was great to see the well-researched OUTC!DER brand plans with amazingly creative ideas, presented by the brand's target audience themselves! Each student should be proud of their excellent efforts and we wish them all the best for the future."
Thomas McAlinden, class co-ordinator for the Brand Management module, said, “This project embodies Strathclyde’s ethos of being ‘the place of useful learning’ and is a great opportunity for the students to work on a real life brand and apply theory to practice. I’m delighted that my initial approach to C&C Group to engage with students in this module has resulted in a continuing relationship over the years which has benefits for all.
“I’d like to say well done to all the students who took part, especially the five who were selected with presenting to the judges – and congratulations to Alicia who was named overall winner.”
Published: 17 March 2026
