Students win global competition for marketers of the future
A team of three Strathclyde students have emerged winners of the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) The Pitch competition for marketers of the future, making it the second year running for Strathclyde Business School.
The three students – Lucy Cassels, Cara Garvie and Lucy Mitchell – make up Team ‘StrathStrategists’ and were one of five teams from across the UK in the final which took place on March 15.
The Pitch is designed to give university students real-world experience for their first professional role in marketing and the competition has separate competitions for both postgraduate and undergraduate students. In teams of two or three, students apply their learning to a real-life marketing challenge set by a charity, enhancing their employability and practical marketing skills.
Lucy, Cara and Lucy had to pitch their ideas to a panel of marketing experts during the virtual judging final, presenting to judges from across the industry. The challenge this year - open to both UK and international students - was based on the charity EveryYouth. The team had to develop a volunteer engagement marketing strategy that is designed to attract and retain volunteers who are committed to the charity’s mission.
They said, "Taking part in CIM The Challenge was at times a difficult but very fulfilling experience. Working together as a team allowed us to utilise our strengths to overcome any challenges and, in the end, help us improve our professional and personal development.
“We really do hope this will help us in our future marketing careers as this has been a huge achievement that we are so proud of.
“A massive thank you to all of the judges for attending and taking the time to listen to our proposal. Overall, we believe that this competition has provided us with key marketing skills and we would encourage future students to get involved in amazing opportunities such as this."
Department of Marketing tutor Thomas McAlinden said, “This is the second year in a row our students have won the postgraduate version of CIM The Pitch – given it has only run for two years, that’s quite the success rate!
“This continues our good form of having previously won the undergraduate competition several times over the past few years too. Strathclyde truly is the place of useful learning and this latest win really highlights how students from the Department of Marketing not only acquire knowledge but are able to put it into practice to excellent effect. Everyone in the Department is delighted for Lucy, Cara and Lucy!"
The Postgraduate element of The Pitch competition launched last year when Strathclyde had two teams of students in the final five, with the teams finishing in first and third place.
As the winning team for 2024, Lucy, Cara and Lucy receive CIM’s ‘Marketers of the Future’ award and a one-year CIM membership, a complimentary ‘Specialist Award’ qualification from CIM Academy, a virtual one-hour session with HAYS Chief Marketing Officer Inken Khulmann-Rhinnow, as well as a virtual CV writing workshop, the chance to feature in a case study posted on the CIM website and a digital winner’s badge issued by CIM.