Students set for Team GB marketing challenge

First-year students at Hull University Business School are set to start their personal countdown to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by working on an exclusive project with Team GB.

More than 250 students have the chance to work with one of the UK’s best-loved brands in the annual marketing challenge, in which their creative thinking, innovation and advanced knowledge of marketing theory are put to the test.

British Olympic Association’s Head of Marketing, Ed Jones, who gave a presentation on the assignment to students at Hull University Business School this week, said:

“This is a really exciting opportunity for students to work with Team GB. They’ll be tackling a real-life business challenge – which will not only put their learning into practice but will enhance their employability skills and will have the wow factor on their CVs in the future.

“In return, Team GB will be benefitting from innovative ideas from some of marketing’s brightest young minds. We anticipate that the students will be able to provide valuable insights into the target market and trends that influence our fanbase.”

The challenge will see students focus on creating a marketing strategy to keep fans engaged after this summer’s Olympic Games right through to Paris 2024.

Student Rebecca Sausby said: “I feel privileged to have this amazing opportunity of working with Team GB. I’m excited to be given the responsibility of representing their brand through my own ideas especially at such an early stage in my degree. I never imagined working on a project of this magnitude when I applied for university; I wouldn’t get to experience this anywhere else.”

Fannie Yeung, marketing lecturer at Hull University Business School, said: “Building on their knowledge of marketing theory and with plenty of creative thinking, our students will be creating innovative ways to inspire the next generation of Team GB fans, particularly 18-24 year-olds.

“As part of the project they will also be identifying and evaluating the environmental opportunities and threats for Team GB – which adds an extra layer of complexity to the challenge.

“It is an incredible opportunity for our students – especially in an Olympic year – and we hope that it will bring their studies to life in a really unique way. We are delighted to be working with Team GB.”

The marketing challenge is now in its seventh year, with students previously working on projects for McCain Foods, one of the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, Beverley Building Society, Rix Petroleum, Greencore, AAK, and Whitby Seafoods.

Through workshops, tutorials and teamwork, students will conduct research, develop their ideas and marketing proposals throughout February and March, submitting a 4000-word report in April, with the best teams presenting their work to Team GB in June.

Peter Andrews, Head of Marketing & Business Strategy Subject Group, said: “We want to wish our students all the best for the Team GB marketing challenge – and we look forward to seeing them get to grips with the Team GB brand and developing skills that will make them business ready. 

“Hull University Business School has a long history of setting real-life challenges for its students as part of our unique approach called Authentic Business Learning (ABL) – this means that our students are applying their newly found skills and knowledge with organisations including Young’s Seafood and Pipers Crisps. For this year’s students, working on this project for Team GB will surely be one of the highlights of their first year studying business.”

The marketing challenge follows an exciting range of Team GB activities on campus including a series of Team GB appearances where athletes have shared their personal goal-setting and medal-winning experiences with students; a research project in which academic staff and students have focused on the history of Team GB as a way to drive success at this year’s Olympics; and a family sports event for local schools and colleges to kickstart the countdown to Tokyo 2020 in the region. In November 2018, one lucky student went to Tokyo to assist with a virtual reality project to help prepare athletes for Tokyo 2020.

All these opportunities for students are the result of the University’s excusive partnership with Team GB. Announced as the first University to be an Official Partner of Team GB, in January 2019, the partnership covers a six-year period and includes the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Game

It includes opportunities that will benefit the University of Hull’s students, staff and communities, as well as presenting opportunities for joint research and enterprise projects, delivered by the University in support of Team GB. This will include participating in Team GB events, developing courses and CV-boosting opportunities such as work experience and volunteering.  

The unprecedented partnership is borne out of a synergy between the University’s ambitions and beliefs and those of Team GB.

Whether it’s in a lecture theatre or on the field, a lab or on the track or in an operating theatre or the ring, our joint belief is that everyone can achieve extraordinary things.

-- UPDATE --

You can watch the video of the students final presentation back to Team GB below: