PRESS RELEASE

FUTURE TALENT: SHORTLIST REVEALED FOR NATIONWIDE STUDENT MARKETING COMPETITION

● The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s The Pitch competition shortlists top nine teams
● Student teams are challenged to find creative ways to market Samsung’s new foldable mobile phone category to Gen Z
● One of the latest products from the Samsung mobile device range and one-year complimentary CIM membership available for winners of the competition
● The Pitch competition to be moved virtually for the first time

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has announced its shortlist of nine teams from across the UK going through to the final round of their student competition, The Pitch.

Now in its tenth year, The Pitch sees students from leading universities compete to respond to a live client brief. The competition is sponsored this year by technology brand Samsung, with teams challenged to find creative ways to market its new foldable mobile phone category to Gen Z.

The shortlist will be narrowed down to three teams and the winning team will be announced at a virtual live event on 19 March 2021. The overall winning student team will be named as CIM's ‘Marketers of the Future’. They will also receive a one-year complimentary CIM membership and one of the latest products from the Samsung mobile device range.

The university teams shortlisted in this year’s The Pitch competition include:

● Kingston University, Advertigo
● Leeds Beckett University, Brains of Beckett
● University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion, Connect Three
● Swansea University, Duality
● De Montfort University, Find Agency
● University of Brighton, Squash and Coriander
● Cardiff Metropolitan University, The Metropolitan’s
● University of East Anglia, The Three Marketeers
● Leeds Trinity University, Wild Cats

Gemma Butler, marketing director at CIM, said: “The calibre of applications for The Pitch remains high and with this year’s competition having to take place virtually for the first time, all the students will be required to even more so draw upon their communication and presentation skills. Despite the ongoing challenges, it’s been fantastic to see the student talent across the UK and we’re very much looking forward to meeting the finalists and watch them bring their ideas to life on the 19th March.”

Thomas Cooper was a student at Strathclyde Business School when he entered the Pitch last year with fellow classmate, Adam Dickson.

Discussing winning the competition, Thomas Cooper said: “It’s surreal. It’s a bit of a cliché but it really was a dream come true. Times are uncertain, right now I am focussing on working as hard as possible to put myself in the best possible position for entering the jobs market.”

Adam Dickson said: “It feels absolutely fantastic. We put so much effort in and, to win, just justified that. But we loved the whole process of The Pitch and learnt a lot. Last summer, The Pitch allowed me to open the door to get an internship at AnywhereWorks in Edinburgh. I’ve been doing that over last summer and they asked me to stay on and work part-time. I’m doing that as I finish my degree.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About CIM:

CIM strives for business leaders and opinion formers to recognise the positive contribution professional marketing can bring to their organisations, the economy and wider society. We support, develop and represent marketers, organisations and the profession all over the world. Our ability to award Chartered Marketer status recognises a marketer’s commitment to staying current and abiding by a professional Code of Conduct. While our diverse range of training courses and world-renowned qualifications, enable modern marketers to thrive in their roles and deliver long-term success for businesses.

For more information on The Pitch, please view here: https://www.cim.co.uk/events/the-pitch/students/ 

Media contacts

James Delves
CIM Head of PR and External Engagement
james.delves@cim.co.uk

Corinne Lavictoire
PR Executive
corinne.lavictoire@cim.co.uk

For further information please contact the Chartered Institute of Marketing press office at Good Relations on CIMTeam@goodrelations.co.uk