Marketing students battle to showcase Samsung’s cutting-edge credentials for Gen Z consumers

The national competition, now in its tenth year, sees students from leading universities compete to respond to a live client brief, in a bid to win one of the latest products from the Samsung mobile device range and the title of ‘Marketer of the Future’ at a virtual live event on 19 March 2021.

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. 

Students will be asked to use Samsung’s brand proposition as a ‘relentless pioneer’ to communicate how this new mobile category meets the needs of Gen Z, a powerful consumer segment that controls an estimated spending power of $143 billion annually.

Alex Conaway, Head of Brand – Mobile, Tablets & Wearables of Samsung UK said:

“Last year, Samsung defined a new mobile category by introducing our foldable devices and changing what’s possible in a smartphone. The split screen functionality for streaming and creating video content, camera quality and long-lasting battery life align neatly with the mobile habits of Gen Z, who are constantly connected to online whether that be streaming the latest shows and games or realising their strong entrepreneurial ambitions.  

We are looking forward to hearing from today’s up and coming marketing talent and can’t wait to see their ideas come to life.”

Discussing 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. This summer, The Pitch allowed me to open the door to get an internship at AnywhereWorks in Edinburgh. I’ve been doing that over the summer and they asked me to stay on and work part-time. I’m doing that as I finish my degree.”

The competition is open to second and third-year students at UK universities studying for a marketing degree or a business degree with a marketing module. In teams of two or three, entrants must devise a 15 minute audio marketing plan and present it to judges from across the industry, including representatives from Samsung UK, CIM and leading brands, which will be announced in the coming weeks. 

The top three teams and the ultimate winners will be announced at the end of a virtual live event day, where the winners will be awarded the title of ‘CIM’s Marketers of the Future.’ This is also an excellent opportunity for students to meet and develop relationships with senior marketing figures from key brands across the industry. 

Gemma Butler, marketing director at CIM, said:

“We’ve been running The Pitch competition for ten years now and every year we are inspired by the fresh thinking from today’s marketing students. 

“We’re seeing many brands reconsidering and adapting their strategies to connect with Gen Z, and as digital natives, smartphones are central to their lifestyles and ambitions, so we’re extremely excited to be working with Samsung on this year’s brief.

“Despite pitching this year over video, for students, this is an opportunity to develop their presentation, communication and problem-solving skills in a real-life scenario that is so important and relevant for businesses’ today.”

Such is the success of the competition over the past ten years that the initiative is now integrated into the syllabuses of many universities across the country, including Bournemouth, Hull and Swansea. The Pitch is also a part of a wider initiative which runs alongside the CIM Graduate Gateway programme, which maps marketing and business degrees against learning outcomes within CIM qualifications.