Dragons’ Den turns up the heat for UC marketing students

Dragons’ Den turns up the heat for UC marketing students

October 8, 2013

More than 175 University of Canterbury (UC) marketing students in 35 groups are feeling the heat this week in a Dragon’s Den style business competition.

They will be pitting their proposals to judges who will narrow down the numbers until a winning team is found.

Students have been given the task to develop a new product that could be marketed in a New Zealand supermarket and launched under the wing of an existing corporation in the fast moving consumer goods category.  They are allocated an imaginary budget of $1.5 million to achieve a launch on a national basis, UC marketing lecturer Associate Professor Dave Fortin says. 

``Students involved this year are working toward their Bachelor of Commerce degree and this task is part of their requirement for a marketing management course.  There are three Dragons (or judges) that will hear all the presentations and provide comments over a three-day period. 

``There will be a winner for each of the four categories of: beverages, snacks, breakfast food and dairy/frozen goods.  A Grand Prize Gold Dragon winning team will be announced on Wednesday (October 9).

``Last year, the grand prize winners were invited to present their proposal to well-known chocolate maker Whittaker’s in Wellington. The students involved were Sandy Austin-Fraser, Lucy Shearer, Jonathan Nabbs and Tim Phillipson. 

``It was a pivotal learning experience for the students and a real world opportunity to connect with the New Zealand business community.’’

This is just one of many activities that students enrolled in a Bachelor of Commerce degree are involved in and is based on a UC philosophy of active learning promoted by Professor Fortin, based on his experience in the advertising agency business. 

UC is ranked as the No.1 school in New Zealand for studying marketing and tourism based on the 2013 PBRF rankings.

ENDS

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