Henley students win international CIM competition with their marketing strategy for social media platform

Three budding marketers from Henley Business School - Anita Marcu, Scarlett Cassidy and Oceane Bax de Keating - have been crowned the winners of the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) prestigious annual competition, The Pitch.

The Pitch recognises outstanding marketing campaigns developed by student teams from leading universities around the world. Teams were tasked with developing a marketing strategy for WeAre8, a social media app that aims to make a positive impact on people and the planet every day by sharing ad revenue with citizens, creators, and charity and impact partners.

Entrants were challenged to explore ways WeAre8 can increase its visibility and show that social media can be a kinder, better place - looking at growing the base of citizens and content creators and overall engagement, which leads to collective action to drive positive change.

The winning Henley team, 007 Girls who are all second-year students, impressed the judges with their ambitious ideas, plans and goals. After making it through to the final round of nine teams, the team virtually presented their plan to the judges, which involved a hard-hitting video, deploying a team of student ambassadors to university campuses to promote the app in person, utilising influencers to hold giveaways, as well as developing a push notification and email marketing campaign.

Natalie Spearing, Marketing Director, CIM said: “We created The Pitch to offer students the opportunity to gain practical experience and to respond to a real-life brief that will challenge them to think outside of the box. It’s this type of business exposure that provides genuine value to graduates preparing to enter the job market, and also helps brands work with a key demographic who will play a significant role in society as we move forward.

“Congratulations to all of the shortlisted teams who worked really hard on their proposals, and a huge congratulations to 007 Girls whose innovative ideas really shone through.”

Laura Chase, Chief Commercial Officer, WeAre8 said: “The quality of the teams in The Pitch competition this year was amazing. It’s been particularly exciting to see the next generation of marketers displaying such talent and enthusiasm for the task at hand.

“Team 007 Girls from Henley Business School delivered an excellent presentation with some unique insight and innovative ideas, which clearly made an impression on the judging panel. I’d like to congratulate the winners once again and I’m sure they will go on to do great things as CIM’s Marketers of the Future.”

The team said: “We are so proud and honoured to have won The Pitch 2023. Throughout this process we have grown as individuals and a team, playing to our strengths, and overcoming challenges to produce a winning presentation. 

“Pitching at the live final was a surreal experience as we saw six months of hard work finally come to life in front of the team of judges. We are delighted that our ideas and passion were recognised on the day.”

The winning team scooped a £1,500 cash prize and a one-year complimentary CIM membership for each team member.

The competition provides a unique opportunity for students to showcase their skills and gain valuable industry experience.

The team added: “We are taking away a whole host of valuable skills from this experience including research and data analysis skills, communication and problem-solving and it’s given us a unique opportunity to hone our presentation and pitching skills.

“We would like to thank the CIM and WeAre8 for allowing us to use what we have learnt at university in a real-life case study, as well as Henley Business School who have supported us the entire way. The 007 girls cannot wait to take what we have learnt into our future careers.”

Professor Adrian Palmer, Head of Henley’s Department of Marketing and Reputation said: “This is a remarkable achievement by our students and demonstrates that Henley doesn’t just teach students the theories and principles of marketing, but supports them in putting these into practice.”