Your brief
A regional retailer wants to reach younger audiences (18–25) without alienating its loyal customer base. Marketing budget is tight and previous social campaigns drove reach but little footfall.
The brief to the student team: develop a campaign that builds brand recognition and drives action — with measurable KPIs within one semester.
Collaboration
A BA team of six students started with field research: store visits, Gen Z shopper interviews and a competitive scan of three chains in the region. They shaped one central idea: "Local wins" — tying regional identity to TikTok-native content.
The team worked in sprints:
- Weeks 1–4 research, positioning and creative concept
- Weeks 5–8 content production (short-form video, in-store activation)
- Weeks 9–12 pilot in two stores + optimisation on engagement and footfall
Faculty and an external strategist from the Creative Business network led weekly reviews; the partner joined every sprint for go/no-go decisions.
In practice
Research, production and delivery moments — authentic material from the semester collaboration.
What it delivered
+18% engagement in the pilot versus the previous campaign. In the two test stores, visitors under 25 rose by 12% (measured via counters and till analysis).
The partner adopted three deliverables into the regular marketing calendar: content formats, a measurement plan and a playbook for store teams. The concept rolls out to four more locations next semester.
