Students in their second semester of studies in NC’s International Business Management had the unique opportunity to work with Barilla Pasta International. The Live Marketing Recommendation project for Barilla was launched for the semester by professor Melanie Sodka for the International Marketing Strategies course.
With this project, students were expected to prepare a recommendation on how to market and communicate Barilla Pasta’s portfolio to international students, immigrants and refugees in Canada. During the planning process of the initiative, students researched the product and brand, surveyed potential customers and appropriate audiences, and created a marketing communication plan.
On April 5, 2019, the findings were presented to Saeed Haniff, Director of Consumer Insights at Barilla Canada. The class was divided into 19 teams. Six teams competed in the final round, pitching their ideas to Haniff.
“We’ve paid agencies lots of money to produce what these students have come up with,” said Haniff. “My expectations are blown away.”
IBM class poses for a picture with Mr. Haniff and Prof. Sodka.
The project aimed to give students first-hand experience with independent research, insight discovery and marketing strategy recommendations, and to facilitate student experience within the industry.
Violeta Hryhorian, a student of the IBM program, was excited to work with a global brand like Barilla. “Barilla has such an incredible background. Through the whole term, we were on a live business case of creating a strategy for the company. It was really interesting, and a very educational experience.”
Tin Thanh Phan, a member from the winning team, said “We started to dig into the data that Barilla provided, and the feedback from our own surveys. We came up with the insights and made the decision to go with a family-atmosphere concept, the idea of ‘bringing you home’ with an emphasis on bonding moments.”
“These students have gained valuable industry experience that they can use on resumes, during interviews and within their careers in any industry,” said Professor Sodka. “They stepped up and delivered beyond my expectations. This is a very talented group of students.”
About the Barilla Group:
Barilla is an Italian family-owned food company. Established in 1877, it is now an international Group present in more than 100 countries.
A world leader in the markets of pasta and ready-to-use sauces in continental Europe, bakery products in Italy and crispbread in Scandinavia, the Barilla Group is recognized worldwide as a symbol of Italian know-how.
