Students were grouped into teams, with each team given a theme explored in class, such as Segmentation, Pricing, Luxury Retailers, Supply Chain, Integrated Communications, Omnichannel, and more. The goal was to demonstrate how creativity plays an essential role within the company’s strategy and is an indispensable element within the marketing mix. They were granted complete creative freedom, and a blank canvas to showcase their best work and surprise the evaluating panel. 

Now, let’s delve into some of the brilliant outcomes that the class delivered! How about we start with Pricing? What would be a traditional way to present such a strategy? If you’re thinking about dashboards and spreadsheets, think again! An interactive game with the audience was able to explain, in practice, the purchasing mechanism within the game and among users, similar to what’s seen in the popular game Counter-Strike. Their business is dictated by a freemium model, focusing on a pricing strategy driven by the value co-created with users that engage as a community. This innovative strategy proved to exponentially increase the company’s profit and became a successful case study in the field! 

To present a stellar example of an omnichannel strategy, another group innovated by bringing the world of Hello Kitty from the Sanrio company to the classroom! Through multiple channels and by acting on different touch points during the customer journey, the Japanese giant was able to develop a strong brand that continues to be successful and to create value generation after generation. This approach enabled them to construct a comprehensive ecosystem that fosters customer loyalty and facilitates data collection for the company’s benefit. 

We crossed oceans to reach India and experience its outstanding example of customer service: the Zomato app! This food delivery business extends far beyond its primary function and, in fact, comprehends its consumer’s pain points and the value it can provide to them. The strategy employed by Zomato is based on the notion of fulfilling all dimensions of its consumers’ jobs to be done and consistently delivering beyond expectations with features involving AI that personalise suggestions aligned with each user’s profile, an easy user usability and a clear, customer-centric approach at its core. 

The Carnival beats also landed in our London campus through the group that brought the topic of market segmentation in a completely innovative way! In the form

of a musical with original songs and dance performances, they presented the case of two companies united by a common point: their love for Brazilian culture, its colours, shapes, and resources! Farm Rio, a Brazilian fashion brand, paved the way to bring its unique products to the United States and Europe through a customised strategy tailored to each location and its peculiarities. Meanwhile, the French brand L’Occitane launched its line, L’Occitane au Brésil, catering to the Brazilian market and all its specific jobs to be done, such as a functional need for cheaper prices and a cultural preference for natural resources ingredients for skin care products. 

The controversial Brand Melville also made its presence felt in our presentations. The students delivered a Hollywood-worthy production as they portrayed the brand’s CEO and his even more contentious allegations regarding their exclusionary positioning. The company adopts an one-size-only policy and openly expresses bias towards bodies that deviate from their perceived standard. Essentially, the brand strategy is to let the product occupy a clear and distinctive position in their target segment. To consume the brand or even work there, you either fit the appearance standards or you simply won’t be accepted. 

These were just a few examples of what the MMK class is capable of delivering! Among theatrical performances, news broadcasts and fairy tales, the class was able to put into practice all the knowledge acquired during the course and to bring real life examples where companies were capable of applying creativity in their strategy and successfully resulted in an innovative approach for each of the themes explored.