A media-planning course like no other: the Kinder-Ferrero case study
Published on 05/26/2020
NEOMA's world
Thematics :
Master in Management students on the Marketing, Brand & Business Development specialisation were given 6 weeks to work on a business case study presented by Ferrero. Divided into teams, students were challenged to come up with a coherent and detailed recommendation for the company, from the design of a global communication strategy to the budget allocation and a detailed timeline. A realistic immersion as a marketing manager.
After the case 'kick-off' given by the Ferrero marketing team, the groups worked on refining their recommendations. The students founded their analyses on a wide range of existing advertising communication and Ferrero's current media investment policy, working hard to develop their strategic proposals to the Kinder brand marketing team, waiting to orchestrate next year's communication campaign.
Following the selection process, only 6 of the best teams were invited to present their final recommendations to a special jury.
A major presentation held at the Ferrero HQ
The students were invited to present their recommendations at the company's offices to a specially assembled jury including Jean-Baptiste Santoul, CEO Ferrero France, Ferrero marketing team members: Loic Lallier, Marketing Director of Kinder, François-Xavier Martin-Prével Group Head of Kinder and Massimo Guainai, Media Purchasing Manager, Valérie Savoye Talent Management Manager, and Isabelle Ulrich, associate professor and head of the "Marketing, Brand & Business Development" specialisation.Market analysis, SWOT, CSR, media plan, SEO and social network strategy, segmentation, sound identity ... the teams have already acquired knowledge of the marketing concepts and appropriate technical vocabulary.
Comments from the jury often praise the groups: "Your group demonstrates real digital expertise and your proposed project is highly convincing," announces François-Xavier Martin-Prevel to one of the groups.
A tied first place and congratulations from the jury
"There was a lot of debate during our deliberation about who the winner should be. There were two distinct sides and we couldn't reach a clear decision," says Jean-Baptiste SANTOUL as an introduction to the award ceremony. "And so, by mutual agreement, the members of the jury awarded the first prize to two teams".“We were highly impressed by your recommendations. You came up with some really good ideas, so don't be surprised to see some these on your TV screens very soon. Bravo for your effort," says François-Xavier Martin-Prevel. "You have just experienced a real case study. The questions you were asking throughout the case are the kind of questions we ask ourselves every day at work," he adds.
Loic Lallier adds: "We thoroughly enjoyed your presentations. They were refreshing and very professional. You will certainly be adding a lot of energy to the companies you work for in the near future, and why not Ferrero!"
Jean-Baptiste Santoul concludes: "Your recommendations were well thought out, they were thorough, logical and technically sound, especially regarding the digital aspect. You have understood the issues we face and it is clear that you like marketing. It was a really impressive session.”
The keys to success, accounts from the two winning teams
At the reception given in their honour, the students spoke about how they went about organising their work and the keys to their success.Mélodie, one of the winning group members, explains "When we were briefed, we soon realised the size of the task we were being asked to carry out and we weren't sure how to go about it. We held a few brainstorming sessions and retained some of the ideas raised each time. It was really difficult selecting the ones to keep. Especially as the presentation format forced us to condense 1 and a half months' work into 20 minutes. We weren't sure we were going in the right direction, but we did have the option of asking the Ferrero team questions. The feedback we received after our presentation was very important for us. They listened to us and were interested in our proposals. It was a great experience."
Johan and Julien spoke on behalf of the other winning group. "Our team had already worked together on a previous case study, so we knew each other quite well. Despite our very different profiles we managed to create a good rapport and team spirit."
"We spent a lot of time discussing our development strategy. Working in a group with seven people is quite complicated. So we looked at how to work together and separated into pairs to deal with the different tasks and with each pair dealing with a specific aspect of the project. Each team worked on their part and during the meetings gave a progress report to the whole group, who either endorsed or went over the work again."
Without sounding over-triumphant, the two young students do admit that "the overall coherence of the project emerged in the end. We were really looking forward to hearing the feedback from Ferrero."
"This business case study is the best approach to learning about media planning and communication. We went way beyond anything we might have seen in a classroom," say Johan and Julien.
"I am really pleased with you all," concludes Isabelle Ulrich, associate professor and head of the Marketing, Brand & Business Development specialisation. "You have really understood the subject and its requirements, whilst demonstrating true professionalism and a great capacity for work. You're ready for the next case!"
Read the article about the launch of this case study : click here