Year 12 business A-level students were separated into six teams to create a male fragrance business over a two-week period, with a goal to secure a £1 million pound investment from a panel of expert judges for 49% of the business. The judging panel they faced comprised a diverse range of CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and Marketing Executives.
The six teams created a branded Male Fragrance with names such as Scentra, Solstice, Verdant, Evolve, Opulent and Ciel Noir. On International Women’s Day, we were able to represent women in business to foster diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. As the presentations progressed, the teams all appreciated the inventiveness and original ideas of their competitors and the various methods they used to seek an advantage in this very competitive market. The Judges declared this the best competition they had seen in 5 years of judging and found honourable mentions for all the teams, but Team Evolve (Zoe, Cici, Annalie, Chloe L) came out with the £1m pound investment for their fragrance company to launch their brand in the market (in addition to some well-earned gifts).
Creating a business presentation was a high-pressure task, especially when involving critical insights and last-minute preparations. In addition to a comprehensive financial projection seen by the judges two days before the competition, it was important to display key marketing tools: gaps in the market that our companies can exploit, analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. As students finalised our presentations, we reflected on the importance of what we have learned in this process. We recognised that understanding competition is about how your unique value proposition can stand out, reinforcing the importance of effective marketing and contributing towards economic growth through consumer engagement. We knew impressions we make on our audience can influence perceptions on our company, so we made an effort to communicate well with the panel with a professional bearing and evocative presentations based upon well researched ideas.
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