XIMB, The Champions Of The boAt Wavemaker’s Challenge Season 1

When it comes to market disruptors, few Indian companies have a better claim to fame than the consumer electronics brand boAt. In its maiden edition of boAt Wavemaker’s Challenge, the organization offered PPIs, cash prize and boAt products worth INR 2 lakh to the winning teams, and a personal mentorship session with co-founder, Aman Gupta. Naturally then, we, i.e. Hammad Murtaza, Divya Kushwaha and Saloni Sahani aka Team Sailers from the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar (XIMB) dove headfirst into the competition. And surfaced as the national winners in the face of fierce competition, since the challenge was open to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students across India. 

Here’s our story of riding the many waves the competition threw our way, to ultimately gain invaluable experiences, leverage our skills, and put our knowledge to the test:

boAt Wavemaker’s Challenge: Competition Structure

The boAt Wavemaker’s Challenge was divided into three rounds, or rather waves, as listed below: 

​​Wave 1: Executive Summary Submission Round

Wave 2: Detailed Presentation Submission

Wave 3: Grand Finale

The competition was aptly framed and the deliverables for all three rounds were very well defined. The judgement quality was very objective and transparent. It was a privilege to present our solutions to the smartest minds in the industry. Getting our solutions stamped from such a jury was an achievement in itself!

Sailing To Success

First and foremost, it was important to form a winning team. After analyzing the culture and goals of the company, the three of us came together as we believed we had complementary skills. 

We started with extensive research work because problems given in the case could be symptoms of different but actual problems. After extensive primary and secondary research, we built upon the insights we extracted from them, formulated the campaigns and started working on the presentation.

Our plan was to offer unique, inventive, and viable solutions to address the problem statement. We began working on our ideas as soon as we got the case study for the first round (executive summary submission) and kept refining our proposals in subsequent rounds. 

Our main challenge was staying abreast of industry trends, conducting primary research, and understanding consumer behavior and purchasing patterns to devise the most effective solution. Another challenge we faced was finding a new target audience. 

We worked several hours on the problems which effectively translated to long and sleepless nights because the day-to-day schedules at our B-School were pretty hectic. The biggest challenge was balancing our B-School curriculum with the case study. 

To sum it up, we left no stone unturned and gave it our best shot. And this is why the winning moment is especially memorable. 

When only the winner was left to be announced, the three of us joined hands, anxiously waiting for the result. Hearing the name of our college, XIMB, was a dream come true. That scene is etched in our memories forever.

Crucial Learnings From The Challenge

Two of the biggest practical lessons we garnered from the challenge were - frameworks do not work in real life and app-based acquisition strategy is always a hit-and-miss. 

Throughout this experience, we gained a wealth of knowledge, from devising strategies for a significant solution to creating an effective and detailed presentation. 

Meeting and engaging with talented individuals and leaders in the industry also gave us the firsthand opportunity to learn practical skills. 

We also learnt that if you give your 100% honestly, nothing can stop you from doing good in life, let alone competitions. Of course, learning directly from Aman Gupta was the ultimate cherry on the cake. 

What Kept The Team Afloat?

Despite a time crunch and conflicting schedules, we managed by prioritising the boAt Wavemaker's Challenge over other things. 

We collaborated closely, supporting one another throughout the process, from creating the presentation slides for the national-level finale to offering encouragement and constructive feedback. We worked collaboratively to address any issues that arose, resulting in a fantastic and memorable experience.

Here’s a look at our team’s strengths: 

Saloni is a marketing graduate and knows a lot about campaigns. Also, she’s a pro designer and made our presentations. She was the one you could rely on for perfect slides. 

Divya was responsible for building strategies. She also happens to be one of the most hardworking students in the batch. She was the force which made us work.

Hammad was our team lead, who would analyze every solution till it was foolproof! A pro at research, he was also the one to go the extra mile before submissions. 

It was a dream team. We had a holistic approach where everyone complemented each other's work. We supported each other's opinions and perspectives and arrived at a common decision whenever needed.

The Last Wave

For all of us, one of the best highlights of this competition was the incredible opportunity to meet and connect with Mr. Aman Gupta, who is both a source of inspiration for the youth and a highly respected business icon. Being able to engage with him was an unforgettable moment and a dream come true.

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