NIMIMS Team NotJustACadbury Wins Mondelēz Maestros 2024 (Commercial Track)

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Mondelēz International, the powerhouse behind beloved brands like Cadbury and Oreo, annually hosts the prestigious Mondelēz Maestros business case competition. It challenges B-school students to devise innovative solutions for real-world FMCG scenarios.

We—Team NotJustACadbury from NMIMS Mumbai—embarked on the exhilarating journey for Mondelez Maestros 2025. Competing against over 10,000 participants, we navigated through rigorous rounds, culminating in our victory as national winners of the Commercial Track.

In this blog, we share our experiences, strategies, and the lessons we learned along the way.

Mondelēz Maestros 2024 - Commercial Track

The case study competition was structured to simulate real-world business challenges, pushing us to think critically and innovatively. Here is a peek into the competition’s structure:

Each round intensified the challenge, testing our abilities to adapt and refine our solutions under pressure. The nature of the case statement truly made us feel like management students as we got to work on challenging, real-world questions. 

We often joke that the learning we gained from this competition was equivalent to that from multiple case competitions rolled into one.

Our Strategy: Grounded in Research and Storytelling

We had all interned in the FMCG sector, and that experience was extremely useful on our journey through this business challenge. Drawing on that experience, we built a strategy focused on two key factors: extensive market research and the power of storytelling. Here is how we approached the case and built a winning solution:

• Breaking down the case: We began by thoroughly understanding the problem statement and taking our time to dissect every detail before ideation.
• Conducted Extensive Market Visits & Hyperlocal Research: Our research was rooted in real-world insights. We visited almost every eatery near our homes and college and engaged with business owners and customers alike to gather firsthand insights.
• Iterative Ideation & Refinement: We used the insights gathered to keep iterating on our solution. The idea was to make sure that market feedback remained the backbone of our approach. 
• Storytelling: When translating our solution into a presentation, we ensured that it was not just informative but also engaging. We carefully crafted a narrative that aligned with our research and was authentic to the insights we'd garnered.

We spent the better part of three months working on this solution. The challenges we faced included:

• Tackling the problem from different angles, 
• Asking unconventional questions rather than just straightforward ones and
• Pushing through when the insights became repetitive in order to uncover fresh perspectives on a new problem.

Team Synergy: The Key Ingredient

It is important to build the right team to be successful in any team competition. Our team consisted of three second-year students from NMIMS, Mumbai. Our team was a blend of diverse skills and perspectives, with each member's strengths complementing the others' weaknesses.

We had two Sarthaks and one Ishika — all equally passionate about everything FMCG, especially chocolates, sales, and marketing.

• All of us spent a lot of time understanding the problem and getting our hands dirty by going to the market every day. 
• Each function had at least two minds working together – the sales angle was managed by the Sarthaks, the PPT by Ishika and Sarthak A., and primary research by Ishika and Sarthak K. 
• The flow and brainstorming were highly collaborative, with everyone contributing, morphing, and iterating on ideas together.

Our team synergized almost perfectly.

Solving Team Conflicts with Chocolates & Pizza

Throughout the competition journey, we combined our expertise seamlessly to tackle the FMCG challenge from multiple angles.

• Ishika: The 'Nick Fury' of the team unified the team and maintained momentum. She ensured that everything was driven by creative problem-solving and effective brain-storming.
• Sarthak Aggarwal: The 'Batman' backed everything with strong research skills, clear articulation of ideas, and a talent for structuring everything brilliantly. 
• Sarthak Kukreja: The 'Tony Stark' of the team brought sales experience, creativity, and a touch of levity to lighten the stressful moments.

We continuously grew by learning from one another, and conflicts never really arose. However, knowing us, if they had, they would have been resolved with chocolates—most likely sourced by Sarthak Kukreja— and pizza.

Lessons Learned

Participating in Mondelēz Maestros 2024 was a transformative experience. Key takeaways include:

1. Thorough Understanding of Problem Statement: Grasping the problem statement fully before ideation worked out as one of our biggest advantages.
2. Real-World Research: Direct engagement with the market provides invaluable insights. No amount of isolated brainstorming can match the insights gained from real-world research.
3. Continuous Refinement: We kept refining our solution based on fresh insights, ensuring it remained relevant and impactful. This led to a more robust and well-rounded solution.
4. Effective Presentation: When pitching an idea, we should always remember that the other person has limited time. And you can only present the highlights of your research. So, the value of clear storytelling, practice, and synchronized team delivery is extremely crucial. In short, clear storytelling and synchronized delivery are vital.
5. Flexibility and Adaptability: Feedback and iteration were key to improving any approach and staying adaptable throughout the competition. So, always be open to feedback and willing to pivot to enhance outcomes.

Bookmark this: Challenge Yourself With These B-school Competitions

Final Thoughts: Embrace the Challenge & Enjoy the Journey

For those contemplating participating in such competitions—take the leap. And enjoy the journey. 

Because the most memorable moments for us were the hectic nights just before each deadline when the clock was ticking. We were frantically fine-tuning every detail and making our submission as good as possible, stressed out and eating pizza, racing against time to perfect our pitch.

Yes, the journey is demanding — but it’s also incredibly rewarding. The skills, experiences, and memories forged are invaluable, extending far beyond the competition itself.

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