Team Third Degree: Learning the A to Z of marketing | National Runners-Up of RB Global Challenge 2019

Our primary strategy for RB Global Challenge 2019 was to find a unique social problem that we connected with. Once we identified that, we started to put in the hard work, conducted research and talked to people to gain insights, etc. We also cut down on our leisure time and worked on this idea constantly. One of the main challenges we faced was the long commute required for our primary research, since our campus is located a bit far from the city. Also, it was difficult to interact with vendors and distributors due to their busy schedules. Even after all these difficulties, when we were announced to be the National Runners-up for RB Global Challenge 2019, our joy knew no bounds. 

Our competition experience

The framing of RB Global Challenge 2019 was unique and extensive and it tested all the aspects of business and social acumen. Judgement quality was top-notch and very prompt! The judges' insightful questions helped us improve our offerings for the subsequent rounds. The organization and management of the competition was seamless, and all the rounds were conducted very smoothly. There was hardly any delay in any of the rounds and all queries were resolved quickly. 

Team dynamics 

Our team has been consistent throughout the first year across all B-School competitions. Even the name has been the same. We have worked together before and it was a pretty smooth sailing for us, especially since all of us shared a good level of understanding. However, we did run into occasional disagreements regarding some ideas and their implementation. Whenever we faced this, we would think it over for a night and weigh the pros and cons. When we met again the next morning, the issue was easily resolved. 

Our team's forte was the ability to bounce our ideas off each other. No one readily accepted an idea or discarded it without a thought. Our team balance was also on point: Budhaditya was the main ideator, Debayan was in-charge of research and Ritabrata was the artwork/design person. Hence we complemented each other pretty well!

Coming from diverse specializations, by the end of the competition, we can definitely say that we were exposed to the A to Z of marketing! Before the regional round, one of the members was unwell, but we still spent 2 sleepless nights working on our presentation. So when we got through to the National Finals and managed to secure a National Runners-up position, it was a eureka moment for us!