The Winning Journey: HUL Carpe Diem 2018
Naturally, we were very excited but it was surprising at first and took some time to sink in, as we were competing with the best of teams from the country from IIFT, FMS, NMIMS, MDI, IMT, SIBM. It also felt great, to get recognition, from a company which is considered to be a dream company, for most students at this level.
Since Carpe Diem 2018 was only open for pre-final year students so in many ways it was our first hands-on experience on a Live Marketing Challenge. The solution which we would conceptualise, if implemented by HUL, can have a ripple effect on its business.
We got around a week’s time to brainstorm and plan for the case solution. This made us engage in extensive research and spoke to a number of people from our Target Group, which gave us both cultural and category insights. We narrowed down the boundaries once we got the insights, and then ideated. We then tested and questioned each of our ideas for feasibility. The most challenging phase was probably the day before the grand finale when we had one day to elaborate on our idea, and the pressure of the clock ticking was on us as well.
Writing a case solution is a difficult task especially when one is new to all these. I feel what worked for us, was the fact that we three are extremely good friends and all of us are like minded. There was a sense of calm throughout the process and we had a lot of fun working on the case, which worked in our favour. There were a few conflicts and in most cases, we sat and weighed in the pros and cons, and either went ahead or rejected the idea.
We are all confident individuals and have no qualms when it comes to presenting. This reflected on the stage as well and it worked in our favour.
There were 14 teams in the finale. Since we weren't allowed to watch other presentations, it was hard to gauge who was our toughest competitor. But purely on the basis of reputation, NMIMS and MDI were probably tough teams.
Carpe Diem 2018 was very well organised and structured. The judges were extremely insightful and helped us through our journey.
Interacting with individuals of stature, like the brand managers, was really helpful, and helped us learn a lot of things that we probably wouldn't have learnt in any classrooms. Their practical examples and the issues that they faced on a daily basis while managing these iconic brands brought new insights to us.
Each Corporate organised competition is unique in its own way. From structure to judging criteria. Read more about HUL Carpe Diem Season 5 and the organizers Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). Other competitions organized by Hindustan Unilever Limited are HUL Big Brand Theory, HUL L.I.M.E. Season 10, HUL - IT Reboot, HUL FinAce Season 2, HUL- The Premier League.