Welcome to the 2021-2022 edcom annual report
WELCOME
YEAR IN NUMBERS
YEAR IN PROJECTS
GRADUATION COMPETITION
The edcom Graduation Competition rewards the best Bachelor and Master Graduation theses in Advertising or Commercial Communication among students from edcom member schools. This year, edcom has received 7 Bachelor and 5 Master’s theses from 8 different countries across Europe. The competition rewards the best theses with a 400€ cash prize.
Bachelor
In the Bachelor category, Jonathan Shaw, a student from Bournemouth University won with his thesis 'Exploring Millennials’ asymmetric brand attitudes held towards brands who practise brand activism.'
"As we see more and more brands getting involved in social issues, there was a need to understand how Millennials reacted to such activism. The amalgamation of Millennials’ willingness to voice their opinions and their awareness of social issues has been overlooked in previous studies. This study looked at their opinions towards brand activism to understand what factors catalyse asymmetry in their attitudes, with the aim of assisting brands in mitigating any negative effects. To be awarded by edcom and the EACA for this paper is a great honour, and something I’ll take with me throughout my career. I’d encourage any student to get involved with the competition."
Jonathan Shaw
Master
In the Master's category Rosie Slayter from Breda University of Applied Sciences won the first prize with her work 'Augmented reality marketing: A quasi-experimental study evaluating the influence that interactivity has on brand attitude.'
"Writing my Master thesis is a period of time that I look back on very fondly. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to further explore the research field of Augmented Reality Marketing with my supervisor, Milena, supporting me every step of the way. This field one that I am so incredibly passionate about, and researching it changed my career goals, and refined what I am passionate about. To have my work not only recognized, but also appreciated on a European level is something that I did not expect, and I could not be more thrilled about. This competition is a phenomenal initiative that shines a bright light on and rewards students who put all of their thought, time and energy into their research."
Rosie Slayter
AD VENTURE STUDENT COMPETITION
Ad Venture is the first Pan-European competition that gives students the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in Advertising by creating their own campaign in response to a brief from a real client. This year’s competition saw 67 entries from 10 countries. For this years’ edition, Asahi wanted to challenge students to bring their creativity to a new level and create a campaign for their Asahi Super Dry beer, that perfectly envisions the idea of ‘Modern Japan’. Students were encouraged to mix their marketing creativity with academic insights, in order to live up to the long-term brand ambition to become a distinct icon of modern Japan and one of top international beer brands in Hungary, France and the UK. The winning team, The Ensos, was awarded travel, accommodation and tickets to the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for their campaign 'The Expedition of the Ikigais'.
“Ad Venture Student Competition is a great opportunity for the business and the student community to interact. It was a great inspiration for us to see how much the students engaged with the brief on our flagship brand Asahi Super Dry. The level of energy and the quality of the work was impressive. We the jury did our best to provide objective critique and guidance to the teams. Congratulations to the winning team and I hope they get the best of the coming Cannes Festival.”
Stefan Teodorescu, Regional Marketing Capability Director at Asahi
CANNES EXPERIENCE
THE EXPEDITION OF THE IKIGAIS
“Have you ever had these moments in life in which you feel like every decision you make is guiding you towards something great even though the destination might not be clear?
Well, this is how our team felt from day 1 working on the Ad Venture competition brief, which was promoting the No. 1 Japanese beer – Asahi across 3 different European markets. We decided to go beyond the expectations. A decision that won us the adventure that we have been dreaming of ever since our first year of university. Going to Cannes Lions Festival felt like we were living inside our own campaign – a journey that you never want to end. The opportunity of meeting one of the brightest minds and creatives of the advertising industry, getting insights worth a lifetime and inspiration that still holds you is indescribable, it can only be felt.
For this year’s competition participants, I want to give the advice to not be afraid to take risks and to pack their childhood imagination and jump into the new Ad Venture that will inspire the next generation of builders through the power of play with LEGO.”
Nicole, The Ensos Team
CLICK FOR MORE: AD VENTURE | GRADUATION COMPETITION
NEW MEMBERS
edcom network is comprised of 46 European academic members from 16 countries which gathers academics, students and other university stakeholders with an interest in commercial communications. Its aim is to establish a cooperation between academia and industry professionals, as well as facilitating cross-border education and exchanges.
Find out more about all our members here!
This year, edcom is happy to welcome 3 new academic members:
University of Georgia (UG) is one of the largest and the highest-ranking private universities in Georgia. Distinguished by the high quality educational processes, modern infrastructure, and its diverse community with cross-cultural awareness, UG shapes intelligent, educated individuals with human values capable to meet modern challenges.
Leli Bibilashvili holds a PhD in Mass Communications. Currently, she works as an Associate Professor and the Head of Journalism and Mass Communications Department at US since 2014. Leli is a member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA). She has multiple years of experience both in academic and practical work, has published a number of publications in communications and has successfully participated in various international and local conferences and workshops. Leli has also worked as IMC Consultant for several years in the ACT Global (Research and IMC Consulting Company), bank sector and non-governmental structural units.
University of Greenwich, established in 1890, is a leading modern university in the United Kingdom with over 250,000 alumni across the globe. Over the years, the university has made its place among the top academic institutions in the world. It has gained the accreditations of many prestigious organizations like CIPD, APS, and AMBA.
Hyunsun Yoon obtained her PhD in Advertising and MA in Journalism from Cardiff University. Hyunsun is Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Programme Leader for BA Advertising and Digital Marketing Communications, Deputy Director of the Marketing Research Group, and the Department Lead for Scholarship Excellence in Business Education.
University of the Arts London (UAL) is top 2 in the world for Art and Design (QS World University Rankings 2022). UAL has global influence and reach across international creative industries. London College of Communication is a part of University of the Arts London, which includes a diverse body of 18,000 students from 130 countries. LCC focuses on enabling students to develop the skills needed to succeed as future-facing creatives through industry-focused courses in the Design School, Media School and Screen School.
Dr Sevil Yesiloglu is an Associate Fellow HEA and an enthusiastic lecturer at the University of the Arts London, who brings research led teaching into classroom and helps students gain critical analysis skills as well as practical skills within digital advertising discipline.
Sevil’s research covers digital aspects of advertising including online harms, brand related content, influencer marketing and social media usage. She continues to work on digital marketing communications related research fields including social media, digital consumption, copyright issues on social media, influencer marketing.
ANNUAL MEMBERS' MEETINGS
May Meetings, 9-10 May 2022
The first day of the May edcom Meetings was dedicated to the 10 finalists of this year's Ad Venture, followed by the final round of jury deliberation.
The winner of the 2022 Ad Venture, Team Ensos from the New Bulgarian University, was announced the following day.
The main topic of the second day of May Meetings was talent, with a conference about "The Great Opportunity" that the present day's marketing and communications' industry represents for young professionals entering their careers.
The meetings concluded with the showcase of the best thesis work submitted for the Graduation Competition of 2022.
November Meetings, 30 November 2021
After a welcome speech from edcom President Paul Springer, the meeting started with a presentation by Fontys University's Joep Peeters on the importance of perspective in educational design in "not so ‘normal’ times", followed by a discussion to share experiences and observations at this point of the pandemic cycle.
Nisantasi University was also welcomed as a new member of edcom, with Gresi Sanje giving an introductory presentation on behalf of the institution.
CONTACT US
If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out at kasia.gluszak@eaca.eu.
Our office is located in central Brussels and shared with EACA, the European Association of Communications Agencies. If you are in Brussels, come and say hi!