It’s a wrap on the 10th year anniversary collaboration between Brand Potential and Erasmus University! Our fifth and final session was what we have been working towards in the past few weeks. We finally had the change to present our PR & Social Media campaigns to Brand Potential and Erasmus University.
Let’s do a little bit of a recap: we started the first session with introducing ourself and explaining why we wanted to be part of this opportunity. What interest us the most about branding, PR or social media? We were a real mix of personalities, each with our own unique stories and strengths. Right away, it was clear that we were not just there to learn from the experts, we were going to learn a lot from each other too!
With our 'why' established, we moved into session two: a deep dive into the pillars of any great campaign, strategy and creativity. We use these words all the time, but this session really forced us to pause and ask: what do they actually mean in practice? It was a very interesting session where Ali (Head of Strategy) and Guillaume (Executive Creative Director) from Brand Potential challenged us to look past the surface. They did not just want us to focus on generating ‘cool’ ideas for this pitch, they pushed us to think critically about the logic behind them, showing us that the best creative work is always rooted in a solid strategic foundation.
Building on that strategic foundation, our third session was a deep dive into the world of brand PR and Social media. We started with a bit of a reality check: is PR really what we think it is? Victoire (PR Account Director) took the lead, clarifying the industry by walking us through the 'why' behind every PR move. Afterwards, Naji (Strategy Director and Head of Performance Marketing) shifted our focus to the social side of things. He broke down the secret of successful campaigns: how do you move beyond just telling a pretty story and actually drive conversion? It was really interesting to see how those two worlds, storytelling and results, actually lean on each other.
The final session before out pitch was all about the art of presenting: pitch(ing) perfect. We started with some icebreakers and tips on how to present. The highlight was a discussion about what really matters in a pitch: is it the confidence you bring to the room, or is it the quality of the idea you are trying to sell? We finished on a high note with a fun challenge: pitching 'boring' items like toothpicks and fresh air. How do you sell that? We had only 20 minutes to figure out from which angle we wanted to approach this. But with a mix of creative thinking and a confident delivery, both teams pulled it off. It was a great way to see the power of storytelling and gave us a much clearer idea of how to frame our actual campaigns.
And then the moment finally arrived: pitching our ideas! Both teams brought such creative ideas to the table, and it was honestly amazing to see how everything we have learned over the past 1.5 months came together. From the strategy to the storytelling, you could see the dedication and effort both groups poured into their presentations. Congrats to the winning team, although both teams are actually winners with everything we have learned during this experience!
I think I can speak on behalf of everyone that these past few weeks have been very exciting, educational, and have provided us with more skills and knowledge on these topics. Thank you to Erasmus University and Brand Potential for hosting this 10th year anniversary that we were honored to be part of!
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Written by Floor Tielens.
