They competed to design the best campaign

Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Faculty of Business brought together 90 students from 18 high schools in its first-ever digital marketing event called ‘Brand Craft’. In this highly anticipated event, young participants competed to develop the best digital marketing campaign for a company in the fruit juice industry. After a 48-hour marathon, Cihat Kora Anadolu High School claimed first place, followed by Izmir Özel Türk Koleji Büyükçiğli Campus in second place, and Güzelbahçe 60. Yıl Anadolu High School in third.

Aiming to enhance high school students' creativity and project development skills while giving them a taste of university life, IUE Faculty of Business added another event to its yearly events. At the ‘Brand Craft 2025’ digital marketing simulation event held in the IUE Conference Hall, students worked meticulously in teams through the Marcade marketing simulation to design the most effective and profitable campaign.

CRITERIA SET

In the competition, campaigns were evaluated based on criteria such as identifying the right target audience, aligning marketing activities with their objectives, generating high profits, and efficiently managing the budget. Students presented their campaigns to the jury, which included Marcade Founder Önder Filiz, Asst. Prof. Dr. Esin Çağlayan, Director of the IUE Teaching and Learning Center, Asst. Prof. Dr. Alev Özer Torgalöz, Vice Dean of IUE Faculty of Business, Asst. Prof. Dr. Nilgün Gürkaynak from Department of Business), and Hale Diledi Kazan Aksoy, Director of Promotions. The top three teams celebrated their success with great joy and excitement.

“EXPERIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY”

Prof. Dr. Burcu Güneri Çangarlı, Dean of IUE Faculty of Business expressed her happiness in hosting such a successful event. Stating that, as a faculty, they organized many events aiming at high school students, Prof. Dr. Çangarlı said, “Being with young people and seeing their energy and curiosity is wonderful. Thanks to events like this, young participants get introduced to topics studied in the Faculty of Business, even while still in high school, and they get to work on projects where they can apply what they've learned. This is a very valuable learning experience and opportunity. Brand Craft is designed based on today’s best learning models, incorporating teamwork, gamification, and digital education. We always approach our courses and events with this mindset, constantly thinking about what we can do to capture young people’s interest and broaden their horizons. ‘Brand Craft’ was born from this idea and undoubtedly achieved its purpose.”

“WE WILL CONTINUE WITH PROJECTS”

Emphasizing that Brand Craft is not just a competition, Prof. Dr. Çangarlı stated the following: "Students had the chance to chat with IUE Faculty of Business students, meet the academics, spend time on campus, and experience university life over two full days. Seeing the happiness and confidence in their eyes made us very happy. We want young people to always speak up, turn their ideas into projects, and stay focused on innovation, no matter what. Brand Craft set a great example in this regard as well. As we always say, we see entire city of Izmir as our campus. So, as a faculty, we will continue developing events and projects that benefit young people in our field and accelerate their growth, as well as forming new collaborations. I sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the event and wholeheartedly congratulate all the students.”