A Kozminski University student, Katarzyna Bar, member of the Student Government Board responsible for marketing and promotion, won the national marketing ideathon organised by RiseWave. The event took place on 23-24 May in Łódź and brought together students from across Poland interested in developing their skills in marketing, strategy, and brand communication.
A total of 440 people applied to take part in the competition, with 150 participants selected by the organisers. They were then assigned to random five-person teams and worked on real marketing challenges prepared by the event’s business partners. Companies involved in the project included E.Wedel, Dafi, InPost, Polsat Media and Unilever.
The ideathon was based on intensive teamwork under time pressure. Participants had 25 hours to develop a comprehensive marketing campaign concept responding to a real business challenge presented in a partner brief. The idea co-created by the Kozminski University student received the highest score from the jury and won the main prize.
The ideathon was preceded by a two-week series of training sessions and workshops delivered by the RiseWave foundation and business partners. Participants developed skills related to campaign design, understanding Generation Z, strategic thinking and pitching ideas.
After developing their campaign, each team had to present its solution to the jury. Two representatives from each group, including the Kozminski University student, had only 4 minutes to deliver a professional pitch and 2 minutes to answer questions from the jury, composed of managers and directors from partner companies.
The winning team’s presentation was very well received. The jury did not ask any additional questions about the proposed solution, which reflected a strong assessment of both the idea itself and the way it was presented.
According to the organisers, the aim of RiseWave is to strengthen the voice of young people in business and create opportunities for cooperation between students and brands. The success of the Kozminski University student shows how important practical experience, creativity, strategic thinking and teamwork are in today’s dynamic marketing environment.
The participation of Kozminski University students in initiatives such as the RiseWave Ideathon reflects the University’s approach to combining academic knowledge with business practice and developing future-oriented competencies in real project environments.
