The Department of Marketing at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek continuously develops partnerships with the business sector to enable students to connect theoretical knowledge with practical market challenges. By working on real project assignments, students gain valuable experience, develop strategic thinking, and prepare for future professional roles in marketing.
During this academic year, a collaboration was established with Saponia d.d., within the framework of which students of the Marketing major at the graduate level as part of collegium Marketing planning, They developed a comprehensive marketing plan for the Ornel brand. The project allowed them to apply their acquired knowledge to a real business challenge and, through teamwork, become familiar with the marketing planning process in practice. The students analyzed the market, consumers, and competition, and proposed specific marketing activities tailored to the actual needs of the market. The Croatian Marketing Association – CROMAR also joined the project, further enriching the collaboration with a scientific and professional dimension.
The course instructor, Prof. Helena Štimac, PhD she said: „The goal is to enable students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world market challenges. Collaboration with Saponija and work on the Ornel brand provided students with an exceptionally valuable experience of working on a concrete business assignment, while developing analytical and strategic thinking. Projects like these confirm the importance of connecting the academic community and the business sector and significantly contribute to better preparing students for the job market..“
A total of eight teams, or 37 students, participated in the marketing plan development, and all successfully presented their solutions to representatives of Saponia d.d. The winning team distinguished itself with a high-quality market analysis, clear strategic guidelines, and a creative approach, which resulted in a clear and actionable marketing proposal for the Ornel brand. The members of the winning team are Anđela Erceg, Marina Perišić, Petra Perković and Katarina Kožul.
Marina Perišić, A second-year graduate student in the Marketing program, she said.: „Working on this marketing plan was an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to real business challenges. Working on the marketing plan for Ornel was extremely dynamic and stimulating. The victory is the result of teamwork, hard work, and creativity, and the experience gained will certainly benefit our future professional development. We are grateful to Saponija and the Faculty of Economics in Osijek, as well as Professor Štimac, for the opportunity to learn through practice.“
The students' work led to concrete and practical proposals. The proposed activities are aimed at improving the visibility of the Ornel brand and its further development in the market, using modern marketing solutions that can be applied in practice.
Brand Manager, Saponia d.d. Sanja Lučić she pointed out: „Collaboration with the EFOS students is extremely valuable for Saponija because it brings fresh insights and concrete, actionable suggestions that can serve as quality input for planning future marketing activities for the Ornel brand. We are particularly pleased with the teams“ analytical and creative approach, as well as the fact that the solutions are focused on the real needs of the market. We believe that projects like these create a win-win situation – they provide students with valuable experience working on a real-world task, while giving companies new ideas and a different perspective."
Such collaboration gives students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have gained at the university in real business situations and gain experience that is important for their further development. At the same time, the business sector gains new ideas and different perspectives on market challenges. The Department of Marketing at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek will continue to promote similar projects that provide students with practical work experience and better prepare them for entering the job market.
Authors: Marina Perišić and Anđela Erceg, second-year graduate students in the Marketing program at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek
