They say time flies when you are busy. The past few weeks certainly felt that way as we were intensely developing our pitches trying to transform what once seemed like an unrealistic idea into a solid and achievable strategy. But during those first few minutes of stepping into our final session, time moved slow. Our hearts raced as we were about to present our final pitch, a project we poured our energy into over last weeks. It was time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s by taking the stage and delivering our final ideas with confidence and conviction.

The first team set the bar high, leaving the audience in awe manifested in thunderous round of applause. They opened by engaging the audience with personal reflections on their love for Lego, seamlessly leading into well-thought-through presentation aimed at boosting the excitement and anticipation before the Lego World event, as outlined in the initial brief from first week. The group reached for the sky aiming to set a new Guinness World Record. Embracing the spirit of connection, their idea was to unite people through collective construction of Mini Netherlands, a model made of individual and uniquely designed bricks. Their pitch not only demonstrated professionalism and detail-oriented mindsets, but also showcased their exceptional teamwork that only reinforced their focus on connectivity and fruited in exceptionally developed creative idea.

The second group took a different approach from their predecessors, inviting the audience to close their eyes and revisit their childhood memories. With the focus on the nostalgic power of Lego, the aim was to appeal to broad audiences by evoking warmth and emotional connection to the brand. Embracing the creative process, they amazed people with elaborating on novel ideas that ought to help people relive the joy of childhood, play, and imagination. This group radiated vibrancy and exciting attitude. Keeping the engaging tone, their ideas ranged from building excitement through bringing back the Willy Wonka-style golden tickets and a giant Lego brick where visitors could leave handwritten memories with the brand, to organizing a very first adult focused night during the event. Unafraid to take creative risks, this team fully embraced the playful spirit of the brand, presenting bold concepts with confidence and belief in their power.

Now that both teams could finally sigh in relief as they awaited jury’s decision and indulge in the very last Coopr dinner. To our surprise, as we uncovered layers of aluminum foil, we discovered delicious-looking lasagna and tiramisu awaiting as a reward for our hard-work, which caused an honest excitement. As we sat together, we reflected on our pitches and could finally debrief our creative processes, which have remained in secret until the final day.

At last, after patient anticipation we were called to the room for the announcement of the results. Although there was only one winner, both groups received heartfelt feedback from the jury, who expressed honest admiration for our dedication and passion put into both projects. What made our hearts swell with pride, was learning that our ideas would be presented to the Lego Group when they work on the event in Utrecht. Inspiring such renowned brand that years ago kept inspiring and shaping us into the builders of tomorrow was the highest form of validation we could have received.

Ending the Coopr Academy carried a bittersweet feeling with it. On one hand, we were incredibly proud of what we have accomplished. On the other hand, we felt the weight of saying goodbye to such enriching journey filled with both admirable expertise and the invaluable human side of workspace that forms friendships and celebrates teamwork. Thus, on behalf of everyone, we would like to thank Coopr Academy and Erasmus University for this incredible opportunity. This experience has strengthened our professional skills, but also our willingness to take risks, pursue the seemingly impossible, and bring every endeavor to perfection. We hope the next class of Coopr Academy embraces this journey just as we did. We cannot wait to follow your creative progress!

Week 4 at Coopr Academy started with a surprise. Our instructor Monique asked, “What is the news today?” Everyone paused, a bit unsure at first because with everything happening in the world, it can sometimes be tough knowing what’s actually worth mentioning.  And that’s when we realized, this is exactly what news are essentially made of: an event or a moment worth mentioning to others in the media.

The first part of the session was focused on mainly understanding media and which kind of story is newsworthy from Coopr’s perspective. We learnt that in practice news doesn’t have to be global to matter – local topics can be just as important. However, to get the news out, it’s not only about the event or piece of information itself. You have to know how to “play the game”, as they say. We quickly understood that building a positive professional relationships with media and journalists is crucial for any PR agency. It’s also all about timing and crafting the right story that resonates with both journalists and the target audience, making sure that the client’s news lands at just the right moment.

After dinner, we moved on to influencers. We discussed how to get the right influencer for a brand. Our task was to promote a new LEGO x Netflix Stranger Things set. Everyone came up with various approaches—some wanted to emphasize the giveaways of the LEGO, while others wanted to reach out to fans of the TV show through influencers and Youtubers. Thinking strategically about where your story can be shared, showed us how many unique ways there are to reach an audience.

We ended the day by talking about the crisis communication, using a real-life examples from Coopr’s experience. The key lesson was the “Triple R” approach: Regret (apologize), Reason (explain), and Remedy (fix). Even though it was a very serious case, it reminded us how much honesty and speed matter in the PR world.

By the end of Week 4, we felt more confident in handling media, choosing influencers, and communicating in the times of a crisis. It was yet another insightful session and we can’t wait to see what’s coming next!

Lenka Kordovanikova (Coopr Academy 2025 participant)

They say, “Third time’s a charm!” In our third session of the Coopr Academy, we hoped luck would be on our side, sparking inspiration for our first ideas for the brief. Our goal was clear: to walk out the door with a solid first draft of a creative idea!

With this motivation, we took our seats once again in the presentation room, accompanied by delicious snacks and drinks, eager for another insightful session.

This week’s topic focused on understanding the concept of a creative idea, exploring different ways to brainstorm effectively, and presenting our ideas. Guillaume Furminger, Executive Creative Director at Brand Potential, and Mischa Hokke, PR Consultant at Coopr, kicked off the session with a thought-provoking question: “What does creativity mean to you, and do you consider yourself creative?”

This question sparked engaging discussions and led to our first inspiring takeaway: “Creativity isn’t a task.”

First, we explored the difference between a thought and an idea—something I had never considered before. Using a brilliant cooking metaphor, we learned that a thought is an unstructured, spontaneous act of thinking without a clear action behind it—like raw ingredients. An idea, on the other hand, is structured and developed, with a defined purpose and direction—like combining ingredients into a dish. Then comes the creativity aspect—the non-obvious, inspiring perspective that transforms an idea into something captivating. This final touch creates a unique experience that deeply engages the audience, making them feel truly invested.

After diving into the theoretical part of the session, we explored ten key pieces of advice from our lecturers on how to develop a creative idea. Among them, my favorites were breaking the rules intelligently, being exciting, and being radical. These stood out to me because, in my opinion, they are often the most challenging to achieve—but also the most rewarding.

As always, after the session, we enjoyed a warm and delicious dinner, giving us the chance to bond further with our teammates and get to know our lecturers on a more personal level. Energized by the meal, we even began discussing our initial ideas inspired by the first session, eager and excited to continue into the next one!

The second session kicked off with an incredible six-minute brand film for Johnnie Walker whiskey, featuring Robert Carlyle as he recounted the story of how a Scottish farmer transformed his product into the world-famous brand it is today. This video perfectly illustrated how a simple yet creative idea can lead to remarkable success, making it the ideal example of what we had discussed earlier.

Beyond the compelling storytelling, a fascinating fact about this brand film was that it was shot in a single continuous take—and it took Robert Carlyle 40 attempts to get it right! This was a powerful reminder that nothing is impossible, but as Guillaume mentioned before, great ideas take time, effort, and persistence.

The highlight of this week was undoubtedly when we split into our groups and dove into an exciting discussion about our initial ideas for the brief. At first, it was intimidating—we felt the pressure to say the right things or come up with a fully formed idea. However, the previous session had taught us to be open and confident in sharing our thoughts, even if they seemed extreme or unlikely at first.

This short but impactful brainstorming session helped us grow more comfortable as teammates and gain a deeper understanding of the brief. Most importantly, it marked the official start of our pitch ideas, leaving us more excited than ever to continue!

As the session came to a close, we had the opportunity to ask questions and receive final advice from our lecturers. The enthusiasm in the room was undeniable—anyone who walked in could have felt the energy with pitch day now just a few sessions away!

Defne (Coopr academy participant 2025)