Time had finally arrived for the fifth and final session of the Coopr Academy, where both of our teams presented our pitches for Primark to our distinguished jury made up of Christine Braun – Corporate Communications Manager of Primark, Jody Koehler – Managing Director of Coopr, and our Erasmus supervisors Kayleigh Vedder and Vera Dullemond. The anticipation was palpable as we gathered in the presentation room, eager (and a little nervous) to showcase the innovative ideas we had been working on over the past weeks.

This session was quite different than our previous sessions, as we did most of the talking. After weeks of getting to know about the ins and outs of PR, it was finally time to showcase what we picked up on.

Each group presented their thoughtfully crafted pitches, drawing inspiration from the insights gained throughout the program as well as thorough research. From innovative activation ideas to strategic messaging, it was clear that both teams had poured their hearts and souls into their campaigns. Presentations were very detailed, including budget considerations, influencer marketing, risk analyses, and much more; leaving our jury in awe. Both teams had considerable overlap, focusing on empowerment and the inclusivity of Primark, truly showcasing how great minds think alike. But each team had very unique approaches and creative activations that set the campaign a part from each other.

After the presentations concluded, we had the opportunity to mingle with our fellow Coopr Academy friends and our mentors for one last time, over a delicious dinner. The atmosphere was electric as we celebrated all of our hard work and dedication. It was a bitter-sweet final meal where we could not stop remarking on how fast our time at had flown by.

Then came the moment we had all been waiting for – the announcement of the winning pitch. Tension filled the air as the jury deliberated, but ultimately, one team was declared the winner. However, both teams were commended for their smart ideas and received the highest compliment we could have in PR: that both ideas could be actually implemented! With certificates in hand, along with some chocolate and beautiful tulips, we basked in the glow of our accomplishments and took many photos to commemorate the evening.

As we all bid farewell to the Coopr Academy, we carry with us memories of unforgettable experiences, newfound friendships, and a deep sense of pride in what we have achieved together. We hope the next class of Coopr Academy has even more fun and falls in love with the world of PR like we have.

Time flies when you are having fun. It feels like we have just started the Coopr Academy, but the fourth session already was our last informative session. During the past four weeks, the students got a taste of the world of PR. This week was all about influencer marketing and the (news) media world.

Before this week’s presentation started, both of the groups met up with their mentor to do a final debriefing of the challenge. Then, it was time to start the fourth, and last, session. Not only is this blog keeping track of the Coopr Academy, so was a videographer on behalf of Coopr! So, we smiled and listened to the presentation. Monique kicked off by introducing us to the news media landscape. She explained to us how PR messages are picked up by news media and how to make a PR campaign newsworthy.

One of our teams’ mentors, Maxine, told us all about influencer marketing, an important part of PR. She explained the difference between mega-, macro- and micro-influencers and what value each of these types of influencers have. The information in this presentation may be of help while working on the challenge, as Maxine explained what to look for when searching for influencers to work with. The presentation included examples of influencers’ posts of previous collaborations. Now that we have gotten to know the ins and outs of PR, you look at such videos differently than before, with a more critical point-of-view.

Then it was time for a break with a tasty dinner: yum! The food at the office never fails to amaze. We sat around a big table and had some fun chit-chat before it was time to head back to the presentation room again. Our other mentor, Lotte, ended the fourth session by showing how to nail a pitch. She explained useful dos and don’ts that their team applies in every pitch for Coopr too.

The end of this session also marked the end of the informative sessions. From this point on, the groups have two weeks to work on their pitches and finalize the challenge. There is still a lot of work to do, but we look forward to presenting you our final pitches in two weeks!

This third week of the Coopr Academy was all about creativity and creative PR campaigns! As we learn more about the specifics of PR it is important to also think about how each PR campaign can be made unique by using creative thinking.

As always, we gathered in the presentation room at 16:00 where Mischa and Dorieke welcomed us. They presented about how creativity can be used in PR, tips and risks of these campaigns, and they guided us through brainstorming sessions for our ongoing Primark case.

We learned about two campaigns, Volvo and Lexa Voice, which gave us insights for our own case. We learned about Volvo’s strategy to appeal to a younger audience by creating sustainable tote bags using airbags from cars. Holding the product in real life while understanding the story behind it really brought the campaign to life right before our eyes.

We also learned about the very innovative way in which they promoted Lexa Voice’s new feature of audio messages. A booth was set up at a festival where participants would communicate only through voice, and without seeing each other, they had to decide whether they wanted to go on a first date. The biggest takeaway from this example was that sometimes the best way to promote an online website is by using an offline activation.

Both of these campaigns were great examples of how PR campaigns can be creative in different ways to focus on their target audience!

Before dinner, we split into the two groups to start brainstorming ideas for our campaigns starting from our insights. it was super helpful to start from insights to boost creativity and not only focus on the obvious ideas when thinking about an activation. We used Post-its to map out our ideas and this helped us all be on the same page while discussing.

We enjoyed delicious burgers right before getting back to the presentation room to discuss the risks of PR campaigns and reflect on which risks we should consider when specifically thinking about Primark. We then split again into the two groups and kept brainstorming about our ideas and finally chose one big idea that we wanted to pursue as a group.

This session brought our campaigns to life a bit more and helped us learn all the things we need to take into consideration. As pitch-day gets closer and closer the anticipation of discovering what the other group has come up with becomes bigger and bigger!