Pictured above: (back row, l to r) Nicola Gittins (Senior lecturer in Marketing Communications), Francessca Freschet (student), Des Gallagher (Marketing Manager, Marstons Beer Company) James Medhurst (Account Director, Golley Slater) James Coyle (Director of National Sales & Marketing, Marston's Beer Company), (front row, l to r) Ricardo Douglas (student) Julia Biggs (student) Debby Bailey (Digital Development Director, Golley Slater) Charlotte Carey (Senior Lecturer in Creative industries marketing)

Final year marketing students from Birmingham City University have been given a unique opportunity to present their promotional ideas to senior marketing executives from Marstons Brewery and top UK marketing agency Golley Slater.

Students from the University's Birmingham City Business School were given the chance to win a £100 prize and the opportunity to secure a work placement at the marketing agency at the event held on Wednesday 16 March.

Marstons is being used as a case study in their final exams, and students used their knowledge gained from the 'Digital Marketing' module of their degree programme to formulate their presentations. Charlotte Carey, Senior Lecturer in Creative Industries Marketing at Birmingham City University said: "Marketing is a tough and competitive field and we wanted them to really benefit from getting some real world feedback and experience.

"Not only that but the representatives from the agency and client gave invaluable insight to the current job market and marketing issues facing companies in the digital arena.

"Birmingham City Business School has strong employer links and we recognise the benefits that these links provide to our students. We are really keen to make the way we teach as experiential as possible."

The eight students who presented were shortlisted by their peers and were given two weeks to prepare a series of recommendations for Marstons' digital strategy. Nicola Gittins, Senior Lecturer in Marketing Communications said: "All did a great job, they really did us proud and were very professional, it's great rehearsal for them and has led to a number of opportunities."

The students are based at the Business School's Department of Business and Marketing which has seen an increase in popularity with a rise in applications from both UK and overseas applicants. In 2009/10 the number of UK full time undergraduate applications rose by 34%, the biggest rise being in applications for joint programmes which increased by 45%. The Department benefits from staff who have extensive experience of and have strong links with industry. The Department has a number of professional accreditations including the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

The winning students, Ricardo Douglas and Julia Biggs, along with runner up Francesca Freschet, have all been invited to the Marketing department of Marstons, to present their ideas to the whole team and spend a day at the agency to get some further experience and establish potentially invaluable contacts. 

The competition precedes Birmingham City University running a major awareness campaign in the Midlands to demonstrate how it is upgrading the future of its students, businesses and other individuals and organisations that it works with.