The journey began in December with the 22nd edition of
FCB+Ulka Comstrat. This was the very first-time MISB Bocconi was invited among other institutes to participate in this flagship Communication Strategy Contest. As overwhelmed as we were, the first step apart from forming a well-built team was glancing through the case studies over the past 22 years. As we glanced through the cases we gauged the seriousness of this competition and the amount of research and depth that
FCB+Ulka looks out for in the presentation of the solution to the case study. This year's iconic case study was by GSK's Horlicks:
About making Horlicks great again.
Following the guidelines closely, we undertook a research study, as the case suggested to know the potential of Horlicks. We used the concepts taught in class for data collection and a survey questionnaire, which we verified with the Bocconi faculty. A well-drawn market research was conducted and then we straight away went to the faculty to mentor us for the analysis and the strategy. This was the game-changer. The faculty at Bocconi helped us with their global knowledge and the strategies that are implemented worldwide. After the brief talks, we collated the analysis and made a good, 15-page research report.
Proud as we were while submitting this piece of hard work, immense pride dwelled in us when we declared as the National finalists along with 5 other teams- IMT Ghaziabad, XIMB-Bhubhaneshwar, KJ SIMSR, NMIMS Mumbai and ISB&M Pune. From there, started our preparation for the presentation. With a couple of rehearsals and guidance from our faculty, we were confident of where we were headed.
On the day of
Comstrat, we were anxious as we entered the AV Room, where we were seated and met the
FCB+Ulka representatives, who went through the rules of the event stressing on the time limit of 20 minutes and the focus of communication strategy. Although we were nervous, when it was our turn, we went up confidently. One thing we had learned from the umpteen presentations and the communication skills taught in Bocconi was the time management and the delivery. We focussed a lot on the presentation delivery and confidence. We were overwhelmed when the judges commended our presentation. They were very happy with our solution and strategy, and also appreciated the research and tools we had used during our analysis. They pointed out the differentiating factor we had over the preceding presentations.
After the 6 presentations, we were waiting for the results. The second and first runners-up were announced and we were holding our breath. And there it was, the light at the end of the tunnel of hard work-
Winners of Comstrat 2018- Team Esploratore from MISB Bocconi! We had immense emotions of happiness at this moment, especially when we were awarded the rolling trophy. It was a matter of pride not only for us but to the entire MISB Bocconi fraternity. We would attribute this success to our faculty, without whom we would not have reached this level.
The learning we had from this is: Always make a strategy with simplicity upholding the value of sustainability, scalability, and innovativeness. Research is the key.