Bridgestone rewards top student group with trip to Sun City

Posted on May 22, 2018

The prize for the top third-year student group in the Practical Marketing module for 2017 included a weekend trip to Sun City. For this project, the third-year Marketing Management students were given a challenge to increase awareness of the Firestone brand among one of four distinct target segments. Team Pentos (consisting of Lise Erasmus, Lynn Kareithi, Samantha Lang, Keorapetse Moloabi, Jiveshen Moodley and Bongani Mthembu) came first during the 2017 exam with their exciting and creative ideas on how to create awareness for the Firestone brand amongst the young male adult segment specifically. Pentos took a more exciting, youthful and creative approach on how Firestone can reach this desired segment, and although their ideas were risky, their hard work and creativity paid off when they were announced the overall winners of the UP-Bridgestone Project 2017.
 
Pentos walked away with an all-expenses paid weekend away to the Kingdom Resort in Pilanesberg as the main prize for the overall project. The team, along with Ms Kelly Fester and Ms Chantel Baxter from Bridgestone, departed from Pretoria on 9 February 2018, leaving the cloudy city behind and arriving at the sunny and bright Kingdom Resort in Pilanesberg. After arriving at the resort and freshening up, the rest of the day was spent by the pool, lazing around, catching a tan and taking Instagram photos that were posted as the day went on.
 
The team was then treated to dinner at the resort and had long, interesting discussions with Kelly and Chantel from Bridgestone until the late hours of the night about entering the workplace, how to become the best employee you can possibly be and some of the challenges that life after varsity presents. At the end of the night, it was obvious that the calm first day perfectly complemented the fun-filled, adrenaline-inducing, blood-pumping day that was to follow.
 
The second day started with breakfast at the resort, followed by a short drive down to Sun City, where Pentos and the Bridgestone representatives signed up for the Zip2000 activity. This is a 2km zip line that goes as fast as 160km/h. With sweaty palms and shacking voices, the team climbed into the truck to be taken to the starting point of the Zip2000. The Zip2000 is a two-by-two ride with Kelly and Chantel being the first brave soldiers to show the students how it is done. Following them was Samantha and Rea, third was Bongani and Jivesh and lastly was Lynn who took a solo ride. It was a breath-taking and exhilarating experience and they all lost their voices by the time they got to the bottom of the ride.
After zipping around, the team went back into the heart of Sun City, where the fun continued with an adrenalin-pumping adventure at the Valley of the Waves. The rides where fun-filled and the atmosphere was perfect for those who opted to relax and enjoy the heat. The day ended with a great dinner at Sun City, which led to a night of dancing afterwards. After breakfast on Sunday morning, it was time to head back home.  
In the words of Pentos’ team leader, Lynn Kareithi: “This trip was not just a nice getaway, but a motivator as well, and showed us that hard work really pays off. The late nights and stressful moments throughout the project all seemed worth it in the end. This project taught us that we should strive to do the best that we can and go that extra mile, for you never know what is waiting for you on the other side.”  
 
At the end of another successful project collaboration between the Department of Marketing Management at UP and Bridgestone SA, the Department, lecturers and students would like to thank Bridgestone for their ongoing support, dedication and hard work throughout the practical project during 2017. We look forward to another exciting project during 2018.
 
Team Pentos with Bridgestone representatives at Sun City
From left to right: Bongani Mthembu, Kelly Fester, Chantel Baxter, Lynn Kareithi, Samantha Lang, Jiveshen Moodley and Keorapetse Moloabi
 
Team Pentos with Bridgestone representatives gearing up for the Zip2000
From left to right: Chantel Baxter, Kelly Fester, Samantha Lang, Lynn Kareithi, Bongani Mthembu, Keorapetse Moloabi and Jiveshen Moodley
 
Bongani Mthembu (left) and Jiveshen Moodley (right) strapped in and ready to go on the 160km/h slide
 
 
 
- Author Department of Marketing Management

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