The BCom Honours (Marketing Management) class of 2019 at the University of Pretoria took a trip down ‘Electric Avenue’, visiting Major Tech, a well-known and respected brand in the electrical industry. During the visit and as part of the honours programme in the Strategic Marketing module, students undertook a project to work on Major Tech’s VETi range, with the objective of revitalising market share and taking the brand to greater heights.

The trip to Major Tech kicked off with a bus drive down south to Major Tech’s head office in Johannesburg. Upon arrival, the class was hosted by the very hospitable Major Tech team, who greeted everyone with great enthusiasm and provided an array of delicious refreshments. Pat Shaw (Executive Chairman) formally introduced the rest of the Major Tech team and explained the company’s history, before splitting the class into three groups to explore, in rotation, three elements of their value chain (i.e. products, inbound and outbound logistics, marketing and sales).

Students Atari Middleton and Charlene Eksteen exploring Major Tech’s product range

Regarding products, Major Tech boasts a vast assortment of electrical products, ranging from electrical sockets and plugs to test instruments and lighting. The students received hands-on experience, dismantling and reassembling VETi 1, which is an acronym for very easy to install, modular electrical plugs and sockets – the latest innovation in the industry that allows users to design their ideal switches.

The students got the opportunity to insert and remove parts of the VETi plug

Furthermore, the students explored the company’s onsite warehouse and were jolted by the sheer scale and efficiency of the company’s operations. Lastly, students were introduced to the marketing and sales strategy, as well as their previous and current marketing campaigns for their VETi 1 products.

The final meet-up point allowed the class to have a final discussion on the tasks ahead. Major Tech gave students amazing goodie bags containing a VETi 1 light switch and plug, a mouse pad, a bottle opener, a notepad and most importantly, a catalogue. The students were very pleased to be able to take home the VETi 1 plug, and actually show their friends and family the product and even the branded gifts received. Major Tech went out of their way to welcome the Department of Marketing Management and assisted the class in understanding the company from the moment an order is made, right through to installation.

The honours students had about two months to prepare ideas to present to Major Tech in October 2019. After receiving feedback from Major Tech, the students did not disappoint and Major Tech awarded the top three teams with prizes:

Winning team: Amy Martin, Sarah-Lee Hurlimann, Simone Guerreiro and Tiago Martins

Runners up: Brittni van Zyl, Lauren Thom, Christina Theodorou, Francisco Magnin and Jonathan Bartlett

Third prize: Estelle Theron, Deborah Rogers, Jancke Martins and Arend Kahlau

The Strategic Marketing class during final presentations, together with panel members from Major Tech