The Department of Marketing Management partnered with Italtile for a seventh year to expose students to industry practices. Italtile is a leader in premium quality porcelain and ceramic tiles, bathroom ware, sanitary ware, taps, sinks, and accessories. This ongoing partnership provides third-year BCom Marketing Management students the opportunity to gain hands-on sales experience and real-life sales scenarios in the Personal Selling module.
The semester kicked off with a “meet the client” session, in which students received a welcome box with goodies and treats. During an online meet and greet, the students had the opportunity to meet Nicole Russell, the marketing manager of Italtile, who shared some insight into their brand, ethos, vision, mission and organisational culture. The students also received training from Annabelle Johnson and Sean Rapp from McCormick Training, industry experts on handling difficult customers. Sergio Galli, a director of Italtile, provided a glimpse into the life of a sales manager. This all helped to prepare the students for the various assignments that they were expected to deliver throughout the semester.
Some of the deliverables for the module included:
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an observational analysis of the Italtile showrooms and their online presence;
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role-play in which students were expected to be an Italtile sales representative dealing with a difficult customer; and
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preparing a sales pitch for fictional Italtile customer(s) by demonstrating their understanding of the Italtile product range and using the Italtile Visualiser Tool.
The module concluded with a final exam presentation in which student teams had to develop a customer-orientated sales strategy comprising both a sales promotion and an “always-on” sales strategy. The students also had to create a TikTok video that would empower Italtile to maximise their sales to a specified customer segment. The student teams rose to the occasion and wowed the exam panel with extraordinary and innovative strategies and ideas. The exam panel consisted of the module lecturers, Dr Danita van Heerden, Prof Melanie Wiese and Dr Jade Verbeek, Prof Marius Wait (external examiner from UJ), and two Italtile representatives, Jane Askew and Nicole Russell.
Some of the third-year Marketing Management students with the exam panel members (second row: Jane Askew (Italtile), Nicole Russell (Italtile), Prof Melanie Wiese and Dr Jade Verbeek (lecturers) and third row, Prof Marius Wait (external examiner from the University of Johannesburg)
Sales promotions such as “Snowflake Savings”, “Golden Age”, “La Familia” and “The Touch” were pitched, while the teams excelled at creating creative and entertaining TikTok videos as part of their sales strategies. Each team was provided with valuable feedback from the panel, creating a unique and interactive learning experience for the students.
Below are two examples of the team presentations on the day of the exam.
LEFT: Team 9 with their “Paint-your-world” concept (Minette van Zyl, Linda Mahlophe, Cassidy Greeff, Zedi Gondwe, Sisimile Masilela and Nsuku Makhubele)
RIGHT: The Design Divas (Team 5) pitched their ideas under the slogan “Family fit” (Mila Gaspari, Lara Oosthuizen, Jordan Chellan, Silindile Kunene, Gia Eichstädt and Natasha Papoutsis). They also received the award for the most actionable ideas.
What better way to end the semester, than with a prize-giving function hosted by Italtile at their showroom in Menlyn. Students were treated to an Italian night to commemorate the hard work of all teams throughout the semester. The top-performing teams included Team 5, the Design Divas, who had well-thought-through sales campaigns and used an emotional appeal and product bundling to win the hearts and minds of the exam panel. Team 10, the Italtile Home Renovation Team, obtained the highest marks in the exam by ticking all the boxes of the exam brief while Team 4, EnSuite Ease, impressed Italtile with their strategies and TikTok video that was ready for implementation.
LEFT: Dr Jade Verbeek (lecturer), Nicole Russell (Italtile), Dr Danita van Heerden (lecturer) with Team 4 (Kelly Schoon, Christiaan Cilliers and Chris Erasmus. Front: Alezé Griesel, Chanelle Grobler, Ayla Piazza Musso)
RIGHT: Dr Danita van Heerden (lecturer), Dr Jade Verbeek (lecturer) and Nicole Russell (Italtile) with Team 10 (Biance Pedzisayi, Matamela Muleba, Christian Chemaly, Josh Botha and Scott Strachan, Dimpho Mautlane, and Paballo Ratsoane)
Italtile also awarded several internships, and these students are currently receiving training from Italtile and are already active in the Italtile showrooms.
Thank you to the students for embracing the opportunity to engage with Italtile; and a huge thank you to Italtile for investing in the UP students.
Some of the third-year Marketing Management students with the exam panel members (second row: Jane Askew (Italtile), Nicole Russell (Italtile), Prof Melanie Wiese and Dr Jade Verbeek (lecturers) and third row, Prof Marius Wait (external examiner from the University of Johannesburg)
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