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After Class

Branding Ideas: BrandWitz'12

Tasnima Haque Orin

The idea of branding is not new. In fact, that is one of the things we constantly do in our lives, knowingly or unknowingly. Branding, on a national level, however is a relatively new concept, especially in our country, which often gets the world's attention for all the wrong reasons such as floods, corruption, confrontational politics and poverty. But we also have some of the brightest individuals with immense potential to change the world for the better.

Our country is no longer considered just another underdeveloped country. We now have one of the world's emerging economies that boast a huge number of working population. Looking at our promising future, Bangladesh needs its young generation to come forward to make a positive difference in terms of branding the country. Not just branding of products and services, but branding of social issues and innovative ideas that can touch lives.

	The winning team.

Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka, has long felt the need to bring the brightest young business leaders under one roof to create an opportunity for interaction and innovation. In association with the IBA Communication Club (IBACC), the premier business school has created BrandWitz--the biggest marketing platform for business students in the country. It had started in 2008 and each year BrandWitz throws numerous challenges at the participants. From solving business cases in a short time to creating innovative positioning for everyday products, from making professional presentations to launching a marketing campaign in a number of days, BrandWitz is sure to test every bit of the participants' creativity and intelligence. Apart from the Tk 100,000 prize money for the winning team, and the fame and glory that comes with it, this competition provides a unique experience of fighting for your vision and your brand.

BrandWitz has been formed to be a driving force in the world of branding where young minds will carry the responsibility of delivering superior performance in every aspect of their lives. Here they can learn that a brand is not just naming a product; it is an idea that can reach people everywhere. BrandWitz returned this year bigger and better than ever, as the ultimate battle of wits between the future brand masters of the country. The competition kick started on March 15, 2012, with a workshop and ended on March 30, after four rounds. IBA (DU), North South University (NSU) and Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) made it to the finals to fight for the ultimate glory in branding. This time, in partnership with Robi, the competition tested the entrepreneurial spirit of the participants like they had never imagined.

On March 30, in the finale hosted at Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, the top six teams from the three universities gathered to crown the best in branding with the objective of a creative green lifestyle campaign for Bangladesh. The team 'Untitled' from IBA won the title with their innovative solution to global warming while team 'Megaminds' from NSU and 'Ocean's Three' from BUP came in second and third respectively.

IBA welcomes students who believe they have the essentials to build a real and sustainable brand. Focus and drive is what BrandWitz asks for and achievement will surely follow.

(The writer is an executive member of the IBACC.)