MDX students analyse major brands with insightful posters

BA Marketing, Tourism and Business Management students have studied how outside factors impact large companies

Year One students in the various BA Marketing, Tourism, and Business Management programmes have been showcasing their innovative research analysing top companies with their eye-catching posters at Middlesex University.

Industry experts Mr Alireza Shahrestani, Founder of Business Vibes, and Dr Evelyn Polacek Kery, Assistant Production Editor, Guardian News & Media, have been judging the posters from students which have been displayed as part of an event called Celebrating Marketing Talent: Industry Insights & Poster Awards.

The top 20 posters displays have been showcased in the Quad on the Hendon campus in North London.

This event aimed to celebrate innovation, creativity and marketing insight through outstanding student research, professional design and applied marketing theory.

Students were tasked with using a method called PESTEL analysis which looks at the outside factors which could impact businesses such as political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental and legal to identify marketing challenges and provide marketing recommendations. The results of their analysis have then been presented on posters.

Business Management student Jeliza Valner, who won the Teaching Team Excellence award, studied the major fashion retailer Primark for her project.

‘I have always been really interesting in researching fashion businesses and Primark is such a large UK and Ireland-based business,’ said Jeliza.

‘I found the research very interesting and enjoyed the project.’

Marketing student Elina Fernandez won the Best Poster (overall impact) award for her impressive display on the US ice cream company Ben & Jerrys.

She said: ‘This was my first time carrying out this kind of research and I didn’t realise it would be so vast but after a few weeks I managed to find out the right information.

“I’m a visual learner and I was excited to choose Ben & Jerrys because they have such famous and distinctive marketing. I thought it was a good option for the project.”

“The competition gave students an exciting opportunity to turn their academic learning into real-world marketing practice. By creating professional-quality posters, they developed valuable skills in research, critical thinking, and creativity, competencies highly sought after by employers. It was impressive to see students apply marketing theory both creatively and practically, translating complex concepts into visually engaging and persuasive presentations.

“The standard of work this year has been noteworthy. Many posters demonstrated strong analytical skills, creative design, and a confident application of marketing theory. It was particularly inspiring to see students approach their projects with a professional mindset, producing outputs they can proudly present to future employers. Competitions like this play a vital role in enhancing employability while celebrating academic excellence, creativity, and innovation.”

Dr Shin Wan-Chang, a Senior Lecturer in Marketing

Find out more studying Marketing, and Business Management courses at Middlesex University