What was the project and how did it come to be?

The University of Sydney has an ongoing programme consisting of a cross disciplinary cohort of students that work on real business briefs directly with real businesses. Once P2 Content Creators discovered this, the idea of enrolling our existing client Subaru Australia instantly occurred.

The concept was simple: define an existing business question that the students will answer over the course of a semester. Several consultations between P2, the University and Subaru were scheduled throughout to course correct and give direction – all culminating in a grand presentation by the students to the full marketing and executive team from Subaru.

What were the expectations from Subaru and the University of Sydney?

When P2 brought the opportunity to Subaru Australia – there was zero resistance to the project. The benefits of engaging students of today, that are ultimately car buyers of tomorrow was instantly apparent. Equally, the University of Sydney welcomed the opportunity for their students to gain access to a sophisticated marketing team performing in a highly competitive category.

In terms of expectations – Subaru wanted to see a creative and unexpected response – some genuine out-of-the-box thinking.

Whereas the University hoped the project would provide access to a genuine business dilemma for the students to wrestle with. Safe to say – both expectations were not only met, but keenly exceeded by both.

Were there significant standouts from the project?

Many fantastic highlights occurred throughout the project – from the initial briefing provided by Subaru to set the project on the correct trajectory, to the one on one consultations to assist the refinement and focus of the students response to the final presentation attended by the full marketing team from Subaru along with senior management. A highly respectful process that yielded several thrilling and provocative ideas.

What did Subaru gain from the project?

The main gain for Subaru was the unique access to a collective of smart, young, informed Australians to meaningfully engage with their brand. It is not common for a brand to have such unbridled attention from an extremely hard to reach segment of the Australian population. To have them invest their time and attention on the Subaru brand for ten weeks was an enormous gain. General Manager of Marketing for Subaru Australia, Amanda Leaeney remarked how this particular project was “a career highlight”. A glowing endorsement to the partnership.

What did the University of Sydney gain from the project?

The gain for the University was the level of exposure they achieved for their students with the senior marketers from Subaru, plus the counselling and direction provided by communications and marketing experts at P2 Content Creators.

What did the P2 Content Creators gain from the project?

The gain for P2 was manyfold. Creating the opportunity for two brands to thrive in mutually beneficial means was the ultimate achievement. Outside of this it gave P2 a genuine, authentic bed of content that will be used to promote both organisations. A full interview between Subaru and The University of Sydney recounting the experience will be published to promote future involvement of brands in the programme, whilst showcasing the ethos and outstanding marketing of Subaru.

 
 
For more information or if you’d simply like to discuss this further, please contact:

David Flanagan, Director of Content & Strategy, P2.
flanners@p2.com.au