Research meets practice An initiative by Austrian Post

In times like these, placing advertising is trickier than ever. People no longer react to traditional advertising that has no relevance to them.

"Relevance" is what successful advertising is all about. Relevant advertising will reach even completely uninterested audiences.

In the past three years, companies have increasingly faced this challenge. Especially in times of the pandemic, people spent a lot of time at home, in front of the TV and their smartphone. Internet use exploded and so did the use of social media. Due to the increased media consumption, users are also seeing more advertising. In addition, different advertising channels have different impacts on customers. 
Given these circumstances, how do companies manage to reach the right clients with the right product?

This can be done successfully if the advertising message stands out or is tailored exactly to the respective target audience. Choosing the right channel to support the advertising message is key, as it allows to create interest or, ideally, a reaction.

Students tackled this problem in the fifth edition of "Research Meets Practice". A total of 7 projects dealt with the research question "How can relevant advertising reach customers in a disruptive way in times of resilience?" and provided insightful findings.

The presentations took place on 23 June as part of an internal expert jury vote at the company headquarters. The projects were presented in 5-minute pitches and judged by the expert jury on the basis of various criteria.

 We would like to thank the project groups for their great commitment and congratulate the winners of 2022 Research Meets Practice:

1st place: FH OÖ Studienbetriebs GmbH & LEDVANCE GmbH - concept lead generation for client LEDVANCE

Detailed information about all projects:

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Innovative design and communication options for making magazines more attractive for the Generation Z

PROJECT LEADER:
Astrid Oberzaucher 

PROBLEM:
Disruptive marketing – how can the ÖBB magazine "railaxed" target the Generation Z? 

OPERATIONALISATION & STUDY PLAN:

General project goals:

  • Define disruptive ideas (for content, channels, and formats) to make the "railaxed" magazine more attractive for the Generation Z
  • Analyse which current and potential magazine content would resonate with the Generation Z
  • Explore channels and tools that ÖBB can use to attract the Generation Z's attention to the "railaxed" magazine
  • Explore suitable formats that would make the content of "railaxed" attractive for the target audience

Information needed:

  • What is the attitude of Generation Z towards print publications?
  • What new channels would be a good choice for conveying the content of the railaxed magazine to the Generation Z?
  • What are the preferred formats (reels, podcasts, etc.) on social media platforms?
  • What content is attractive for the Generation Z (in print publications and in online magazines)?
  • What expectations does the Generation Z have of companies that are present on social media?

What offline and online communication channels do customers of mail-order businesses prefer and to what extent?

PROJECT LEADER:
Georg Jungwirth

PROBLEM:
How satisfied are existing customers of neckermann.at with the current offline and online marketing activities and what can be improved?

OPERATIONALISATION & STUDY PLAN:
Analysis via a questionnaires sent to clients in a newsletter.

  • What communication channels should neckermann.at use for existing clients, to what extent, and how often?
  • What is the optimal relationship between offline and online advertising for repeat clients of neckermann.at?
  • How satisfied are Neckermann clients with existing advertising activities including the newsletter?
 

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How can disruptive marketing activities be used to reach existing and future clients of LaModula?

PROJECT LEADER:
Sarah D. Schäfer

PROBLEM:
How can existing and possible marketing activities be combined to use disruptive marketing to successfully reach existing and future clients of LaModula?

OPERATIONALISATION & STUDY PLAN:

  • The analysis included market research, a literature review, and a review of company-related information material
  • Main research question: How can disruptive marketing activities be used to reach existing and future clients of LaModula?
  • Secondary research question 1: What role does sending catalogues/folders play in disruptive marketing for LaModula?
  • Secondary research question 2: What role does online advertising play in disruptive marketing for LaModula?
 
 
 

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A disruptive marketing and communication strategy for the online insurance broker CLARK GmbH

PROJECT LEADER:
Thomas Metzler

PROBLEM:
What is the prevailing attitude among the target audience of CLARK GmbH in Austria regarding online insurance brokers and what disruptive advertising measures can be used to improve new client acquisition for this new type of insurance option?

OPERATIONALISATION & STUDY PLAN:

  • Analysis of the public perception of CLARK GmbH (netnography, qualitative survey)
  • Analysis of fellow market participants and collaboration options with Österreichische Post AG
  • Review of obstacles in the registration process for the CLARK GmbH app based on a process analysis following the MWB model
  • Design of disruptive advertising measures for the acquisition of new clients
  • Propose specific actions to reduce the three main obstacles in the registration process
     
 

 

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One company, all channels - a business that can help online and offline

PROJECT LEADER:
Peter Schneckenleitner

PROBLEM:
Online versus offline - omnichannel retail, what is the right mix for a POS-driven business

OPERATIONALISATION & STUDY PLAN:

 The analysis was done as a quantitative survey:

  • Determined the purchasing and behaviour patterns of existing and potential groups of customers
  • What options for online and offline networking were offered and how did customers perceive them?
  • How can Hervis's online and offline channels be improved or expanded and to what extent are customers open to omnichannel approaches?
  • Analysis and interpretation of survey results
  • Created suggestions based on the findings

Lead generation concept for LEDVANCE

PROJECT LEADER:
Gerald Petz 

PROBLEM:
How can disruptive marketing activities be designed to win new clients for LEDVANCE with the use of pull strategies?

OPERATIONALISATION & STUDY PLAN:

  • Analysis of LEDVANCE's and its competitors' existing activities
  • Qualitative interviews with selected target group representatives
  • Qualitative online interviews with the target group about touchpoints and design of marketing activities aligned with the findings

New and innovative communicative approaches for reaching young target groups about cash credits

PROJECT LEADER:
Bettina Gneisz-Al-Ani

PROBLEM:
How can relevant advertising reach customers in a disruptive way in times of resilience?

OPERATIONALISATION & STUDY PLAN:

Analysis of Santander's current advertising behaviour compared to the bank's competitors (including a SWOT analysis). 

  • How would the target group (persons between 25 and 35) use a cash credit (affinity)?
  • What communication channels are well received by the target group?
  • What is the best way to reach the desired target group?
  • What communication mix would be ideal for the target group?
  • What could a tailored campaign look like (channel, medium, content) including media spending and timing?

Does this sound interesting to you and would you like to learn more about disruptive marketing? If the answer is yes, don't hesitate to use this contact form to get in touch with us.

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We would also like to thank all participating business partners for their support:
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