The Marketing Society’s Star Marketing Student of the Year Awards 2025
Representing Edinburgh Napier at The Marketing Society’s Apprentice Day 2025
By Georgia Ball (pictured right) & Shauna Snadden (left)
We recently had the incredible opportunity to represent the Business School at Edinburgh Napier University at The Marketing Society’s Star Marketing Student Apprentice Day 2025. This event provided us with the chance to put our marketing skills to the test and engage in real-world problem-solving. Here’s a look at our experience, what we learned, and how it will help shape our future career aspirations. 11 universities across Scotland nominated two students for this exciting event, held in The Richmond Trust Building in Glasgow. Teams were made up of 5/6 students, each bringing unique ideas and perspectives to the table. These ideas were then presented to a panel of six judges. The panel included influential marketing professionals such as a Senior Global Marketing Director from the spirits industry, the Brand Manager, and the Marketing Director from Edrington UK.
Event Overview
We were assigned to our separate teams, working collaboratively with students from different universities to generate ideas that would engage a new target market for a well-known brand. Due to client confidentiality, the specifics of the challenge cannot be shared, but we can say it was an exciting opportunity to get creative, inventive, and engage in thought-provoking discussions.
Throughout the challenge, we were evaluated on key skills such as leadership, teamwork, strategic thinking, creative thinking, idea generation, presentation skills, and overall star quality. Once we had developed a clear plan, our teams presented their ideas to the other participants and a panel of industry experts.
Shauna’s team received positive feedback from the judges, who praised their storytelling marketing techniques and charismatic presentation skills. Georgia is thrilled to share that her team secured first place, with the judges expressing their admiration for her team’s idea. This recognition made the experience even more rewarding
Shauna’s team. 
Georgia’s team
Key Takeaways
The event provided valuable learning opportunities and allowed us to further develop our understanding of the marketing world. With team members from different universities, our approaches varied, and we were able to learn a great deal from their perspectives. Key skills such as time management were essential, as we had only three and a half hours to create a convincing strategy and present it concisely. Working under pressure was another crucial aspect of the challenge, as judges were constantly circulating, listening to our group discussions.
Applying Academic and Practical Experience
Georgia: My experience at Edinburgh Napier University, where I previously worked on a live project in the theatre industry, proved to be beneficial. During this project, the company’s goal of attracting a new audience and securing a spot at the Edinburgh Fringe was achieved. I applied the key lessons I learned such as understanding the target market and identifying trends, to my team’s project.
Shauna: My time on placement at a marketing and PR agency as part of my Work Based Learning module with Edinburgh Napier University was invaluable during this task. I was able to use my digital marketing training and real-life marketing experience to make informed decisions within my team. This helped to guide our creativity throughout our campaign, which we were later praised on by the judges.
Additionally, the knowledge we both gained from the Brand Management module, where we studied brand identity, image, and personality, helped us confidently contribute our ideas. Our Applied Marketing Simulation module, which we are currently working on together, prepared us for making advanced decisions within our individual groups about marketing, pricing, research, and development.
Embracing Growth, Networking, and Confidence Building at the Event
Georgia: Throughout the day, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. The experience pushed me to think critically and collaborate effectively with my team. It was a valuable opportunity to engage with other students and professionals in the industry. The challenge pushed me out of my comfort zone, resulting in a newfound level of confidence that will be beneficial for my future.
Alongside my studies in marketing, I’ve gained valuable work experience in the field. This includes a marketing internship at Wallace Whittle, an engineering company in Edinburgh, where I assisted with project profiles for potential new clients and worked with InDesign on the graphic design of these profiles. I worked in close contact with a number of skilled professionals who gave me insights and advice about what it takes to be successful in B2B Marketing. I also contributed to content creation for the company’s major projects on one of Edinburgh’s main streets.
This wasn’t my first experience in content creation; I have also played a key role in promoting Edinburgh’s nightlife scene across various social media platforms. Through strategic engagement with online audiences, I was able to drive significant foot traffic to the city’s top nightlife venues by creating engaging content.
Currently, I work at Mercedes-Benz of Edinburgh as a centre host, which has given me a deeper understanding of the importance of representing a premium brand and upholding high standards when interacting with customers.
Additionally, I serve as the Year 4 Marketing Representative at Edinburgh Napier University, ensuring that students can approach me for guidance, while also working with marketing leaders to discuss improvements.
Alongside these experiences, I have worked in customer service retail at Asda for the past six years. This has honed my communication skills, ability to handle diverse customer needs, and understanding of consumer behaviour — all of which have been invaluable in my marketing career. It has taught me how to approach customer interactions with empathy and problem-solving in mind, and how important customer satisfaction is to build a loyal brand following.
My ability to successfully manage two part-time jobs while maintaining a strong academic performance demonstrates my excellent time management, organisational skills, and commitment to balancing multiple responsibilities. These experiences have instilled in me a strong work ethic and a drive to continuously strive for excellence in all areas of my life.
Looking to the future, the event reinforced my strong career aspirations in the marketing world, particularly in digital marketing. The opportunity to engage in creative, innovative projects has always been a long-term goal of mine. As I think about my future career, I see myself working for major brands, using my knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality marketing solutions.
Shauna: Initially feeling a little overwhelmed by the live brief, being broken up into teams was exciting. I am an outgoing person, so going from having to think inwardly about possible plans to being able to discuss them openly felt relieving. The task challenged my thought processes and working with students from different universities and backgrounds encouraged me to work in new ways. I was able to greatly develop my networking and presentation skills during the event, which will be valuable to carry with me throughout my future career.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the event was the chance to meet industry professionals and like-minded peers. These connections are invaluable and will play a significant role in our careers moving forward. We have both connected with several participants and judges on LinkedIn, allowing us to keep up with their careers and potentially open doors for future opportunities.
Alongside my Marketing Management studies, I’ve been building experience in the field. I started in my second year, managing social media for a small therapy practice, All Seasons Therapy, where I developed skills in editing, copywriting, and research. A strong foundation that I have continued to build upon in every subsequent role. One of my favourite elements of my degree was my placement module, which led me to my internship at the agency, Pagoda PR. Over four months, I received training across many areas of digital marketing and PR, working closely with my incredible line manager, Lucy Weir, who guided me through the process. I worked across multiple client accounts in diverse industries. Unfortunately, Pagoda PR announced its closure during my time there, but the strong, supportive nature of the team is something I will carry with me wherever my career goes. Currently, I’m a Digital Marketing Assistant at Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, one of the client accounts I worked on during my placement. They took me on to continue the work I was I was doing for them at Pagoda PR. In this role I coordinate the school’s digital marketing efforts, including all paid-for and organic content, while also contributing to traditional media design.
Looking ahead, my experience at this event has strengthened every career aspiration I held. I love marketing, the creativity, community, and variety excite me as I step into the industry. The collaboration and storytelling the event called for are aspects of marketing I’m particularly passionate about, this showed me how they thrive in real-world application. Thinking long-term, I see myself working with large brands, using creativity to capture audiences and tell engaging stories. I currently work in the digital space and really enjoy it, so I’m excited to see how my career continues to develop.
Acknowledging the Support Behind Our Journey
We are incredibly grateful to The Marketing Society, Edrington UK, and Edinburgh Napier University for providing such this remarkable opportunity. A special thanks goes to Dr Jackie Cameron, whose support and encouragement throughout both of our university journeys has been incredible. Jackie always pushes us to do our best, offering guidance and mentorship that has helped us succeed both in this event and throughout our academic experiences.
Overall, the experience at The Marketing Society’s Star Marketing Student Apprentice Day has inspired both of us to continue pushing forward in our careers. We now feel more confident, equipped with new skills, valuable connections, and a deeper understanding of the marketing industry. This event has been a major steppingstone in our journey, and we look forward to applying everything we’ve learned as we move forward in our careers.
Networking drinks.