DMA Talent Marketing Challenge 2025

Looking to test your marketing prowess with the chance of winning an industry recognised challenge?

You’ve come to the right place!

With the support of Costa Coffee, we’re giving you the opportunity to discover what it’s like to work on a real-life marketing brief.

The Brief

Costa Coffee have begun to install self order kiosks in their stores.

Your mission – should you choose to accept it – is to create a 3-month campaign that drives 50,000 consumers to use the self ordering kiosk in their next 3 visits to Costa using their loyalty card, and maintain or increase the average order value of £5.50.

Get your hands on the brief here

How does it work?

Form your very own mini marketing agency with between two and five fellow students. You must enter as a team of between 3 and 6.

Your team members don't have to be doing your course, be in your year, or even be from your university/college.

Work together to come up with an imaginative and compelling response to the brief. Download the brief here.

The deadline to submit your entry is Monday 2 June 2025 at 23:59. The submission link will be added here soon.

After the deadline, the DMA Talent Team will undertake a preliminary round of judging, selecting a shortlist of around 10 teams.

In this round, just your summary will be looked at, so ensure you make it as compelling as possible!

Then, the shortlist will then be judged by a panel of industry experts, with up to five teams being invited to pitch their ideas to Costa Coffee in July 2025, where the winner will be selected.

Why enter?

This is your chance to work on a real-life brief and win an industry recognised award that’ll set you apart from your peers.

It pushes you to think outside the box and apply your academic knowledge to a brief from the real marketing world, outside of university or college.

Each member of the winning team will win £100, and will be able to select a DMA Award of their choice to enrol in, accredited by the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM). This provides them with the opportunity to complete a professional qualifaication recognised across the marketing industry.

Who can enter?

- Students who are up for a challenge!

- You don't have to be studying marketing: the challenge is open to students at any stage of any course.

- You must enter as part of a team, made up of between three and six people.

The deadline to submit your team's entry is Monday 2 June 2024 at 23:59.

Resources to help you smash your entry

Segmentation. It is an essential step in responding to a brief. Watch Scott Logie explain how to ace your segmentation here.

How do you start and grow your creative idea? Watch Cordell Burke, explain how here.

Past Winners

Take a look at past winners DigiConnect's marketing campaign plan and video to get some inspiration for your entry.

Questions

Got a question? Email it to us on dmatalent@dma.org.uk

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