{"id":39783,"date":"2025-05-30T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/uncover-ie\/?p=39783"},"modified":"2026-03-24T12:34:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T11:34:46","slug":"social-impact-week-dance-penguins-and-robots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/uncover-ie\/social-impact-week-dance-penguins-and-robots\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Impact Week: Dance, penguins and robots"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/span> 4<\/span> min read<\/span><\/span>\n

What\u2019s in a brand? At IE Business School, it’s about going beyond pretty visuals and healthy sales reports. Top MARCOM professionals should understand that engaging an audience means engaging a community. And that’s exactly the purpose of our Social Impact Week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested? Let’s find out more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the classroom to Cape Town<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At least, that was the main takeaway for our students after this year\u2019s Social Impact Week<\/a>. It lets participants tackle communal challenges hands-on to find practical, innovative solutions. More than just a fun trip to the other side of the world, it\u2019s a chance to see marketing<\/a> know-how applied to improving people\u2019s lives in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMarketing can be a powerful tool for creating real-world impact and building meaningful connections between brands and communities.\u201d \u2013Michelle Bogaert Tavares, student.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Overall, 23 learners from various Marketing, Communication & Sales programs<\/a> took part in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. They got to work with actual companies, provide a unique brand of support to different social initiatives and explore Cape Town\u2019s most vibrant townships in the process. Some of these students included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michelle Bogaert Tavares, Dual Degree Master in Management + Master in Strategic Marketing & Communication<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riccardo Magnifico, Master in Strategic Marketing & Communication<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simona Petrova, Dual Master in Management + Master in Market Research and Consumer Behavior<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We caught up with these three to learn more about their experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspiring the next generation through STEM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michelle Bogaert Tavares<\/a> is all about solving complex problems. She leverages her public relations background to manage crises and make reputations shine. But, with her training in psychology, she\u2019s built a unique profile that allows her to adapt to diverse environments\u2014a skill that came in handy when she was selected to work with Kids Innovate Africa<\/a> (KIA) during Social Impact Week.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKIA is a STEM education program that creates inclusive learning spaces for all children, including neurodivergent learners,\u201d explains Michelle. However, not many South African parents knew about the organization or the fantastic learning opportunities it provides kids. So, Michelle and her team were tasked with finding ways to boost not just visibility, but also student enrolment and corporate sponsorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through meetings with the founders and the KIA community, Michelle\u2019s team was able to develop strategic solutions that would address these challenges. But their biggest lesson? \u201cI witnessed how marketing can be a powerful tool for creating real-world impact and building meaningful connections between brands and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making hospitality more inclusive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Simona Petrova<\/a> explored the theme of inclusivity in a different way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She and her team consulted for LiveABLE<\/a>, a hospitality firm that aims to reimagine physical spaces through inclusive design, transforming travel for people with disabilities. She says, \u201cMy group and I found a dissonance between the businesses\u2019 big ambitions and what they were doing in practice.\u201d Closing this gap involved restructuring and unifying LiveABLE\u2019s strategy and marketing initiatives, leading to better results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Simona, this project was a chance to explore the true meaning of impact. What she learned was that \u201cimpact is not created and measured in isolation, but through collective progress and mutual care.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collective progress, collective prosperity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“We do well when we take care of each other. We succeed if we all succeed together.” <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013Ian Calvert, founder of FURTHER<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Riccardo Magnifico spent his week working with FURTHER<\/a>, an NGO supporting personal development for some of South Africa\u2019s fastest-scaling entrepreneurs. \u201cOur project was to create a marketing plan to bring awareness about the programs they offer,\u201d he states. But just as importantly, Riccardo and team had to think up innovative ways to improve retention rates in FURTHER\u2019s growing community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the beginning, their biggest challenge was understanding the entirely new culture. Like Riccardo, this was the first time most of the team had traveled to Africa<\/a>, and building community in such a new setting required total immersion. Luckily, local guides provided plenty of opportunities to do so, resulting in marketing ideas that resonated and insights that inspired growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside Langa: hands-on impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As part of Social Impact Week, our students also visited Langa township<\/a>, a place where South African history and culture collide. Despite its tumultuous beginnings, Langa today is a beacon of hope\u2014and proof of the resilience of the human spirit. Riccardo explains, \u201cIt helped me understand how people live and think in another part of the world and that anything is possible if you have the right mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simona remembers the visit warmly, too. A special highlight from Langa wasn\u2019t just connecting with local entrepreneurs, who help this community support itself; it was touring the Happy Feet Youth Project<\/a>, where they were introduced to the iconic gumboot dance<\/a>. \u201cThe emotional and insightful tour our guide, Siviwe, gave us was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A complete experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Michelle, the most memorable moment from the entire trip was interacting with a flock of wild penguins on the beach<\/a>. \u201cI even had the chance to watch them swim right next to me!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But she also enjoyed learning from the unique strategies employed by local entrepreneurs. Besides connecting with founders at KIA, LiveABLE and FURTHER, our students met leaders at companies like Babylonstoren<\/a>, GrowBox<\/a> and marketing giant, Ogilvy South Africa<\/a>. It wasn\u2019t just an opportunity to expand their networks, but to broaden their perspectives, both personally and professionally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout Social Impact Week, Michelle, Simona and Riccardo reinforced their commitment to \u201cpurpose-driven work\u201d that creates \u201csustainable and meaningful change.\u201d All agree that the experience proved just how valuable the skills they\u2019re developing are, and the growing importance of the MARCOM professional in today\u2019s world. As Michelle says, \u201cIt was a reminder that our diverse skills<\/a>, experiences and backgrounds are exactly what inspire new ideas and drive innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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