{"id":42068,"date":"2025-09-02T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/uncover-ie\/?p=42068"},"modified":"2026-03-24T19:15:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T18:15:21","slug":"real-world-marketing-challenges-with-capstone-projects-mrcb-msmc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/uncover-ie\/real-world-marketing-challenges-with-capstone-projects-mrcb-msmc\/","title":{"rendered":"Real-world marketing challenges: Capstone Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/span> 5<\/span> min read<\/span><\/span>\n

IE Business School shapes top talent for the world of marketing and communications. An integral part of this process is the Capstone Project, a moment when graduating students put new skills into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year we caught up with students from the Master in Market Research & Consumer Behavior<\/a> and Master in Strategic Marketing & Communication<\/a> to see how they went about finding solutions and success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of the Capstone Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Capstone Projects mark the final academic milestone. Working in small teams under the guidance of professional mentors, students collaborate with private, public and nonprofit organizations on challenges ranging from brand positioning to consumer engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent clients include household names such as Porsche, Mondelez, Johnson & Johnson, and emerging brands like OJX. The projects demand extensive data collection, multi-method research, strategic analysis and the crafting of actionable recommendations. They then present their findings directly to the clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both programs offer unique skill sets. The Master in Market Research & Consumer Behavior<\/a> contributes specialized knowledge in consumer psychology, blending neuromarketing, data analytics and market research to provide insights for business strategy. The Master in Strategic Marketing & Communication<\/a>, on the other hand, provides a 360-degree approach to the field, preparing students to craft compelling brand narratives and engage with hyper-connected audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What unique marketing challenges did the teams face?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unique briefs were assigned to test the teams’ skills. For Camilla Carnevale, that meant stepping into the shoes of OJX consumers. \u201cWe had to understand the perception of the brand and what market strategies OJX could implement to better position itself,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Similarly, Juliana Fernandes’ group had to reignite Johnson & Jonhson by aligning the brand with modern parents’ needs.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The theme of working out what’s not working and why was continued in a brief from Le Petit Marseillais. \u201cWe needed to assess why it wasn\u2019t resonating in the market in Spain,\u201d said Giacomo Buraschi. “It has really low awareness compared to France, where it\u2019s actually a market leader. So we had to find out what\u2019s missing for it to reach that kind of position here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For other teams, the challenge revolved around dominance. “Our main challenge was to make sure that Monalize would become the number one chocolate brand in Spain by 2030,” said Rita Mota. “We had to tackle both direct competitors\u2014big brands like Fejero\u2014and also private-label brands.” Similarly, Beatriz Ribeiro\u2019s team faced a seasonal but equally complex task\u2014elevating Mondelez\u2019s brands, Suchard and Milka, during the competitive Christmas period. \u201cSuchard is already a very well-known brand\u2026 but it\u2019s becoming very mature,\u201d Beatriz explained. “So we had to find a way to innovate while still preserving its tradition. With Milka, the challenge was different. People see it more as an everyday brand\u2014it\u2019s purple, fun, but not something they associate with Christmas.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did the teams overcome their marketing challenges?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a variety of challenges set, the teams began researching for actionable insights. Camilla\u2019s gathered data using everything from Google and Statista to Qualtrics and social listening tools like Appify. Juliana’s team had a more structured approach\u2014splitting into smaller groups to collect insights before coming back together to shape their final strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Marianne Obreg\u00f3n, whose team sought a strategy to sell Porsche’s Timepieces watch collection, the key was emotional storytelling. “Our approach focused on understanding the target audience,” Marianne explains. “After doing our research, we realized that people here aren\u2019t necessarily interested in showing off the watch brands they wear. Instead, they care more about the heritage and story behind the watch. That wasn\u2019t something that was being communicated well with Porsche\u2019s watches. So we felt that if we could clearly deliver and explain the storytelling and heritage behind the Timepieces<\/em>, it could gain a lot more traction with customers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Emotion was also central to Rita\u2019s approach, whose group focused on tapping into holiday spirit rather than competing on price. <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Beatriz Ribeiro\u2019s group took a broad approach, researching across age groups to create a unified plan for Milka and Suchard. The aim across all teams was the same: deliver real solutions backed by solid insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key learnings for marketing success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A key takeaway for many was learning how to apply everything they\u2019d covered in the master\u2019s into one real project. \u201cThe key learning, honestly, was putting everything together,\u201d said Camilla. Giacomo agreed: \u201cAt the beginning, the picture felt way too big. But, step by step, part by part, we ended up building something that directly addressed our objectives.\u201d Beatriz Ribeiro\u2019s group tackled their brief through raw ideation: \u201cWe sat in a room for two hours, just throwing out ideas\u2014without judgment. Then we stopped to evaluate what actually worked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For some, the biggest learning came from being pushed into unfamiliar territory.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Juliana\u2019s team had to focus on pregnant people and new parents\u2014an audience they couldn\u2019t easily reach: \u201cFiguring out how to work around that and still get valuable insights really surprised me.” Marianne noted how working on a client-facing project raised the stakes. \u201cWe had to take on the mindset of Porsche employees,” she explained. “We couldn\u2019t just wing it.\u201d Others found unexpected complexity within the brands themselves. \u201cSuchard is so strongly tied to Spanish Christmas traditions,\u201d said Rita Mota, \u201cbut that can also become a weakness.\u201d Even well-known brands still have room to grow\u2014if you know where to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many were also surprised by how much they learned from watching other teams. \u201cThere were always two teams working on the same topic,\u201d said Beatriz. \u201cYou\u2019d worry\u2014\u2018maybe their idea is better\u2019\u2014but in the end, we learned a lot from each other. The ideal solution would probably be a mix of both.\u201d Zo\u00e9 Reding agreed: \u201cWe really learned how to work with people from all around the world\u2014different backgrounds, different ages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study marketing, communication and sales<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Curious about how brands win hearts\u2014and customers? Our Marketing, Communication & Sales programs are all about blending tech, strategy, and creativity to help you master the art of connection. From digital marketing and customer experience to creative direction and branding, you\u2019ll gain real-world skills that recruiters actually want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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