Author: Sebastian Benad

What does contemporary marketing teaching look like? At the Faculty of Managerial and Cultural Studies (F-MK) at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, it means getting out of the lecture hall and into the real corporate world. At this year's Online Marketing Challenge (OMC), nine students from the International Business Communication and International Tourism Management degree programs are taking on a practical, creative and strategically challenging task together with international partners. In mixed teams, they develop online marketing campaigns for real companies - interdisciplinary, intercultural and in English. They are accompanied by F-MK lecturers Sebastian Benad and Falk Maiwald.

The Online Marketing Challenge is a unique European project organized by the SEPT Competence Center at Leipzig University together with the IOSax network and Saxon companies.
More than 40 students from around 20 countries are taking part - including teams from Leipzig University, Halle University, Magdeburg University and the HSZG. The Challenge is much more than a competition: it is a learning laboratory in which innovation, teamwork and strategic thinking are encouraged.

For the first time in the F-MK's three-year involvement, part of the program is also taking place in Görlitz - an important milestone, as Sebastian Benad explains:

"We are not just participants, we are actively involved in shaping the project. The fact that we are hosting face-to-face workshops in Görlitz this year shows the growing importance of our faculty in the network."

Each team looks after a real company that has a specific marketing challenge - from regional start-ups to export-oriented SMEs. The students develop campaigns, plan budgets and implement them independently.

What makes the OMC so special? It's the combination of realism and the joy of learning. In close cooperation with the business world, students work with modern tools such as TikTok Ads, AI-supported content creation and LinkedIn campaigns. The focus is not only on technical skills, but also on so-called future skills:

"The OMC promotes skills such as communication, project management, strategic thinking and intercultural collaboration. These are all skills that our students urgently need in their careers," says Falk Maiwald.

The kick-off event on April 10 as part of the Saxon Foreign Trade Day at the Heinz Steyer Stadium in Dresden was already a highlight: team building, getting to know the company partners and a joint dinner kicked things off. This was followed by a strategy workshop at the University of Leipzig, where initial ideas were fleshed out.

Other important stages include the digital marketing boot camp with dates for advertising on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok as well as a two-day face-to-face workshop in Görlitz. Particularly exciting: the use of AI for efficient content strategies and the creation of video content for social media - including practical input from company partners.

In May and June, the teams will implement the campaigns they have developed. They will work remotely, hybrid and on site - flexibly, dynamically and very close to the requirements of modern working environments. The grand finale will take place on July 2 at the Bibliotheca Albertina in Leipzig, where the results will be presented to a jury.

For the F-MK students, the OMC is not just a module component, but a key experience in their studies: they experience how their ideas have a real impact and learn to take responsibility in a professional setting.

The project is an example of how the F-MK sees itself: students work in a practical, interdisciplinary and international way. They develop creative solutions for real-life challenges, thereby not only advancing their own skills, but also regional companies. Openness to diversity, the promotion of gender equality and the interaction of different perspectives are an integral part of the project - as is the willingness to try new things.