This summer semester, the Chair of Marketing Management (IfM) was again able to offer students majoring in Marketing the opportunity to participate in a project seminar in cooperation with a renowned company. Together with this year's partner, BASF Coatings GmbH, a global leader in surface solutions, 24 students worked on five exciting and current topics related to "B2B Marketing Strategy @BASF Coatings". For the very first time in this format, students had the opportunity to work on a B2B project, presenting a particularly exciting challenge to combine the scientific methods they have learned during their studies with marketing-related practice.

At the beginning of April, the seminar started with a kick-off event at BASF Coatings' headquarters in Münster Hiltrup. The event began with a warm welcome by Asst. Prof. Dr. Victoria Kramer and an overview of the seminar's schedule for the following weeks. Dr. Hanna Lena Deitmar, Head of Marketing EMEA at BASF Coatings and a former doctoral student at the Chair of Marketing, then introduced the company. Thereafter, the real-world case studies were presented by the responsible BASF Coatings employees, covering topics such as the development of a war gaming scenario and a sustainability branding concept. After getting familiar with the cases, the students had the opportunity to clarify initial inquiries with their respective supervisors, before everyone headed to a joint lunch at the company restaurant. The highlight of the kick-off event was a tour of the production plant, which marked the end of the event.

During the project phase, the students regularly met with their respective supervisors from BASF Coatings and the IfM, Dr. Victoria Kramer and Madeleen van Veen. Nearly five weeks after the kick-off meeting, the students presented an update on their concepts and provided an outlook on their future project plans. Additionally, the students had the opportunity to discuss questions related to their scientific work in a Q&A session.

All participants of the seminar looked forward to the final presentation in early July, once again held at the BASF Coatings site in Münster. After a day of exciting presentations, the supervisors from IfM and BASF Coatings praised the high quality of all the presentations: ”A very stimulating exchange between academic know-how and practical application, and we as BASF have gained many valuable insights and ideas that we can continue to work with”. Big thanks to the students and their supervisors!, said Hanna Lena Deitmar at the closing of the seminar. 

The day concluded with a joint lunch and an informal feedback session with BASF Coatings, to provide the students with additional information about career and entry opportunities.

In conclusion, this year’s project seminar was a complete success. The Master’s students Niklas Kleemann and Carolina Rosenkranz confirm this: "The project seminar in cooperation with BASF Coatings was an outstanding experience. We were able to analyze real-world problems of a global company with a location in Münster and develop innovative solutions. The close teamwork was particularly valuable, advancing us both professionally and personally. We are grateful for the insights we gained.”