Exploring Cultural Influences on European Products and Brands: Mercuri 4 Students’ Intensive Project in Slovakia

This is the focus of the Intensive Programme (IP) PROMINENCE “PRACTICING CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE ACROSS CULTURES” which takes place this week at the University of Economics in Bratislava, from 6th November to 8th November 2023, with more than 31 students from 6 European countries: Hungary, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria and Slovakia, and seven professors from 6 universities. This week, students in cross-cultural teams are developing (beer) brands and devising marketing strategies to introduce them to target markets in two European countries. In their final presentations, students will discuss distribution and communication strategies, including brand storytelling, to introduce their brands to the target countries in Europe they have been assigned. A distinct creative element is that students in their international teams learn to take intercultural considerations into account in designing labels and bottles for their brands. Two marketing leaders from Heineken Slovakia demonstrated the importance of these lessons in sharing their experiences in altering an existing product in order to grow market share. They also highlighted the importance of marketing in a sales and product strategy. One cultural highlight on the first evening is the so-called international buffet, where participants from the respective countries bring along some delicacies specific to their national cuisines in order to share with their colleagues after their first round of presentations. The European project consortium has been organizing and running international online and onsite short term programmes such as the IP PROMINENCE, and it will continue to do so. The consortium representative of the University of Economics in Varna has already signaled a willingness to host the next IP as an ERASMUS IP in Varna. Teaching and Coordinating Team involved: #Coordinator Ildiko Nemethova, Eva Stradiotova, Viera Vančíková (University of Economics in Bratislava, EUBA, Slovakia); Troy Wiwczaroski (University of Debrecen, Hungary); Justyna Ganassali (University of Economics in Katowice, Poland); Petar Petrov (University of Economics – Varna, Bulgaria); Lieze Joye (Howest University of Applied Sciences, Belgium); Alexandra Angress (Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany)