TuksAlumni board challenges Marketing Management honours class

During October, the Department of Marketing Management welcomed members of the TuksAlumni board, Chairperson Judge De Villiers, Mr Francois Grobler, Mr Neeltje Wilkens and TuksAlumni Manager Dr DC Jacobs into one of the honours classes.

The TuksAlumni board challenged the marketing students with a brief targeted at young professionals. The aim of the challenge was to advise the board on how to effectively, through innovative marketing ideas, get young professionals involved in TuksAlumni activities. The panel, consisting of the members of the board, the Manager of TuksAlumni, the Head of the Department of Marketing Management, Prof Yolanda Jordaan, and lecturer Dr Gené van Heerden, decided that the team with the theme ‘connecting great people’ is the winner. They suggested a TuksAlumniApp, linking young professionals to all relevant TuksAlumni activities and other important information related to the University of Pretoria.

The board received a number of creative ideas to consider for the future. More importantly, this challenge allowed the students to think about the value and importance of TuksAlumni. As young professionals soon to enter the corporate world, it was the best time for them to think about the importance of getting involved with TuksAlumni. Furthermore, the board had the opportunity to hear from current young alumni what kind of activities they regard valuable, providing insight into the world of a young alumnus.

The TuksAlumni board also shared their thoughts with the students and used the opportunity to express their appreciation for the quality and enthusiasm dedicated to this project. They were impressed and inspired by the students’ innovative and implementable ideas. The overall sentiment of the board was that this was a valuable first phase to get insight into young alumni and the kind of activities that appeal to them.

The winning team. Front from left:  Corli du Toit, in the back row from the left: Marlé van Sandwyk, Dean Hummel, Anri Armer, Nicole Myburgh and Soné Senekal.