St Petersburg University students win the GlobCom-2019 challenge in Portugal

GlobCom – is a global platform uniting young specialists in mass communications from 14 universities from around the world. The annual challenge has been taking place since 2002. More than 5000 specialists have become finalists. English is the working language of the contest.

For four months students have been working to develop an integrated branding strategy for a client company Wellness World USA. Nine international teams have been working in absentia. The teams presented their solutions to the panel and the client at the School of Communication and Media Studies, Lisbon Polytechnic Institute from 28 May to 1 June. The panel recognised the strategy developed by Team 360.comm as the best. The team included Margarita Gevorgian and Polina Malinovskaia, students of the academic programme ‘Advertising and Public Relations’ at St Petersburg University.

‘One moment you realise that it is you who represents your team and that you are a part of something great. Your knowledge can really help the group. The countdown begins the moment you assert yourself and persuade your colleagues: self-representation might make a decisive difference. Over the last few months working together with students from all over the world I have understood that there are no impossible missions,’ said Polina Malinovskaia, undergraduate student of the academic programme ‘Advertising and Public Relations’ at St Petersburg University.

The project improved my knowledge of a foreign language. Before the project I could speak English at a level which made it possible for me to be understood and to be able to travel without assistance. After it, I moved to the next level where I can discuss the communication strategy of an international company’.

Polina Malinovskaia, student at St Petersburg University

Sofia Voiakina and Elisaveta Viktorova represented team Nexus and took second place. Third place went to Anzhelika Savitskaia and Edita Arzumanian, representatives of the Consortium team. The panel also noted the good work of Anna Chernakova and Anna Remisova.

The goal of the GlobCom is to teach graduate students from all over the world to work together on a real project, overcoming geographical, psychological and cultural barriers. Students of 14 universities worldwide get a task and work on its solution during the spring term as a part of an elective course or special discipline.

The most essential thing in the work of a global team is mutual understanding. Everyone understands the process structuring and the task in a different way and might have contrary opinions on the same matter. That is why it is important to listen and understand each other.

Margarita Gervogian, student of St Petersburg University

To prepare the participants for the project the University instructors have developed a course ‘Creative Practicum’ and introduced it as a part of the academic bachelor programme ‘Advertising and Public Relations’. The course is designed to train such skills as conducting research, planning an international PR campaign, and managing a project.

Professor Dmitry Gavra, head of the Department of Public Relations in Business, is the project supervisor from St Petersburg University. The course is taught by Associate Professor Dmitry Shishkin and post-graduate student Polina Zainullina, former participant of GlobCom-2016.

The competition involves leading educational and scientific centres working on the development of mass communications: St Petersburg University (Russia), Leeds Metropolitan University (UK), Emerson College (USA), Curtin University (Australia), Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand), the University of Erfurt (Germany), Stellenbosch University (SA), Ramon Llull University (Spain), the University of Udine (Italy), Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon (Portugal), Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), the Indian Institute of Mass Communications (India), Zayed University (UAE), and Vilnius University (Lithuania).