Based on the provisions of its strategy for social responsibility and enhancing students’ skills, Masraf Al Rayan, the bank that is characterized by innovation initiatives, provided students of the College of Business and Economics, Department of Integrated Marketing Communications at Qatar University, with a unique opportunity to gain long-standing experience in marketing by guiding them while working on a marketing project inspired by the experience of the bank. Al Rayan continued to develop its brand following its merger with Al Khaleeji Bank, which brought about a great development in the Qatari banking sector. Through this collaboration, the students had to study and evaluate the Masraf Al Rayan brand, while submitting proposals commensurate with the bank’s objectives.
The main objective of this project is to provide students with actual practical experience to work on devising a marketing campaign based on realistic data, which gives them the opportunity to develop practical skills and develop a deep understanding of the mechanisms involved in strategic marketing. By building the project on a realistic scenario, Masraf Al Rayan aims to provide students with the skills needed to excel in their future marketing career.
Over the course of the 14-week project, a team from Masraf Al Rayan and the Marketing Agency joined student groups, where Mrs. Enas Abdelaziz, CEO of Dotspace Agency, provided guidance and advice on creating a comprehensive marketing campaign, while providing the necessary background information on the bank’s vision, mission, goals and explanations. Adequate for student inquiries. By providing a real-life case scenario study, Masraf Al Rayan aims to help prepare students for future careers in the marketing sector.
Iman Al Nuaimi, Assistant General Manager of Corporate Communications at Masraf Al Rayan, expressed her happiness with this cooperation, stressing the bank’s commitment to fulfilling its social responsibility. She highlighted the bank’s pride in working with talented students, stressing that their participation in this project will pave the way for their success in the marketing industry in the actual labor market. In her speech to the students, she emphasized the importance of passion and creativity in devising marketing campaigns, understanding the target audience, the ability to adapt to industry trends and technologies, effective communication, clear expression of ideas and response to feedback.
Dr. Rana Sobh, Dean of the College of Business and Economics, said: “We are keen to cooperate with the business sector in Qatar in general to enrich the educational stage and bridge the gap between academic life and labor market practices.” She added, “The main goal for us is to equip our students by providing them with solid knowledge and academic practices inspired by real experiences, which will enable them to excel in the work environment later.”
For her part, Dr. Dalia Farrag, Professor of Marketing at the College and Supervisor of Student Projects, was keen to provide a detailed presentation on the experiential learning method used in the Integrated Marketing Communications Academic Program, which relies on integrating labor market experiences with the curriculum. She expressed her happiness and gratitude for all the support and facilities provided by Masraf Al Rayan and the Dot Space Agency in empowering students with marketing skills inspired by real corporate experiences in the marketing sector.
In addition, the project consisted of five phases, including assessment and analysis of strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities, creative work and writing communication messages. Each group of 5 to 6 students was tasked with creating an IMC 360 campaign that would redesign the Masraf Al Rayan brand and effectively communicate with the target audience. The campaigns also included a number of marketing plans, including creative advertising, social media, filming a visual advertisement, and writing press releases.
