Oxford Brookes marketing students working with tech giant JVC to shape new wearable technology range

Students at Oxford Brookes University have partnered with tech giant JVCKENWOOD UK to help the company research and suggest a new wearable technology range.

Oxford Brookes Business School (OBBS) first year students are working with JVC’s sub brand Gumy for the third time in four years, as part of a market research initiative. The company is aiming to reach the ‘Gen Z’ market, those born between 1997 and 2012, with its products.

Students presented their research findings to JVC representatives at a presentation day held at Oxford Brookes’ Headington campus on Friday 21 April.

Sarah Rogers, a Teaching Fellow from OBBS, said: “Incorporating a live client project with JVC into the Marketing Research module has been a rewarding opportunity for our first year students to work in a professional capacity with a commercial brand, with an added boost to their employability in the graduate job market. 

“JVC have been an active partner in setting out a real and relevant research brief to help shape their marketing strategy. It has been a great fit, students have delivered some excellent results and we look forward to working with JVC again.”

Feeding back to JVC

The work with JVC forms part of a compulsory first year module for OBBS students which will count towards their degrees. The 172 students who took part were split into eight smaller seminar groups, and gathered market research data from their fellow Oxford Brookes students. This was then fed back to JVC at the presentation day.

Tilly Redman, a BA Marketing & Events Management student, said: "It was great to work with a live client as opposed to a fictional one. While it added pressure for us as a team, we found it motivated us to work harder. It was a great experience to find the real data and apply it to suggest a potential new product. I also believe that this scenario was very representative of a scenario that would occur in the ‘marketing world’, making us a little more used to presenting in front of a real company before we start our careers."

Taylor Hollins, a current BA Hons Business & Marketing Management student, who took part in the study, said: "Working with a live client has been such a great experience - it has really helped me to implement my theoretical knowledge into a real-life work atmosphere which will be extremely valuable when moving into employment and working in the field."

Adam Handley, Sales and Marketing Director at JVC said: “JVCKENWOOD UK are extremely proud to be working with a team of bright young minds at Oxford Brookes Business School on an exciting new project exploring consumer trends and new concepts. On a recent return visit, we were very impressed with the level of presentations, and the knowledge shown in this area. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Oxford Brookes University, and keeping our ears and eyes open to new ideas which will help us deliver better value to our customers and retailers.”