“Ciao amici! During our Advanced Master in Creativity & Marketing, we had the chance to spend two weeks of April in a highly unique, fun and – especially – Italian way.
MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Business invited us to join their students from the International Master in Multichannel Marketing in their course module entitled Marketing: The Italian Way. And yes, after having lived the experience, we all agree that the experience was definitely as appealing as the name of the course itself, and honestly, that’s not only because of the delicious daily gelati, the countless Aperitivo’s and the real Spring temperatures that we were lucky to have there.
Throughout these two weeks, workshops, company presentations and lots of class discussions brought us many insights about the Italian market. We were able to immerse ourselves completely into how many national businesses are structured and how they are operating in terms of marketing and experience design. We discovered their common strengths and weaknesses, encountered some very inventive and unexpected ideas, and reflected upon the challenges these and other companies face in terms of growth and internationalisation. Moreover, we had the unique opportunity to meet with influential personalities that are behind paramount Italian brands such as Piaggio, Fontana Arte, Luxottica and Diesel. Let’s just put it that some of our girl’s and boy’s dreams became true!
Of course, we didn’t spend these 13 days only sitting in the classroom! Every day, when classes finished at 4pm, the second part of our day was only just about to start! We were extremely lucky to be in Milano during the most international and buzzing time of the year. For the occasion of the famous Salone del Mobile, the entire city was alive and we could almost feel it breathing during the ecstatic atmosphere of artsy parties, the world-class design exhibitions and the numerous street events. Our friends from MIP guided us around and we picked up as much as we could from the Design Week and from Milano’s other hidden treasures. Some other highlights of our time as tourists include our visit to the fantastic Prada Foundation and the Armani Silos. Not to mention the great fun we had every day amongst our cosy group of friends, but we’ll not elaborate on that, cause as you know what they say: what happens in Milan, stays in Milan” 🙂
Stephanie Heylands, participant in the Advanced Master in Creativity & Marketing 2015-2016
