Sheridan’s NextGen Case Competition Showcases the Power of Creative Marketing and Advertising

Bold thinking, insight and creativity are at the centre of any marketing and advertising strategy — Sheridan College students proved they have all three.

At the recent NextGen: Challenge and Connect case competition, more than 35 marketing and advertising students from Sheridan’s Pilon School of Business (PSB) partnered with Clark Influence to tackle real-world client briefs. Working across industries that ranged from food and beverage to fashion, students developed social media and influencer strategies designed to solve real business challenges.

The result: innovative campaigns that reflected both creative ambition and strategic thinking.

With a strong history of winning regional and provincial case competitions, including placing first at the Scotiabank Vanier College National Marketing Case Competition in 2023 and consistently placing as one of the top colleges at the Ontario Colleges’ Marketing Competition, Sheridan students have proven time and again they have what it takes to build bold and creative marketing and advertising campaigns.

Creative ideas that make an impact

Held at Sheridan’s Hazel McCallion Campus in Mississauga, the March event crowned a winning team in each of its two categories: Social Media Strategy and Influencer Strategy.

Tasked with creating a social media strategy for Dippin Dots, Riona Sogojeva, Tim Samaniego, Fakhir Khan and Anh Thu Tran Nguyen came together to develop a winning content plan that integrated a teaser approach, well-designed mock-ups and an overall detailed campaign.

“I haven’t done anything like this throughout my Sheridan journey,” shared Samaniego, Bachelor of Business Administration – Marketing Management student. “This competition showed me that marketing can be fun, creative, and strategic and not just about consumer behavior and SWOT tables. It allowed me to showcase the skills and strategies I learned throughout my time at Sheridan, which paid off since my team won.”

In the Influencer Strategy category, Valentina Garcia Perez, Zlata Petrenko, Samuel Heyman, Sahajdeep Kaur pitched a campaign for La Maison Simons and captured the judges’ attention with their use of storytelling, creative thinking and strong presentation skills. Their campaign pitch demonstrated a clear understanding of their target audience and was supported by compelling research.

What makes a winning pitch?

Sheridan College faculty alongside members of the Clark Influence Toronto team, including Bachelor of Business Administration – Marketing Management alumna Olivia Branco were among the team of judges for the case competition.

At the heart of any winning pitch is the need to fundamentally understand the challenge presented in the client brief, and the ability to provide a creative and unique solution that the client could implement in a real-world environment.

"What separates a good idea from a great idea are those outside of the box sort of things where you think it's not going to work, but it ends up being actually the best idea ever,” explained Branco, Social Media Manager at Clark Influence. “Those are the ones that really work and is what we look for during competitions like NextGen: Challenge and Connect.”

From classroom to career

Experiential learning is a defining part of the Sheridan experience and NextGen is a clear example of how that learning comes to life.

By collaborating with industry partners, like Clark Influence, students have a chance to not only showcase their talents but also gain valuable feedback from industry experts — providing them with rewarding experiences that simulate real work situations they may find themselves in the future.

"Experiential learning opportunities like the NextGen: Challenge and Connect event ignite creativity and passion, require courage, and demand collaboration,” said Shahrzad Farzinpak, Dean, Pilon School of Business. “The confidence built through this process is what makes our PSB students truly career‑ready and seeing them excel makes us incredibly proud."

Photos: Riona Sogojeva, Anh Thu Tran Nguyen, Tim Samaniego, and Fakhir Khan (top); Samuel Heyman, Zlata Petrenko, Valentina Garcia Perez, and Sahajdeep Kaur (middle), Clark Influence team, including Sheridan Alumna, Olivia Branco (bottom)

Discover what you can unlock.

Have an interest in marketing or advertising? Learn more about Sheridan’s Advertising and Marketing Communications Management and Business Administration Marketing programs.

Experiential learning is embedded in all of Sheridan’s programs. Find out how it can enhance your learning experience and provide you with the practical hands-on skills you need for your future career.