Under the mentorship of JCU Singapore’s Lecturer in Marketing Dr Nurhafihz Noor, Bachelor of Business (Majoring in Marketing for the Digital Age) undergrads Anayana Singhvi and Marcella Jomono tested their digital marketing mettle at the Spring 2025 Digital Marketing Competition.

This year’s challenge centred around Plantennas, a tech startup transforming the plant industry, which tasked students to develop a creative, data-driven, and results-oriented digital marketing strategy.The competition, which started on 2 January, took Anayana and Marcella on an intensive three-month endeavour working on a digital marketing campaign and producing a video summary of the campaign which was judged by industry professionals. They were judged based on criteria such as research, owned strategy, paid strategy and media & evaluation. In April, the pair was announced as top 12 amongst the 193 teams that took part in the competition.

As part of their strategy – centred on community building, emotional engagement and representation – Anayana and Marcella introduced a talking bot plant as the voice of Plantennas, designed to connect with growers in a fun and interactive way. To further boost engagement, they incorporated gamification elements and used Category Entry Points (CEPs) to strengthen brand recall and relevance.

“Anayana and Marcella did an excellent job showcasing critical skills such as questioning, observing and experimenting with new ideas. They showed exceptional strategic aptitude in understanding the client’s needs,” says Dr Hafihz.

“They worked hard and juggled this project well on top of their other assignments. Overall, their courage in challenging the status quo and taking risks paid dividends. I am proud of them,” he adds.

“Placing 12^th out of 193 global teams was incredibly rewarding. It was exciting to see our ideas being recognised on such a big stage. The experience boosted our confidence and gave us a strong sense of validation that we’re on the right path professionally,” the students share in a joint statement.

“Though we did not make it to the final round, we are delighted by how well Anayana and Marcella represented JCU Singapore on the global stage. Their efforts to apply what they have learnt at JCU in the competition is commendable,” says Associate Professor K Thirumaran, Acting Campus Dean at JCU Singapore.

Hear from Anayana and Marcella

Anayana and Marcella with the book “How Brands Grow” by Byron Sharp and Jenni Romaniuk – given to them by Dr Hafihz to help prepare them for the competition.

1. How do you feel about getting so far in the competition?
Placing 12^th out of 193 global teams was incredibly rewarding. It was exciting to see our ideas being recognised on such a big stage. The experience boosted our confidence and gave us a strong sense of validation that we’re on the right path professionally.

2. How did you find out about the competition, and what made you want to take part?
We came across the competition through social media, and as digital marketing enthusiasts, we were instantly drawn in. It felt like the perfect opportunity to put our learning to the test in a real-world challenge. The chance to compete with students worldwide really motivated us to step up and showcase our creativity.

3. Tell us about your strategy – how did you approach the brief and what made your campaign stand out?
At first, we gathered as much information from the brief and inline search as possible and we tried to narrow down our target market, then we focused on developing our strategy. Our strategy revolved around community building and creating an emotionally engaging, representative campaign. We introduced a talking bot plant as the voice of Plantennas to connect with growers in a fun and interactive way. We incorporated gamification to increase engagement and used Category Entry Points (CEPs), a concept taught by our mentor Dr Hafihz, to segment our audience. Applying Byron Sharp’s principles on mental and physical availability helped us design a campaign that was both memorable and accessible.

4. Any reflections on the mentorship or support you received from Dr Hafihz during the competition?
Dr Hafihz was a huge support throughout the process. His deep insights into consumer psychology, especially around CEPs and Byron Sharp’s work, along his advice on what to further research on for the competition really helped us structure our campaign thoughtfully. His mentorship challenged us to elevate our work and think like real marketers.

5. How did your studies at JCU Singapore prepare you for this competition?
The modules at JCU gave us strong practical knowledge and strategic frameworks we directly applied in the competition. Concepts like CEPs, omni-channel strategy, and consumer journey mapping were key to shaping our approach. We also developed confidence in creative thinking, campaign structuring, and data-driven planning – all of which proved essential.

Find out more about the Singapore campus of James Cook University.

Contacts

Dr Nurhafihz Noor: [email protected]

Media: Ms Pinky Sibal [email protected] / Ms Hoe Shu Rin [email protected]