The 2022 Linker Unlimited National Creative Marketing and Entrepreneurship Competition for Colleges and Universities was held recently at the Changhua County Government Auditorium. The Department of International Business, STUST, won three awards in this competition with "STUST Yanpai," "Let's Come Together for Dumplings and Follow the Fragrance," and "Give Me Ice for A Summer." The competition gathered students from more than 50 colleges and universities across the country to sign up. Nearly 300 groups were registered, and more than 1,000 young students came to participate. A rigorous preliminary review were executed by 12 industry, official and academic experts.

【A group photo of teachers and students of the Department of International Business, STUST, who won the three awards of the 2022 Linker Unlimited National Creative Marketing and Entrepreneurship Competition for Colleges and Universities: (From left to right) Prof. Jia-jun Lin, Prof. Wei-zhen Yang, Yuhan Chen, Ting-ru Lin, and Jian-shiang Zeng】

Linker Unlimited National Creative Marketing and Entrepreneurship Competition for Colleges and Universities has entered its tenth year this year. The event focuses on Taiwan's high-quality enterprises and invites nearly 20 outstanding Taiwanese enterprises to provide research topics, so that young students can participate in the competition by proposing innovative ideas and creative marketing, multimedia productions, and cultural and creative product designs.

【President Dong-sheng Shie of Changhua County SME Honorary Instructor Association (second from left) and President Ming-fei Chen of Changhua Normal University (third from left) were presenting awards to the STUST team "STUST Yanpai.】

Prof. Wei-zhen Yang from the Department of International Business, STUST, and Prof. Jia-jun Lin from the Department of Visual Communication Design, jointly instructed the "STUST Yanpai" team, which, composed of Jian-shiang Zeng, Jun-zhu Liao, Yu-han Chen, and Yun Fan from the Department of International Business, won second place in the Linker Marketing Copywriting Planning Group of this competition. The research company of the team is the well-known "Osmanthus Alley Sour Plum Juice" in Lukang. The team analyzed the market feasibility and prepared the marketing plan of five experiencing marketing design for the manufacturer. Through "Osmanthus Alley Sour Plum Juice," it connects the town culture and adopts the original elements of local culture for newly designed packaging. It is expected to leave consumers with the impression of "Osmanthus Lane Sour Plum Juice—the No. 1 drink in Lukang."

【Manager Tsao of Maruwen Foods (second from left) was presenting the award to the team of "Let's Come Together for Dumplings and Follow the Fragrance” from STUST.】

Prof. Wen-ke Liang from the Department of International Business, STUST, instructed students Zi-yun Yang, Ting-ru Lin, and Wan-shuan Huang to form a team of "Let's Come Together for Dumplings and Follow the Fragrance," and won the Special Award for the Best Event Planning Award in the Linker Marketing Planning Group. The team took Maruwen Food and Tourism Factory as the research subject. They tried to understand the positioning, advantages and disadvantages of the Maruwen Food and Tourism Factory in the market through market analysis, proposed promotion strategies and related specific activities to leave a deep memory of the brand to more consumers, increased their willingness to revisit and repurchase products, and finally expanded its market through word-of-mouth marketing.

In addition, Prof. Jing-zhong Lin from the Department of International Business, STUST, instructed Yi-wen Zheng, Yi-ling Chen, Meng-fang Zhuang, and Xin-ru Liao to form the "Give Me Ice for A Summer" team, which won the Special Award for the Best Marketing Design in the Linker Marketing Planning Group. The team took Changshing Store of Popsicle City in Changhua as the subject of the research. Through the analysis of the external market and internal products. The marketing strategy for the target market was proposed so that manufacturers could promote ice products with great corporate characteristics.

Tian-fu Lin, Deputy County Magistrate of Changhua County, said that college students can learn about industry interactions during their studies, which can shorten the gap between learning and use, while enterprises are often faced with the challenge of innovation because they cannot solve new problems with old methods.

Prof. Wei-zhen Yang, Chair of the Department of International Business, STUST, said that STUST attaches great importance to practical teaching, so that students can connect with the industry. At the same time, the department can actively help students develop the ability to work in the future workplace, winning three awards in a competition for research topics and repeatedly showing the results of practical teaching.