The Department of Marketing at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek is proud to announce a successful collaboration with the company Primax d.o.o., a leading business entity in the development of sustainable products. This collaboration resulted in the development of a marketing plan for the innovative product Ecolant, a lantern made of non-flammable paper, which has been recognized and awarded at prestigious world fairs.

As part of this project, final year students of the Marketing program had the opportunity to work in a real business environment. Through an interdisciplinary approach, they developed strategies for promotion, distribution, pricing, and product branding. The project was implemented as part of the Marketing Planning course, which combines theoretical knowledge with practical tasks, allowing students to gain relevant experience and a deeper understanding of contemporary market trends. The Croatian Marketing Association (CROMAR) participated in the project to give it a scientific dimension, which is in line with its primary activity.

According to Prof. Dr. sc. Helena Štimac, the course leader, “Collaboration with Primax d.o.o. was an extremely valuable experience for our students. In addition to working on a real project, they had the opportunity to present their ideas to industry experts. Such projects represent an ideal synergy of theory and practice and contribute to the development of key competencies such as teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving.”

A total of eight teams participated in the development of the marketing plan, and all of them successfully presented their strategies to representatives of the company Primax d.o.o. The winning team stood out with its research and analytical skills and creative solutions, which resulted in exceptional proposals for positioning Ecolant products on the Croatian market. The members of the winning team are Ana Pavković, Luna Suver, Tea Grlić, Iva Antunović and Josipa Sabo Hamzić.

Luna Suver, a student majoring in Marketing, said: "Working on this marketing plan was an opportunity to translate theoretical knowledge into real business challenges. The victory is the result of teamwork, effort, and creativity, and this experience will certainly be useful to us in future projects. We thank Primax and our faculty and Professor Štimac for the opportunity to learn through practice."

The results of the student work exceeded expectations. The strategies developed include innovative digital marketing channels, awareness campaigns on the importance of sustainability, and concrete proposals for the long-term presence of Ecolant products on the domestic and international markets.

Vedran Dankić, Sales Director of Primax d.o.o. said: "I would like to thank Prof. Štimac and all the student teams for their professionalism and effort. The professionalism and effort impressed and motivated me. The proposed solutions and course of action are admirable. We will certainly implement the same in the further development of Ecolant. I hope and look forward to future projects."

This project is another proof of the successful cooperation between the academic community and the business sector on the development of solutions that bring benefits to society and the environment.

Author: Prof. Dr. sc. Helena Štimac, Head of the Marketing Department and Lecturer of the Marketing Planning Course

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Faculty of Economics and Primax join forces for sustainable lanterns Ecolant