Brandits 3.0 Begins With A Flash Mob Dance

Brandits 3.0, the most awaited festival season is back with a bang. This time it will be a Fortnight Festival from Monday, 29^th July 2019) to Wednesday, 8^th August 2019 and the theme is `Marketing Sustainability’. The new Marketing 3.0 Model addresses customers not as mere consumers but as multi-dimensional human beings. World-leading marketing guru, Philip Kotler explains, in his book - Marketing 3.0, why the future of marketing lies in creating services, products, and company cultures that inspire values of target customers. In keeping with this background, the title and theme have been carefully decided for this third season.

Brandits’ motto is that `No One works FOR Someone BUT Anyone can work WITH Everyone’. Brandits is not just about various teams with names but during these ten days, all the teams will be rewarded with some bonus points for exhibiting their identity in a unique and an innovative manner. For instance, if their dress is identical or in same colour, the team makes it a point to sit together in a class to show their unity or they take active participation in the class. The team members have the liberty to exhibit their solidarity in any fascinating manner of their choice. Anything and everything meaningful, creative, and interesting they do in the name of BRANDITS would definitely carry points. They have to simply mail the snapshot of their identity on a daily basis before 8:00 PM at bennygodwin.j@christuniversity.in.

Task – 1 was the first to be initiated and it is expected to be finished by Wednesday, 31^st July 2019 and it is entitled `BRANDITS – Viral Challenge’. Steve Jobs has rightly said, “Innovation distinguishes between a Leader and a Follower”. As per the activity the students have to come up with their own creative challenges and share photos / videos of the same. Taking inspiration from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, that quickly went from a fundraising campaign to a viral internet sensation, similarly this task is designed to bring out the creativity of the students. The viral challenge should have a fun element and consist of positive activities. As per the instructions each team can design maximum three challenges. While some can be funny or just playful but the students have been warned to be careful and ensure that the tasks are not dangerous or harmful. The students have been instructed to take appropriate photos and videos as evidence for their activity. They are expected to be observant enough to notice how one challenge is accepted by different people and can have different results.

As per the instructions the teams are expected to have zero tolerance for unreasonable challenges, like: The “In My Feelings”/ Kiki Challenge, The Fire Challenge, The Choking Game / The Pass-Out Challenge / Space Monkey Challenge, The Cinnamon Challenge, and Salt and Ice Challenge.

Task – 2 has been entitled, `BRANDITS – Art of Selling’. It is expected to be completed by Saturday, 3<sup>rd</sup> August 2019. According to general instructions 8 booklets, consisting of 50 tickets per booklet, will be given to each team. Each team should sell a minimum of 400 tickets which are Rs 20 each. The winner will be the team which sells maximum tickets. So the mantra is, `the more you sell, the more you score’! Upon completion of booklets more can be procured from Dr Benny. Each team has to submit the booklets (sold and unsold) along with the cash collected to teacher in charge on or before 04:00 PM on Saturday, August 03, 2019. Lucky draw would be on Friday, 9^th August 2019 during the Grand Finale.

 Task – 3 is `BRANDITS – Movie Tickets’. It is also going to be exciting and challenging. The deadline for sale of tickets is Saturday, 3<sup>rd</sup> August 2019 by 04:00 PM. The have been made clear at the beginning and each team will get 49 movie tickets. It is not just limited to selling the tickets but credits will be given to a team which manages to sell the tickets at the earliest, so `Sooner the Better’ is the mantra of the event! Each team had to submit the ticket booklets (sold and unsold) along with the cash collected on or before 04:00 PM on Saturday, 3^rd August 2019.

The students have been categorically instructed to sell the tickets exclusively to CHRISTITES – own team members / UG / PG students / other team members / teaching and non-teaching staff. The sold tickets will give entry to the buyer for a Horror movie show on Friday, 9^th August 2019 after the Grand Finale around 8 PM at Central Block, Auditorium.

 Street play has always been a big hit among the students. Hence Task – 4 ie. `BRANDITS – Street Play’ will showcase their theatrical talent. A short play would be enacted between 10:20 AM to 10:30 AM in the Amphitheater, Management Block from 30<sup>th</sup> July to 2<sup>nd</sup> August 2019 by all teams on a designated date. The theme would be `SUSTAINABILITY’.

The entire quadrangle in Central Block, CHRIST, Lavasa came alive with action when a flash dance was performed to mark the beginning of Brandits 3.0 on 29^th July 2019. While peppy music buzzed students filtered from all corners and soon the quadrangle was filled with MBA and UG students. It was a flash mob in a true sense of the word. The students grooved to popular numbers and at the end a banner displayed the word `BRANDITS’. The flash mob was a huge draw and Abin Roby gave an introduction about the upcoming events. So the stage has been set and everyone is eagerly looking forward to all the tasks with a lot of positivism.