The Brilas team achieved the result after presenting their campaign before a panel of judges at the final of the edcom Ad Venture competition in Lisbon on 19 May.
The team, comprising of Rosie Pond, Zennen Thomas, Alice Slade and Emily Westwood, fought off stiff competition to reach the final of the event which attracted 311 participants from 31 universities in 13 countries.
Their ‘Together Means More’ presentation was designed to meet a brief from the European Women’s Lobby to raise awareness of the progress of women’s rights and to inspire engagement with women’s organisations.
Advertising Course Leader Dr Jill Nash went to Lisbon with Brilas – which means ‘to shine’ in Esperanto - and praised the team’s efforts. She said: “They did so well, they were super confident. We’re really proud of them because they showed a lot of maturity to handle the pressure.”
Emily Westwood, Media Planner for the team said: “We were understandably nervous about meeting and presenting in front of such a diverse international board of people but everyone we met was incredibly kind and welcoming and made a conscious effort to congratulate us on getting so far and to enjoy the experience.”
Brilas Strategy Director Rosie Pond said: “It was an honour that we were chosen as top three out of the whole of Europe; we were humbled and loved every second of it. The panel of judges were initially intimidating but after speaking with a few you realise that despite their fancy titles, they're human too and at the end of the day they wanted us to do well."
Creative Director for the team Alice Slade said: “Actually arriving in Lisbon made us realise how much of an achievement already it was to be there and that anything else would just be a bonus.”
Brilas Producer Zennen Thomas agreed saying: “It was one of the best experiences I've ever had during my time at BU. The whole thing, from networking dinners to presenting in front of so many academics and practitioners; it was such a valuable experience.”
Dr Nash went on to say that: “BU’s Advertising degree is a strategic advertising degree programme so it doesn’t surprise me that that element of their proposal was strong. That’s what it should be. They did super well.”
She added: “Second place is definitely not a losing spot. They did themselves proud and they did Bournemouth University proud.”
