Bringing PressureCare to market – a collaboration between Marketing and Pharmaceutical Science students
First off, confusion. Why are we working with students we’ve never met? Why are we working with students from a different course, in a different faculty and based at a different campus? What does Marketing have to do with Pharmaceutical Science anyway?
The answer: an experience that challenged expectations, built confidence and offered a genuine taste of working on a real project.
The collaboration brought together students from two different courses and challenged us to think and work in a way that reflected industry practices. When the project was first announced, the reaction was mixed, but it turned out to be one of the most valuable projects I’ve participated in so far.
Learning beyond the classroom through collaboration
When students are asked to step outside their usual learning environment, it may feel daunting. That was certainly the case when my Marketing professor first introduced this unique collaborative project that paired Marketing students with Pharmaceutical Science students.
We were a bit confused because we had never worked on any projects with students from other courses. However, those initial uncertainties quickly faded once the project brief was revealed.
When my professor introduced the brief, it sounded like an exciting opportunity to put my skills into practice! It was something completely new and sounded like a marketing project that we would work on in the real world.
The challenge presented
The Marketing students were tasked with acting as a professional agency - delivering a complete marketing strategy for a healthcare product designed by Kingston University Pharmaceutical Science students. My group was presented with Pressure Care, a smart compression sock capable of monitoring health metrics such as temperature and blood pressure through a mobile app.
Over a period of about three months, our groups worked closely together, holding regular meetings and sharing feedback throughout the development process. The Pharmaceutical Science students acted as the clients, providing direction and feedback on branding, colour schemes and design concepts, while the Marketing students developed customer personas, market research, a logo and branding, product positioning, website concepts, social media strategies, budgets and an overall campaign plan.
One of the most interesting aspects of the project was the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other and learn from students with a completely different mindset and skills.
Not exactly seeing eye-to-eye
The other Marketing students and I had a completely different vision and experience from the Pharmaceutical Science students, so being in an environment where we could work together, learn from each other and get feedback in real time was so valuable.
The project highlighted the value of combining learnings from different courses. While the Pharmaceutical Science students shared technical knowledge about product development and healthcare innovation, the Marketing students applied their understanding of branding, consumer behaviour and communications.
By participating in the project my group, and I develop a wide range of professional skills. For me, the experience was an opportunity to step into a leadership role when others were reluctant to take the lead. As a result, it helped to develop my communication, teamwork, time management, presentation and leadership skills while gaining confidence in managing a complex client-focused project.
Taking part in the project allowed us to apply all the marketing concepts we were learning about in lectures to a real product launch and see how they impacted one another. In real time, we saw how the marketing theories and topics we had been learning about translate into practical decision-making and gave me a realistic understanding of how client projects work, the effort involved and the skills needed to succeed in a professional environment.
One of the biggest takeaways was seeing just how closely the project mirrored a real project; we signed non-disclosure agreements, worked directly with clients, managed ongoing timelines and adapted work based on stakeholder feedback.
The final verdict
The experience provided valuable insight into the healthcare sector, helping my group to understand regulatory, legal and branding considerations involved in bringing healthcare products to market. Being part of this cross-faculty collaboration exposed everyone involved to different industries and ways of thinking. I even discovered career paths in areas I hadn't previously considered.
This was my first ‘real client’ marketing project that I took on, and I walked away with great insight and experience that I wouldn’t otherwise have. Looking back, the project was an important step in working towards my future career goals.
My advice for future students deciding whether to take part in similar collaborations is simple: take it seriously and manage your time properly. Don't leave tasks until the last minute. Treat it as a real project because it provides valuable experience and looks great on a CV.
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