Sold out products, innovative battery swap concepts, internationalization at hyper-speed, NIO NFT moments for employees and the re-imagination of what it means to own a vehicle are just some of the attributes that one can relate to NIO. NIO’s name is currently trending in Western Social Media, sported the brand’s European expansion and thus the export of big tech made in China to the world.

Associate Professor Dr. Markus Rach has met with NIO’s head of User Development Huajun HOU to not only learn and discuss the brands ambitions marketing plans, but to provide SZTU Business School students one of the most valuable experiences: a real-life learning opportunity with one of the most innovative companies on the planet.

Whilst Huajun HOU and his team are very busy scaling NIO’s disruptive customer experience across multiple Shenzhen NIO Houses, Spaces and outlets, Huajun HOU did not shy away to think of a creative challenge for SZTU’s marketing track. In the current semester, students will have the chance to solve a digital marketing problem for NIO. Over the course of 18 weeks, students will learn about the challenge set by NIO, form groups and conceptualize a strategic digital marketing campaign. Whilst  Huajun HOU and his team will pitch NIO to the students early in the semester, it is the students’ job to pitch their campaign to NIO at the end of the 18 weeks. To sweeten the deal, the best campaign, as judged by NIO, will get the chance to real-life implement their campaign and thus gain invaluable work experience. And how knows, maybe Huajun HOU and his team at NIO have further surprises in the store for the high-performing SZTU students.

More about NIO at: https://www.nio.cn

Picture (from left to right): NIO’s ET5 car at the NIO House Shekou with Yuxi (Yuxi WANG, Business Development of User Development), Associate Professor Dr. Markus Rach and NIO’s head of User Development Huajun HOU.

Text/Picture: Markus Rach