IMW Brand Project in cooperation with Mercedes-Benz, BIP-ID: 2024-1-DE01-KA131-HED-000204730-3

BIP Coordination: Hochschule Heilbronn, D HEILBRO01

BIP Partners (10): UC Leuven, B LEUVEN18 (Belgium); EPHEC, B BRUXEL82 (Belgium); IBA Kolding; DK KOLDING10 (Denmark); LAB, SF LAHTI11 (Finland); UNIVERSITE PARIS 13; F PARIS013 (France); Munster Technological University, IRLMUNST01 (Irleand); The BA School of Business and Finance, LV RIGA13 (Latvia); The Hague University of Applied Sciences, S-GRAVE13 (Netherlands);  FACHHOCHSCHULE DES BFI WIEN GESELLSCHAFT M.B.H., A WIEN38 (Austria); Karlstad University, S KARLSTA01 (Sweden)

As part of the BIP International Marketing Week (IMW) Brand Project, conducted in cooperation with Mercedes-Benz AG, students were expected to develop a communication concept for a digital service of the cooperation partner Mercedes-Benz AG while working in internationally mixed teams. Accompanying team-building events were also intended to strengthen the participants' intercultural competencies.

The International Marketing Week, organized at the Künzelsau campus of Heilbronn University, was held for the 17th time in 2026 and, as in the previous three years, was conducted as a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP).

A total of 32 students from Erasmus partner universities, 4 students from partner universities outside the Erasmus programme, and 12 students from Heilbronn University worked in internationally mixed teams on a marketing project in cooperation with Mercedes-Benz AG, both virtually and on site.

The project work was complemented by various cultural and team-building activities designed to strengthen the students’ intercultural competencies.

The BIP can be considered a complete success, as evidenced by the enthusiastic feedback received from the participants.

The project partner, Mercedes-Benz AG, was also highly satisfied with the project outcomes, which were presented by the ten student teams to Mercedes-Benz representatives at the end of the on-site week.

The active involvement of four accompanying tutors from partner universities not only facilitated the exchange of best practices but also strengthened the connections between the participating higher education institutions.

The participating institutions intend to continue organizing BIPs both at Heilbronn University and at several network partner universities in the coming years in order to sustainably strengthen cooperation among the institutions and to further promote virtual learning and on-site collaboration among students from different countries.