LTCC brings together students and global brands

The global brands Guess, Barilla and Lavazza, which are all partners of the LTCC in Lugano in the canton of Ticino, are seeking to unlock innovative marketing ideas as part of new rounds of their competitions and workshops. According to a press release, the international fashion brand Guess, whose European headquarters are located in Bioggio in the canton of Ticino, has recently held its fourth Guess Gen Z Lab. In this context, marketing, sales and e-commerce executives from Guess regularly test ideas with students and generate direct, qualitative feedback from members of Generation Z (people born between 1996 and 2012) that can be fed into future campaigns, product launches and initiatives. At the same time, the participants learn all about important aspects in relation to the fashion business, including channel management, product creation and development, advertising and pricing strategies, marketing and communications.

Alongside participants from Università della Svizzera italiana (USI: University of Italian Switzerland) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) as well as those from France, Italy, Spain and the UK, the workshop is also set to welcome participants from the Israeli Shenkar College of Industrial Design for the first time. Through this international make-up, “our teams not only gain key insights into the various generations, but also multicultural insights into what young people truly want and expect from an international fashion and lifestyle brand”, as Paul Marciano, Chief Creative Officer at Guess, explains in a press release.

The Italian food companies Barilla and Lavazza have also launched their FoodTech Innovation Award for 2023. The competition, which is the result of a collaboration with members of the LTCC, offers local and international start-ups a platform to present their solutions and work together with the two brands. This year, the focus is on shoppable marketing solutions for the food and retail trade. Applications from B2B and B2B2C start-ups with concepts to “capture customer behavior and encourage successful conversions across multiple channels and generations of buyers” can be submitted up to a deadline of July 12. ce/mm