Reframe (Design and Marketing Case Competition)

Event Description:

Reframe is a case competition built around one question: what if a brand you know did something nobody expects? Each team gets a "what if" brief, such as a fast-food brand manufacturing furniture. Designers and marketing strategists work as one team to decide whether the stretch can work, build the strategy, and bring it to life with a product concept, a campaign and key visuals. It rewards sharp insight, honest judgement, strong design and the ability to pitch all three as one idea.

Event Design:

• Team size: 3 to 4 members.
• Eligibility: Open to students from any UG college or university. Teams may be cross-college.
• Case brands: Teams get a hypothetical stretch brief about a well-known brand. The brands have no involvement in the competition. The brief is confidential and must not be shared outside the team.
• Mentors and faculty: Advisors may give feedback but must not direct the team's recommendations.

The Case Brief:

Every brief follows the same structure.

• Company background: who the brand is, what it sells, where it stands today.
• The stretch: the "what if" (for example, what if a footwear brand made furniture) and the tension that makes it hard.
• Target audience: who the brand wants to reach, with any data available.
• Constraints: budget, timeline, channels and brand guidelines that cannot change.
• Data pack: a short set of facts and numbers. Teams may add their own research if sources are declared.

Competition Rounds:

Online Round (Written Case)

• Case release: The brief is attached on Unstop. Teams have until the registration deadline to submit.
• Deliverables: One strategy deck (PDF, up to 12 slides), one creative board (single-page PDF or image) showing the product or experience concept, the campaign idea and key visuals, and one video pitch (Google Drive Link, up to 3 minutes). The deck must include a go or no-go slide: should the brand do this, and what is the biggest risk?
• Anonymity: Do not include college names or any identifying information inside the files. Files with identifying information will lose marks.
• Language of Submission: English or Hindi.
• Submission: Upload all three files through Unstop as a Google Drive link set to "Anyone with the link can view". Name the folder "REFRAME_Participant_Name_MWRTMB".
• Inaccessible link: If the link cannot be opened at the time of judging, it will be at the discretion of the OC whether the submission will be considered or not.
• Results: Results will be sent by mail.

Offline Round (Live Case and Pitch):

• Live case sprint: A new brief with a twist (for example, the budget is halved, the launch date moves up, or a rival moves first) is handed out at the start of the round. Teams get 5 hours to respond.
• Team ID: Each team receives a Team ID at the start of the event. It is used for identification during the sprint.
• Deliverables:
• One deck of up to 8 slides, including one slide of key visuals. Submit as a PDF before the sprint ends.
• Brand & Market Understanding: Brand overview, market trends, competitors and market gaps.
• Consumer Insights: Target audience, consumer behaviour, needs, pain points and key insights.
• Go/No-Go Decision: Entry recommendation, opportunities, risks and justification.
• Strategy & Positioning: Value proposition, USP, differentiation and brand fit.
• Creative Concept & Execution: Big idea, product/service design, branding, key visuals and campaign creatives.
• Marketing & Launch Plan: Channel strategy, promotional activities, and timeline.
• Budget & Metrics: Budget allocation, feasibility, KPIs, and measurable targets.
• One piece of advertisement with the new brand identity. This will be a static piece, submitted as a PDF.
• One reel or short form video at a maximum of 45 seconds. Submit as a video uploaded on Google Drive.
• Submission: A google form will be shared with every team at the start of the event, and each team must submit everything before the sprint ends. Every deliverable must be uploaded on a Google Drive folder and, and link must be submitted on the form, with "Anyone with the link can view" access.
• Pitch: Each team presents for 7 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A with the judges.
• After the deadline: Participants must not change the submitted file after the deadline. Any changes made after that point will be dealt with at the discretion of the OC.
• Declarations: Declare with your submission on the google form: all data sources, third-party images, fonts and assets used, any AI tools used, and a statement that the work is your team's own.
• Surprise: Be prepared for any more surprises that could be thrown your way!

Rules:

• One idea: Strategy and design must read as one connected idea. A creative that does not follow the strategy will be marked down. Every deck must make a clear go or no-go call. A team may recommend against it if they offer a better alternative.
• Length: Decks must stay within the slide limits. Extra slides will not be read.
• Pitch time: If a pitch runs over the time limit, the related consequences will be taken as mentioned in the General Rules.
• Original work: All strategy and creative work must be the team's own. Copying existing campaigns or other teams' work leads to disqualification.
• Data: Use the data pack in the brief. Outside data and research are allowed if the source is cited in the deck.
• Assets: Fonts, images, icons, templates and mockups are allowed if legally usable and declared. Public brand assets (logos, product photos) may be used to show the concept. Do not imply that the brand endorses it.
• AI: AI tools may be used for research, ideation, copy support and mockups if declared. The final key visuals and layouts must be designed by the team. AI-generated imagery may only be used as a declared placeholder or small element, not as the final key visual.
• Budget: Proposals must stay within the budget in the brief. Over-budget plans lose marks.
• Confidentiality: Do not post the brief, your work or any part of the case material online.
• Team changes: Team members cannot be changed after the Online Round closes. A member may be replaced only with prior written approval from the OC.
• Conduct: Teams must follow the Code of Conduct and venue rules. Any harassment, sabotage or interference with another team leads to immediate disqualification and they will have to deal with any legal consequences by themselves.
• Penalties: All other violations will be dealt with under the General Rules, at the discretion of the OC, as set out in the "Penalties and Disqualification" section.
• Any changes to these rules will be informed to the participants prior to the event.

Prizes:

Results will be announced through mails to all the Participants.

• 1st place: ₹10,000 and direct entry to Milky Way Finale.
• 2nd place: ₹5,000.

Note: Participants shall refer to the General Rules for further details.