Magazine: Fresh and creative solutions at the display design contest for students

Essity Hungary Kft. started the Zewa Designer Contest back in 2017, and this year was the first that POPAI Hungary Association – with the sponsorship of Zewa and SPAR – organised the now nationwide competition for students, called POPAI Student Design Awards. Designer students had to create in-store displays based on the brief they received.

In 2016 Zewa renewed its moist toilet tissue selection and planned a special campaign to increase the category’s low penetration level. Réka Nagy, customer marketing manager of Essity explained that consumer surveys revealed: one of the obstacles to more people using the product is that it has no ‘established’ place in bathrooms and toilet rooms. It seemed a good idea to solve this problem with the help of design students from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) – who were happy to be asked, informed professor András Varga – and the two parties have been working together ever since. The jury of experts decided that the design by Yevgeniy Levkovets was the best, while Bianka Rudokasz’s entry won the online voting, where 50,603 votes were cast.

_{Zewa Designer Awards 1.0 students of BME and the organisers (2017)}

After the successful product launch and consumer campaign, Essity started focusing on the POS communication of Zewa moist toilet tissue. This time in the Zewa Designer Contest 2.0, the main task was the in-store placement of moist toilet tissue. Mr Varga told that the contest was integrated into the university course’s material. Jury members included the representatives of Essity, POPAI Hungary Association, BME professor András Varga, and experts from DS Smith, ET Research and Publicis.

The 1st place was awarded to the ‘Backpack’ display of Zsófia Volyák. Eszter Regina Gaál’s interactive ‘Rotating Wheel’ solution won the consumers’ choice award. POPAI’s special award was given to Petra Viola Vityi’s ‘Forest Lodge’ creation. The first two display designs were manufactured and installed in Tesco and Auchan stores. All three winners qualified for the Shop! Global Awards in the Student Design category, and Ms Gaál’s display won the ‘Oscar’ of the POS trade! Barbara Bódogh, Essity’s shopper marketing manager explained: they wanted display designs that can make an impact on those who don’t buy the category yet and non-Zewa buyers as well. Ms Bódogh added that they had tried to take into consideration how the designs can be put into practice in shops. The award ceremony took place on 14 February 2020 at the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as part of the ‘I love Trade Marketing – The Age of Experience’ conference. In the next issue of Trade magazin we will introduce the winners.

_{POPAI Student Design Awards – students, organisers and the members of the jury (2019)}