Companies: Ambev (Brazil) and the University of São Paulo School of Business (FEA-USP). Ambev is a Brazilian brewing company that is part of Belgian company Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer with 14 brands all over the world.
Contacts: Kavita Hamza, marketing professor at FEA-USP, and Richard Lee, head of sustainability at Ambev.
In 2018, Fisher College of Business Honors Cohort students participated in a case competition for Ambev in Brazil along with students from FEA-USP.
Ten teams of students presented their proposal for how to effectively market Ambev’s water brand AMA, which donates 100% of its profits to projects that bring water to drought areas in the semiarid Brazil. One group was considered the winner.
“It was a pleasure to have them, and it is very important that we had connections with a company that had a current case we could ask for them to solve,” said Hamza.
“What we needed was empathy,” Lee said, “The students need to provide a better insight on what we should do, as a consulting agency would.”
“It was a great experience, especially to meet people from a different country,” said Rafael Gomes, a student at FEA-USP. “Winning the case competition was unbelievable, because all teams did a very good job. I am looking forward to visiting Ohio State.”
“It was rewarding,” said Caroline Chick, Fisher Honors Cohort student, who was also a member of the winning team. “It was interesting to study Brazilian consumers and notice the similarities and differences with U.S. consumers. Also, making new friends is amazing. We are excited to welcome them and present them to more Buckeyes.”