- Student
- 11/01/2019
Brand manager must put GEWIS on the map
What does study association GEWIS do, what can you expect from its board members, and what does it stand for? To answer these questions, GEWIS created the completely new function of brand manager. Ava Swevels, who has taken up the job, has put a survey out to students and staff of the university and to other associations.
“When seven board members gave information about GEWIS to first-year students during Introduction week, they would hear seven different stories,” says chairwoman Illona Hoenderop. The members of the board would like to see that change, not just during the Introduction week, but in general.
Since a few years, GEWIS has a seventh board member without fixed tasks. This member should relieve the workload for the board and can also be given specific tasks. This year, Ava Swevels signed up for the job and was soon appointed brand manager with mutual consent. According to Swevels and Hoenderop, GEWIS is the only study association at TU/e with such a position.
Swevels: “First-year students are bombarded with information from all kinds of associations and organizations, and it would be a shame if information about GEWIS gets overlooked. We need to find a way to make students notice what we do.” Hoenderop adds: “Also, teachers often don’t know what we have on our plate and how we can help each other. For instance, when we ask them to give a short speech during Introduction, we notice that they often don’t realize how many things we organize during this week. We can also offer them feedback to help increase the quality of education. It helps if both sides express their expectations.”
The board members have also noticed that some parents are not aware of the activities of GEWIS yet. Swevels: “They do not always know the difference between a study and a student association. Or they are under the impression that we only organize drinks.” The board members of GEWIS also want to make it clear to business companies and other associations what they stand for.
The aim, Swevels explains, is to describe the goals of GEWIS in a few words by the end of the academic year. This will be the basis for spreading clear information on GEWIS and what it stands for. A guide book to be used by future boards is also due, as well as promotional material. In order to accomplish all this, the brand manager has sent out surveys. She will also sit down with different target groups, such as the faculty staff, other associations, and students in Mathematics and Computer Science. Swevels: “It’s still difficult to reach companies, because of the many differences between them. Some companies employ many former members of GEWIS who are much more aware of what we do than employees of other companies.”
And the information provided during Introduction? Hoenderop: “If everything works out well, every story will have the same message, but of course it’s all right to add a personal touch.”
Do you want to take a look at the survey or fill it in?
The link for university staff: bit.ly/GEWIS-staff
The link for students of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science: bit.ly/GEWIS-students
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