Mumbai, June 20, 2013: Nissan Motor India has launched the Nissan Student Brand Manager programme (NSBM) for 2013. The company, which is accepting entries onto the programme is targeting more than 4,000 registrations with the aim of appointing 30 NSBMs for the next six months. The national winner gets a new Micra hatchback as the top prize.

The programme helps B-School students to showcase their talent and prepares them for the corporate world. NSBM is now recognised by more than 500 B-Schools across India, including some of the most prestigious like the Indian Institute of management (IIM), FMS (Faculty of Management Studies), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Symbiosis Institute of Business management (SIBM) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

The six-month schedule commences in July 2013 and culminates in December 2013. Each year the program has evolved qualitatively in terms of tasks allocated to the students. Each NSBM selected is expected to perform four innovative marketing activities during the six months in their campus and community involving the Nissan brand and products. The 2012 batch of NSBMs initiated around 96 marketing activities. Innovations like these are aimed at increasing Nissan’s presence in diversified markets across India. Launching the campaign, Nitish Tipnis, director (Sales & Marketing), Hover Automotive India (Nissan India’s NSC) said, “The fact that NSBM programme is entering its fourth consecutive year reflects our commitment to identify and nurture management talent. It also helps us build our brand association with young people in India, who will be tomorrow’s leaders of the corporate world. The programme exposes the students to the auto industry, competition and the Nissan brand.”

The NSBM 2013 will culminate in the selection of 30 Nissan Student Brand Managers who will receive a grant for six months to help them conceptualise and implement ideas on Nissan brand visibility and impact. As a NSBM they will also get a Nissan Micra to conduct activities such as test drives and host marketing activities and align their thoughts to the product propositions.

The range of activities will vary from creating unique events of their own from setting up test-drive days at their respective colleges to creating buzz about brand Nissan among the student community. The campaign will be open to management students across the country, including the Eastern region, which has now joined the pool of B-Schools.

Photograph (L-R) Nitish Tipnis – director, Sales & Marketing - Hover Automotive India (National Sales Company for Nissan India) along with Prahlad Kakkar – Jury Member for Nissan Student Brand Manager 2013, and Student Brand Managers of previous editions.