April 17: Nissan has launched the third season of the Nissan Student Brand Manager (NSBM) programme. The launch of the six-month-long campaign, meant for management students across 25 cities in India, was announced by Dinesh Jain, CEO, Hover Automotive India, Nissan’s sales and marketing partner in India (pictured).

The 2012 edition will have internationally renowned panelists like marketing guru Dr Nirmalya Kumar from the London Business School and will culminate in the selection of 30 Nissan Student Brand Managers who will receive a grant of Rs 10,000 per month for six months to help them conceptualise and implement innovative ideas on Nissan brand visibility and sustenance. NSBMs will be given Nissan Micras to help them get actively involved in line with the product propositions.

Launching the campaign, Jain said: “Nissan is serious about identifying and nurturing management talent to give students the right exposure in the field of marketing. Nissan’s Student Brand Manager 2012 is an opportunity for students to seek and stretch their capabilities through their association with the Nissan brand.”

The range of activities for NSBMs will vary from creating unique events from setting up test-drive days at their colleges to creating a buzz about brand Nissan in the student community. The campaign is open to second year management students in India, including the Eastern part of the country. Leading B-schools including IIM-Indore, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, IMT Ghaziabad, IIT-M, IIMS, DoMS, VIT, Institute of Management, Orissa, Birla School Of Management, Kolkata, and IIM-C are participating in this year’s campaign.

AKBAR MERCHANT