Creative Helenswood pupils comefirst in big national competition

hey were up against nearly 50 entries from across the UK and Ireland.

The brief set by Odeon cinemas was to come up with an exciting and engaging marketing campaign targeting teenagers.

The Ark Helenswood girls spent a whole term refining their marketing campaign and the final saw them pitching their idea to the judging panel of the Odeon’s Managing Director, Commercial Director, and Group Head of Communications, as well as the Ideas Foundation’s Founder Robin Wight.

The winning idea was ‘Social Squared’ (Social²), an online app for monthly livestream sessions at Odeon cinemas across the country. With exclusive access for teenagers aged 13-17 it allows them to be both social in the cinema and online at the same time.

The Ark Helenswood winning team consisted of Sophie Benton, Abbie Bowers, Ellie Buentempo, Kiera Burt, Anisha Fernando and Annie Marsh.

Andy Edge, Odeon’s Commercial Director was extremely complimentary, calling their new concept a ‘big idea’ and added that his team will be very interested in looking at it in more detail. They were also invited to join a new feedback group, advising Odeon Cinemas on the teenage audience.

The girls received a prize of £100 in vouchers and got a place on the ‘Ladder’, a programme offered by the Ideas Foundation giving its members an array of opportunities so that they have a head-start to getting into the creative industries.

The group of six Ark Helenswood girls was initially formed as part of a mentoring programme offered by a charity called ‘TalentEd’, which offers high-ability Year 10 students year-long small group sessions, aimed at giving them support, skills and aspirations to realise potential and to develop their confidence.

One student commented: “One student said ‘I think I have become more confident.

“I realise that my ideas are worth something, that I have good ideas and that I can speak about them.”

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