In this blog, current MSc Digital Marketing student, Vishal, talks about his Collaborative Project experience with Ogilvy Health.

The Collaborative Project is a great opportunity for students from different backgrounds to tackle a real-life business problem. As a MSc Digital Marketing student, I collaborated with students from the MSc Digital Creative Media and MSc Cyber Security and Data Analytics programmes to work on a chosen brief provided by the University. As a team we immersed in a real-life challenge, interacting each week with behavioural and technical specialists from a leading global organisation Ogilvy Health.

About the brief

During COVID-19, adapting to the ‘new normal’ resulted in a profound impact on office-based workplace wellbeing initiatives. By testing our digital know-how to the max (programming, UX and marketing), we were able to think creatively working on a technology-enabled, behavioural intervention that encourages employees working from home to engage in physical activity (walking and running).

About the process

Engaging with a health-specialist at Ogilvy was my personal highlight. Each week we engaged in behavioural techniques that will encourage adoption and continued (habitual) behaviour and shared our learnings in class. From encouraging behaviour change through smartphone and smartwatch technology interventions the goal was to focus on the ‘sweet spot’ where technology meets psychology. Ultimately, my team designed a 360º specification of a pilot programme, highlighting how it will be introduced and how it will function.

What I learnt

Furthermore, the brief educated me on the benefits a strict healthy lifestyle can have on the body and mind. My sessions enabled me to develop lifestyle changes such as practicing meditation and yoga daily. I also had the privilege to participate in a 5k run zoom call each week with one of Ogilvy’s employees, testing my strength and grit. Despite COVID-19 having an impact on many individuals, for me it was a learning curve – three things I learnt from my Collaborative Project:

• What I eat is how I feel,
• Make the best out of what I have,
• Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.

Loughborough University London would like to thank Vishal Amin for this blog.

To find out more about our Collaborative Project, please visit our website.

To find out more about our Institute for Digital Technologies and their programmes, please visit our website.