Students deliver winning industry strategy with professor mentorship, secure internship

An HSS and IBSS student team turns classroom theory into a professional cross-disciplinary strategy for an Italian restaurant chain.
Ò»Ö§À´×ÔÎ÷½»ÀûÎïÆÖ´óѧÈËÎÄÉç¿ÆѧԺ£¨HSS£©Óë¹ú¼ÊÉÌѧԺ£¨IBSS£©µÄѧÉúÍŶÓÔÚMarco Pellitteri²©Ê¿ºÍFilippo Garini²©Ê¿µÄÖ¸µ¼Ï£¬½«¿ÎÌÃ֪ʶӦÓÃÓÚÏÖʵ³¡¾°£¬ÎªÒ»¼ÒÒâ´óÀûÁ¬Ëø²ÍÌü¶¨ÖÆ¿çѧ¿ÆÓªÏú²ßÂÔ¡£

By YUHAN YAO

In a partnership involving the university and industry, students from Xi¡¯an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) delivered a comprehensive integrated approach within communication and business strategy, resulting in internship offers and high praise from the client.

The project was a collaboration between ¡°Mammamia!¡±, a leading Italian dining chain in China, and two schools at XJTLU: the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS).

Project team members during one of several training sessions, with Dr Filippo Garini (top left at the table) and Dr Marco Pellitteri (behind the camera).

In October 2024, the founder of the dining chain, Mr Stefano Micillo, approached XJTLU professors Dr Marco Pellitteri (HSS) and Dr Filippo Garini (IBSS). He sought to leverage the University's talent in developing a comprehensive promotion plan to increase his brand's visibility among both Chinese and international customers in a highly competitive market. He also envisioned internship opportunities upon successful completion of the project.

¡°This experience allowed me to see how theoretical concepts in media and communication translate into practical applications¡± said Peiran Yu, a project team member and an MSc student from the Department of Media and Communication, HSS. ¡°It also taught me the value of teamwork and dedication.¡±

The project was inspired by informal conversations about market competition and a shared Italian heritage between Mr Micillo and the two XJTLU professors. It was further motivated by the cultural resemblance between Italian and Chinese dining cultures, which Dr Pellitteri described as strongly family-centered and rooted in the values of sharing meals and treasuring time spent around the table.

¡°Mammamia!,¡± which brands itself on ¡°authentically Neapolitan pizza,¡± operates nearly a dozen outlets across China, including in Suzhou, Shanghai, Wuxi, and Guangzhou. Dr Pellitteri, who hails from Sicily in Southern Italy, noted that both Mr Micillo and Dr Garini are from Naples ¨C ¡°the very town where pizza originated.¡±

One of the many pages of a brochure produced by the project team.

The initiative formally began in February 2025 after an open call in December 2024 and a rigorous selection process that resulted in a team of eight students, four from IBSS and four from HSS.

The culturally diverse team, which included Chinese, Italian, Indonesian, and Italian-British students, was split into two sub-teams. The IBSS group focused on marketing strategy and budgeting, while the HSS team developed the advertising strategy and media deliverables to appeal to both Chinese and international customers.

Besides Yu, the leader of the HSS sub-team, the project involved three 3rd-year BA students from HSS: Giorgio Hartley (spokesperson and sub-leader of HSS squad), Yingjie Yue, and Ziyou Zu.

Dr Garini and Dr Pellitteri trained the students via several seminars and tutorials, and they also had a few formal meetings with the client¡¯s personnel. As the project progressed, the students developed a strong bond, learning valuable professional skills, including time management and collaboration under tight deadlines.

¡°The real challenge was ensuring both teams communicated effectively to create a unified strategy,¡± said Yu.

Project team making a final presentation to the client.

The IBSS group conducted preliminary surveys and managed the marketing strategy, while the HSS group led the campaign's audiovisual and graphic aesthetic, producing two videos. The first video showcased the culinary expertise of the Italian head chef and a world-renowned Chinese pizza chef, also featuring the founder's philosophy in his own words. The second video created social-media-friendly content that highlighted the restaurant chain's unique blend of Italian tradition and modern trends.

The five-month project culminated in a final presentation to the restaurant's leadership team on June 6 at one of the outlets in Li Gong Di, to an enthusiastic approval.

¡°Commendable output, one that is not that far from that which may be finalised by a small-scale IMC agency made of actual professionals,¡± commented Dr Pellitteri.

The successful collaboration not only helped the students gain hands-on experience in cross-disciplinary communication strategy but also led to an internship for a student at the restaurant. And the restaurant chain remains open to hiring more team members in the future.

Project team making a final presentation to the client.

Having begun her internship at Mamamia!, Yu applies her skills in video editing, web content management, and social media promotion for the restaurant. She described the work environment as harmonious, a place where colleagues take care of each other. But she acknowledged the challenge of transitioning from university ¨C where professors offered close guidance ¨C to a workplace that demands greater independence and self-direction.

For the university, this project perhaps marks the first formal inter-school and inter-departmental initiative of its kind. Yu mentioned that inter-school collaboration facilitated mutual learning and collectively enhanced the project¡¯s quality. Dr Pellitteri highlighted that the project was entirely externally funded by the client, providing students with paid, real-world experience and generating research income for the university.

This project demonstrates a model for industry-academia collaboration, providing students with invaluable hands-on experience while delivering innovative solutions to corporate partners.

¡°I was happy to see the dynamic process of collegial adjustments and personal growth that developed in those months,¡± said Dr Pellitteri. In his words, students who are ¡°otherwise quite shy and insecure, gradually turned into more affirmative, self-confident, and mature personalities.¡±

For students, it has been a special start to a professional career, an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in a real-world context.

¡°It was a great experience that pushed me to grow both personally and professionally,¡± said Yu.

Story:

YUHAN YAO / DMC Newsletter.

Courtesy of the scholastic journalism team, Department of Media and Communication, XJTLU.

All images are courtesy of the project.