Dulux Marketing Plan Enterprise Challenge
ABOUT THE COLLABORATOR
Dulux is a leading paint brand in Ireland and part of the global paints and coatings company AkzoNobel, which operates in over 150 countries. In Ireland, Dulux has a long-established presence with its headquarters based in Dublin, employing a significant number of people across sales, marketing, and technical support.
Dulux is committed to sustainability, innovation, and community engagement, running initiatives that support environmental goals and social development. As part of this commitment, Dulux partnered with TU Dublin on the Marketing Plan Challenge to engage with emerging talent and gain fresh insights into evolving consumer behaviours. The collaboration allowed Dulux to support higher education while accessing innovative thinking that could inform future marketing strategies—fostering stronger links between academia and industry.
By combining global expertise with local insight, Dulux not only maintains a strong market position in Ireland but also reinforces its role as a responsible corporate citizen contributing to Ireland’s economic and educational ecosystem.
The Marketing Management students selected to pitch their marketing plan at Dulux HQ (centre); Niamh O’Donovan, Senior Brand Manager (far left of picture) and lecturer Dr. Dee Duffy (far right of picture)
ABOUT THE COLLABORATION
As part of the Marketing Management module, undergraduate students on the Business Management Higher Certificate (Level 6, 120 ECTS) at TU Dublin’s Faculty of Businessparticipated in a live industry project in collaboration with Dulux. The initiative formed part of an applied learning approach designed to strengthen the link between academic theory and real-world marketing practice.
To launch the challenge, Dulux’s Senior Brand Manager, Niamh O’Donovan delivered an in-person branding seminar at TU Dublin City Campus, providing students with an overview of the company’s domestic product ranges, including Moda and Easycare. The students were then tasked with developing a full marketing plan for one of these ranges, using key marketing frameworks such as PESTEL analysis, the STP model, and the 7Ps Marketing Mix to guide their strategic thinking.
Following the assessment, the top five teams, as selected by their lecturer, Dr. Dee Duffy, were invited to present their marketing plans to the Dulux marketing team, led by Niamh O’Donovan and Dr. Dee Duffy at the company’s head office in Dublin. This engagement provided students with a unique opportunity to apply their learning in a professional context, receive feedback from industry experts, and gain valuable insight into branding and marketing planning for a leading consumer brand.
The Dulux Marketing Plan Challenge winning team to include:
James Byrne, Lucy Kinsella, James Hendricken, Robert Garvey,
Jamie Callan, and Amy Bowker
IMPACT AND BENEFITS
The collaboration between TU Dublin and Dulux created valuable outcomes for both learners and the organisation. For students, the challenge offered an opportunity to apply theoretical marketing knowledge to a real-world business scenario, enhancing their critical thinking, presentation, and teamwork skills. Engaging directly with a leading brand allowed them to gain insights into current industry practices, build confidence in their professional abilities, and strengthen their career readiness.
For Dulux, the project provided access to fresh perspectives and creative marketing ideas from an emerging generation of business professionals. The marketing team gained innovative concepts tailored to their consumer product ranges, alongside the chance to observe how their branding resonates with a younger audience. The engagement also supported talent pipeline development, offering an informal platform for identifying future marketing talent.
More broadly, the collaboration fostered stronger connections between higher education and industry, contributing to a skills-focused, experience-based learning model. It reinforced TU Dublin’s commitment to practical learning and Dulux’s role as a socially engaged employer. By bridging academic and professional environments, the initiative delivered meaningful societal value, encouraging innovation, inclusion, and collaboration at the intersection of education and enterprise.
COLLABORATE WITH ENTERPRISE FACULTY