All Events Marketing & Branding

The Underground Pitchroom

"Every brand begins with a story — until perception takes over."

Team Size
2 Members
Duration
1 – 2 Hours
Format
Branding War-Room · Day 2, 9 AM
Cap
10 Teams
Register for The Underground Pitchroom
The Brief

Teams act as secret branding agencies hired to make an underground, ethically questionable or grey-market product appear desirable to the public — without changing what the product actually is. Each team receives a controversial brief and has to build a public-facing identity, emotional positioning and an indirect marketing campaign around it.

The event moves through an Initial Branding round, a Crisis round where organisers introduce a disruption the team must adapt to live, and a Final Reveal & Defense in front of the judges. The challenge is never to justify illegality — only to reframe perception around a reality that can't be changed.

The strongest teams adapt, rebuild trust and keep their audience engaged when everything starts to fall apart. Success comes down to one thing: who can control the narrative better than everyone else.

Core Rules
  • Can't Change the Product — teams may not legalize or transform the product, only reframe how the public sees it.
  • Direct Promotion Is Restricted — no "break the rules" messaging; persuasion has to work through emotional and lifestyle branding.
  • Match the Target Audience — judges penalize disconnected messaging or unrealistic positioning.
  • Must Adapt to Twists — once a disruption card drops, the branding has to evolve or lose points.
  • Ethics Matter — no glorifying violence, hate speech or real-world criminal instruction.
Registrations Open

Reserve your spot in The Underground Pitchroom.

Fill out the registration form to confirm your team's place — seats are capped, so don't wait too long.

Register Now @arthanomics_2026 Email the Committee
Keep Exploring

See the rest of the line-up.

Back to All Events