Third-year Advertising students, Javiera Bonomo and Victoria Guzmán, secured second place in the inaugural Chilean edition of the Research Got Talent competition. Organized by the Chilean Association of Market Researchers (AIM), this contest selects the country's representatives for the global version. The students' proposal from the Faculty of Technology’s Department of Advertising and Image (DPI) was officially recognized as one of the day's most outstanding.
The competition, promoted globally by the world market research and data analysis organization Esomar and developed in Chile by AIM, seeks to involve young people in projects that demonstrate how market research and public opinion can provide concrete solutions to the social problems faced by charities and NGOs. In this way, it not only encourages the participation of new generations in the discipline, but also highlights the impact of research as a tool for generating knowledge that supports decision-making in non-profit institutions.
The competition brought together students from universities, professional institutes, and technical training centers studying related subjects (marketing and market research), along with young researchers from industry agencies. All participating teams faced a tight two-hour deadline to develop a research proposal for the Corporation of Parents and Friends for the Visually Impaired (Corpaliv), specifically addressing the challenges of workplace inclusion for people with multiple disabilities.
Guided by DPI academic Juan Francisco Ugarte, the students conducted a thorough analysis of the positions typically held by people with disabilities, examining their experiences and challenges. They also incorporated employers' views on expectations and limitations. Crucially, the team utilized research tools such as focus groups, which significantly enriched the proposal by providing direct insight into the perceptions of various stakeholders.
"We believe that what made the difference was precisely the planning of surveys and the variety of methodologies," the students stated. "We did not limit ourselves to a single technique, but rather took a comprehensive approach that accounted for the low availability of data in this field and the need to explore different sources."
Javiera Bonomo and Victoria Guzmán highlighted the importance of participating in such events for their professional development: "These competitions are very valuable because they provide an initial introduction to real working life and offer experiences difficult to achieve in the classroom alone. They helped us put our knowledge into practice, work under pressure, organize as a team, and shape a project with real impact. Without a doubt, these are spaces where the academic is combined with the practical, which greatly enriches university education."
Professor Ugarte highlighted the enriching nature of the competition and praised the third-year students for achieving such a high rank in a high-level contest. Simultaneously, he called on the student community to: "Motivate yourselves to participate in this type of event, experience collaborative work and, above all, challenge yourselves in an environment as intense as today's advertising industry."