19 July 2024

Photo: rahelephotography

From left to right: Jörn Dieckmann (Head of Family Businesses & SMEs at Forvis Mazars), the two award winners, Anton Savko and Jessica Kiebach, and Kai Wuttke (Partner, Managing Director)

At the School’s summer semester graduation ceremony on July 5, 2024, Jessica Kiebach and Anton Savko received the award for the best theses in the field of “Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability,” sponsored by the management consulting firm Forvis Mazars.

Jessica Kiebach accepted the award for her bachelor’s thesis: “Greenwashing in Sustainability Reporting: What Role Do Auditing Firms Play?”

Anton Savko received the award for his master’s thesis on “Diversity in Advertising: The Effects of Racial Dominance on Consumer Evaluations.”

The School congratulates both of them and spoke with them after the ceremony.

Who was the first person you told when you found out you had been selected as the winner of the award?

Anton Savko: I told my partner right away. Mainly so he could confirm that I hadn’t misread the announcement.

Jessica Kiebach: The very first person I told was my fiancé.

How did you come up with the topic for your thesis back then?

Anton Savko: I keep noticing that in our society—and in many other Western countries as well—advertisers are sometimes still not very inclusive, even though we as a society are much more diverse. Accordingly, I looked for research showing that diversity is something people also expect from advertisers. There is a clear expectation that different groups be represented in marketing.

Jessica Kiebach: Unfortunately, the answer is a bit unspectacular: I received the topic for my thesis from my department.

What helped you in finding and developing the topic?

Anton Savko: I’m very grateful that my advisor, Julia Diana Lenk, was just as enthusiastic about the topic as I was and gave me great input. Since the subject area is quite broad, it was extremely helpful to discuss the state of the research and further narrow down my work. Since I work in marketing, I was also quite aware from the start that I wanted to focus primarily on advertising effects.

Jessica Kiebach: Since I was assigned my topic by the department, I don’t have any experience to share regarding how to choose a topic. However, when writing my thesis, it helped me enormously to draw up a “roadmap” in advance—outlining what needed to be done and what I wanted to have completed by when—so I wouldn’t lose track of the big picture. In addition, right at the start of my literature review, I jotted down ideas about which sources I might be able to use effectively at which points in the thesis.

Which part of the thesis did you enjoy the most?

Anton Savko: Creating the questionnaire was definitely a highlight, since I also had to come up with creative designs for the simulated advertisements myself. I also love seeing how a whole picture emerges from many small data points, making the hypotheses testable.

Jessica Kiebach: I enjoyed writing the critical review the most, since in this section I could link all the information from the main body and write more freely.

What’s next for you? What are your plans after graduation?

Anton Savko: I’ve been working as a Performance Marketing Manager at an advertising agency since the end of last year. For now, I’m happy to stay in the private sector.

Jessica Kiebach: I’m a trained bank clerk, and now that I’ve graduated, I’ll be starting a position in a bank’s controlling department. I might go on to get my master’s degree later, but right now, in addition to my job, I’m very busy planning my wedding.

What advice would you give to future graduates?

Anton Savko: Your grade won’t be entered any faster if you check STiNE five times a day (laughs). And as far as planning for the future goes: It definitely helps to have a rough idea. But even after graduation, there are so many opportunities open to you that you shouldn’t stress too much—it’s best to just try out what you enjoy most. Whether that means continuing your studies, starting work right away, or simply treating yourself to a well-deserved break.

Jessica Kiebach: It’s often just said, but it’s incredibly important: Start early! The amount of literature to sift through can be overwhelming and take significantly more time than you might initially expect. So, to avoid falling into unnecessary time pressure while writing and making avoidable mistakes, start working on it in good time and don’t put it off.

This content has been translated automatically.