Five Marian University upperclassmen traveled to South Bend, Indiana, for the District Six National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), hosted by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) on April 14-15. A panel of judges ranked 20 university-level AAF chapter teams charged with developing an integrated marketing campaign for the annual corporate sponsor. Marian University placed fourth in District Six, a “mega district” within the AAF.
“This year the sponsor company was Snapple,” said Luke Briggs, the team’s planning and strategic lead. “They were looking to grow brand relevance and purchase frequency across the country.”
Under the guidance of faculty advisor Lori Rumreich, Briggs, alongside fellow classmates Emily Doll (creative lead), Patrick Sanders, Luz Flores, and Alex Boaz created a 26-page campaign plan book and 20-minute live pitch.
“The students found that Snapple was no longer seen as a fun brand by the target market,” said Rumreich. “They created a $50 million social-media-driven campaign with the tagline #liveoffbeat to rejuvenate the quirky Snapple image and increase buying consideration for the Snapple brand. Students created a TV commercial, online videos, a series of print ads, and other creative executions and marketing tactics to bring the campaign alive.”
Here's a look at the commercial they created:
“As one of the class leads this semester, I know how much effort it took to brainstorm and come up with our final campaign idea,” said Doll. “Having the opportunity to showcase and present our team’s work in front of a panel of judges – one even being an exec from Snapple, our client – and other large state schools and universities is an amazing opportunity!”
Marian University has a history of performing well at the NSAC competition. In seven years of competing, the university has placed in the top five all seven years.
Dr. Russ Kershaw, dean of the Byrum School of Business had high praise for this year’s competitors. “Once again, our students’ performance in this competition provides evidence that our unique, hands-on approach to preparing students for the dynamic world of business is working. The experiences that we are providing students in our program are developing their communication, teamwork, and problem solving skills and preparing them to tackle the tough, messy problems and opportunities they will face after they graduate.”
