Tulane School of Professional Advancement students win big at national student advertising competition
The student advertising team from the Tulane School of Professional Advancement (SoPA) Media + Design Program ranked second overall during their first year competing in the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) last month.
NSAC is the premier college advertising competition that provides more than 2,000 college students the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising, marketing, and media campaign for a corporate client.
“To place second in Tulane’s first year competing in NSAC is a considerable feat and a testament to the students and program SoPA has developed,” said Michelle Clarke Payne, SoPA Media + Design adjunct professor. “The team competed against some of the largest schools in the south, but their talent, strategic thinking, and innovative executions earned them one of the top spots in the competition.”
This year’s team, comprised of student members of Tulane SoPA’s Digital Design, Digital Media & Marketing Communication, and Public Relations programs were tasked with creating a strategic advertising campaign for corporate client and job site platform Indeed.
“To place second in Tulane’s first year competing in NSAC is a considerable feat and a testament to the students and program SoPA has developed.”
— Michelle Clarke Payne, SoPA Media + Design adjunct professor
Indeed asked students to develop a strategic campaign centered around increasing usage of their #1 job site among 18 - 24 years olds. In order to address the client's marketing challenge, the team set off to conduct research, identify potential problem areas and devise an integrated advertising campaign.
“The best part of this whole experience was how our team acted as a small agency,” said AJ Durand, a senior studying Interactive Design. “Seeing every piece of the process come together, in the end, was an invaluable experience and an authentic window into the dynamics of the professional world of marketing and advertising.”
The full student team included: Sonya Contino, Grace Ostendorf, Krystal D Gomez, Liza Picini, Weiyi Guo, Nancy Anderson, Rachel Ribando-Gros, and AJ Durand.
In addition to the team prize, one student and one faculty member took home additional wins. AJ Durand, a senior studying Interactive Design, was named Best Presenter. Adjunct professor Michelle Clarke Payne was named Educator of the Year for District 7 recognizing her 20+ years of service to the students within AAF District 7.
