ETSU placed fourth overall at the National Student Advertising Competition held on April 8 at the Millennium Center in Johnson City.

LSU won first place, followed by Alabama and Lee University.  This was the first stage of the NSAC competitions. The overall winner at the end of all stages of the competition will provide the advertisements for Snapple for 2017.

“Every district has their own competition, and the first place winner of each district goes to the regional competition,” said ETSU team member Sarah DeWitt.

The American Advertising Federation, along with a major corporate client chosen yearly, asks student groups at colleges across the nation to provide them with a marketing campaign.

The goal of the competition is to judge these students on how well they are able to overcome problems associated with advertising and develop an integrated marketing campaign for the client.

The National Student Advertising Competition is a course ETSU offers, so preparation begins at the beginning of the spring semester.

“They provide us with a case study,” said faculty adviser Megan Fannon. “We look over that information, then we start to determine what areas are lacking so that we can then start to build a campaign.”

Any school that is affiliated with the American Advertising Federation and has a Mass Communications or Communications Department is allowed to participate in the competition.

This year, competitors from across the southeast region traveled to ETSU to present their campaigns.

The students put in countless hours of hard work and effort in preparation for the event.

Along with the research during class periods, ETSU’s marketing team rehearsed every night for two weeks to prepare their presentation, a campaign for Snapple.

Although it is part of an offered class, the team independently comes up with a creative idea.

“This particular client looked for an integrated marketing communication plan which meant to integrate all levels of advertising, as well as public relations,” Fannon said.

The team agreed that this class and the competition affiliated with it is one of the most real-life experiences offered at ETSU.

“This is the closest thing to a real-life experience you can get without actually working for the client,” DeWitt said.

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  • Kayla Strong

    Kayla Strong is a Gate City, Virginia, native completing her last few semesters of her undergraduate work at ETSU. She has recently found a passion for writing, which triggered her decision to join the staff of the East Tennessean as a writer and photographer. Strong is hardworking and likes to stay busy and organized. When she isn't in school or working, she's outdoors hiking and camping in nature. She likes to plan trips with friends and family, and once the day is done, she loves to get home to see her two cats, Fluffy and Marisa. Strong will graduate in December with a double major in history and biology.

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