The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's team placed third at the District 9 American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) held in Kansas City on April 19. The regional competitors come from colleges and universities in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. Seven schools competed at this year’s competition.
Each year, a selected client provides a brief that outlines the history of its product and a strategic challenge they are facing. The teams of students research the company and its competition and devise a fully integrated marketing campaign to address the challenge set forth in the brief.
In April, the students presented their campaign to a panel of judges at their corresponding district competition. The 2024 client was P&G/Tide.
For seven months, the UNL team delved into the world of Tide and its competitors, conducted extensive research, identified potential areas of opportunity for the brand and then created a fully integrated marketing campaign that was presented before a panel of judges at the district competition.
"Creating a campaign for a client like Tide was a great experience. They gave us a great brief and a lot to work with but allowed us to be creative with our concepts and how to reach our audience,” said Henry Crocker, NSAC Team account planner and presenter. “Working with such a well-known brand also helped me learn how to create a campaign while still taking a company's core values into consideration. Overall, it was a great experience.”
Nebraska’s team was made up of students from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts and the College of Business.
"We believe in providing students with hands-on, real-world experiences that prepare them for success in their chosen fields,” said Shari Veil, Jane T. Olson Dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. “NSAC is a prime example of this type of immersive learning, and we are incredibly proud of the team’s achievements.”
The UNL NSAC team advisers are Assistant Professor of Practice Brian Hubbard and Lecturer Diane Krajicek. Jennifer Urich, CEO and co-founder of Sparrow Strategy, also shared her expertise with the team while visiting campus as the Dick Worick Visiting Professor in Market Research.
Following is a list of UNL’s 2023 NSAC team members, listed alphabetically by hometown with their year in school and major(s).
Nebraska
- Beaver City: Madison Henderson, senior, advertising and public relations
- Elkhorn: Henry Crocker, senior, advertising and public relations
- Fort Calhoun: Cole Klabunde, senior, advertising and public relations
- Lincoln: Paige Brophy, senior, advertising and public relations; Caitlyn Gish, senior, advertising and public relations and journalism; Jessica MacDonald, senior, advertising and public relations
- Omaha: Logan Berggren, senior, advertising and public relations and graphic design; Aditi Gunda, senior, advertising and public relations; Johnny Sloboth, senior, graphic design; Bella Syslo, senior, advertising and public relations
- Papillion: Megan Davey, senior, advertising and public relations and journalism; Alexandra Watson, senior, advertising and public relations
Elsewhere
- Marco Island, Florida: Nathan Stewart, senior, marketing
- Elburn, Illinois: Nora Crimmins, junior, advertising and public relations and sports media and communication
- Clive, Iowa: Elizabeth Fischbach, senior, advertising and public relations
- Leawood, Kansas: Luka Ivkovic, senior, advertising and public relations
- Bloomington, Minnesota: Sarah Rosenberg, senior, advertising and public relations
To learn more about the National Student Advertising Competition, visit https://www.aaf.org/Public/Public/Events/National-Student-Advertising-Competition/NSAC_Home.aspx.
