UK Team Wins First Place in Districts of National Student Advertising Competition

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 11, 2016) — A student team from the University of Kentucky Department of Integrated Strategic Communication (ISC) won first place in their district in the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) held April 1, in Columbus, Ohio.

UK competes in AAF District 5, which includes schools in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. Students from more than 200 programs nationwide compete annually in the NSAC. Winners from the 15 AAF districts go on to the semifinal competition, held via video conference May 4; semifinal winners will compete at the national competition June 4-7, in Anaheim, California.

"I am beyond proud of my team and their hard work — winning in District 5 is no small feat," said Adriane Grumbein, assistant ISC professor and advisor to the team. "I am thrilled that I got to be their advisor, and I can’t wait to see how far they go — both in the NSAC and in life."

This year's NSAC sponsor was Snapple. Each team developed a 27-page campaign book and made a 20-minute presentation before a panel of industry judges.

Just like the ISC major, the team's campaign was multi-faceted. It centered a lot of work around public relations efforts and garnering attention for Snapple in new ways. The team spent countless hours conducting primary and secondary research to support the campaign's strategies and tactics. 

“This experience was a true capstone and culmination of the ISC major," said Savanah Sellars, an ISC junior and competition team member. "It was a unique experience to see all of the paths come together to create a cohesive campaign — a true show of team work. Every member of the team worked exceptionally hard and having the opportunity to compete at semifinals is such a reward!"

The integration of "paths" Sellars mentioned is the hallmark of the ISC major at UK. Unlike programs at other schools that generally focus on only advertising or public relations, the students in the integrated strategic communication major learn about the range of promotional communication techniques and how they can best be used together.

"The integrated campaign that this team created for Snapple shows the value of an academic program like ISC," said UK Department of ISC Chair Alyssa Eckman, who also helps advise the team. "The team had students from all our areas of specialization, including direct response, creative advertising, public relations and account management. The commitment to teamwork was really amazing this year, and they proved that a determined group of ISC students can overcome tough challenges and tight deadlines.”

The 2016 UK NSAC team members are:

Kelsey Brosseau

Sarah Carbin

Jacob Ewing

Ryan Girves

Lauren Henrickson

Austin Hohiemer

Rachel Izydorek

Joran Mason

Abigail O’Connor

Kelsey Potter

Ryan Quinn

Garrett Ringler

Savanah Sellars

Sydney Shelton

Seth Stewart 

Rachel Walker

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu