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McIntire Team Places Third in National AAF Competition

McIntire was one of 18 teams to advance to the finals and present its campaign to Glidden’s senior marketing executives.

The student team from Professor Jack Lindgren’s “Advertising Campaigns,” which won the American Advertising Federation’s Regional Student Advertising Competition in April 2013, recently placed third in the prestigious AAF National Student Advertising Competition in Phoenix.

NSAC, “the premier college advertising competition in the nation,” challenges students “to think critically and develop high-level integrated marketing campaigns for some of the country’s most recognizable brands,” according to the AAF. Corporate sponsors have turned to AAF’s collegiate members for 40 years for fresh ideas and insight on today’s consumers.

This year, NSAC 2013 sponsor Glidden challenged AAF college chapter members to develop an integrated multiplatform marketing effort to increase sales of Glidden paint at Walmart among three different customer segments: do-it-yourself (DIY) renters, current Walmart paint shoppers, and DIYers who already shop Walmart home products categories but do not currently purchase paint in Walmart. McIntire was one of 18 teams to advance to the finals and present its campaign to Glidden’s senior marketing executives.

“The quality and depth of work that all the students demonstrated both at nationals and across all 144 participating schools speak volumes about the talent, creativity, and energy that the future generation of marketers possesses,” said Eric Stasiowski, Director of Communications for PPG Industries, parent company of Glidden. “What we saw were well-thought-out plans backed by insight and strategic thought that ultimately yielded some very real implementable ideas.”

Lindgren’s entire class prepared for the competition during the spring semester, sending the team of five students—Zane Chao (McIntire ’13), Kevin Rankin (McIntire ’13), Chris Rannefors (McIntire ’13), Brooke Schuler (A&S ’13), and Katie White (McIntire ’13)—to present a campaign developed for Glidden that featured traditional print; TV and radio; as well digital, social, and other non-traditional communications and many in-store executions to reach the Walmart shopper at the point-of-sale, all in an effort to increase awareness and sales of Glidden paint in Walmart.

“Finishing third in the NSAC is an amazing accomplishment and a tribute to all of the students in the class and the countless hours they put into creating this national award-winning campaign,” said McIntire Marketing Professor Carrie Heilman, who is taking over the “Advertising Campaigns” course from Lindgren (Lindgren taught the course for over 30 years and retired at the end of the spring 2013 semester). “It’s also a fitting way for Jack to finish up his career teaching this class. There is no faculty adviser in the country with a stronger track record in the NSAC than Jack. His legacy will live on in this class, and I have some very big shoes to fill as I take over this exciting program.”

Virginia Advertising (the brand name of the advertising agency formed by the class) has had unprecedented success in the competition, winning at the regional (district) level for the past 11 consecutive years and placing in the top eight at the national level every year during that time, including a first-place win (2006), two second-place wins (2004 and 2005), two third-place wins (2008 and 2013), and a fourth-place win (2003) (see below; McIntire also finished first in 1982).

McIntire’s Finishes in AAF’s National Student Advertising Competition, 2003-2013
2013 Third place (campaign for Glidden)
2012 Seventh place (campaign for Nissan)
2011 Fifth place and winner of Best Market Research (campaign for JCPenney)
2010 Sixth place (campaign for State Farm)
2009 Eighth place (campaign for The Century Council)
2008 Third place and winner of Most Creative Award (campaign for AOL)
2007 Sixth place (campaign for Coca-Cola)
2006 First place (campaign for Postal Vault)
2005 Second place (campaign for Yahoo!)
2004 Second place (campaign for VISIT FLORIDA)
2003 Fourth place (campaign for Toyota Motor Sales)

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