Five MSU students were selected as finalists to present their work to DaimlerChrysler AG and its advertising agencies at the 2001 American Advertising Conference in Cleveland.
At the conference, which took place Sunday through Tuesday, teams were responsible for putting together a full advertising campaign, including TV advertisements, print advertisements and public relations, for DaimlerChrysler. Each team had 20 minutes to present its campaign to a committee.
Members of MSU’s advertising team are seniors Ted Roumanis and Andy Robinson, juniors Kate Jacobs and Casey Ingle and spring 2001 graduate Liz Zang.This is the fifth time advertising Professor Bruce Vanden Bergh has taken a team to the finals, and he said this has been his best group.
“Definitely,” Vanden Bergh said of his team. “They have good chemistry.”
MSU made the finals after finishing first in its district of the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition on April 20 in Southfield.
In Cleveland, MSU placed fifth out of 16 teams, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison winning the competition. But, MSU’s fate came as a surprise to many of the people taking part in the conference.
“Most of the people at the conference thought we had won,” Vanden Bergh said.
Despite not placing as high as they wanted to, members of the advertising team said the competition was a positive experience.
“It was a great experience,” Ingle said. “We would have liked to place higher, but a great experience.
“We were very confident about the campaign; it was really solid.”
Roumanis said the team was focused and went into the competition with a businesslike approach.
“We were a very energetic group,” he said. “We were focused on engaging the judges and showing them that we are very professional although we’re college students.”
Although Cleveland didn’t equal a first-place finish, Vanden Bergh said work will begin on next year’s campaign when the group returns to East Lansing. The team already knows the client, Bank of America, and the returning members are ready for their next obstacle.
“We’re excited,” Vanden Bergh said. “We know the clients. We’re always looking to the next challenge.”
