South Dakota State students win District 8

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BROOKINGS — A team of 21 South Dakota State University advertising students - including one from Huron - won first place in the District 8 American Advertising Federation National Student Advertising Competition April 22 in Minneapolis.

The competition included seven teams in a four-state area, which included South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.

“I loved seeing how people took the same information and turned it into completely different ideas,” said Rachael Bour, a senior adverstising major from Eagan, Minnesota.
The team also received an Olson Award for Best Community Engagement for their retail campaign strategies.

“Our group effort required a lot of research and planning,” said Allison Chamberlain, a senior advertising major from Aberdeen. “The judges liked our out-of-the-box thinking, thought-out tactics and fun quarterly promotions. It was great to see it all pay off.”


The class developed a fully digital campaign for the widely known frozen entrée brand, Tai Pei, for their senior capstone research and campaigns classes within the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. SDSU Professor Roxanne Lucchesi advised the project.

The students pitched their campaign to a set of three national advertising professionals who represented the brand. The four presenters who represented the team were: Jacy Glazier, senior, advertising major, Brookings; D’Shaun Herman, senior, advertising major, Ellsworth, Minnesota; James Dykes, a senior adverstising major from Tea; and Clarke Sanders, senior, advertising major, Plymouth, Minnesota.

The students will be competing again in the semifinal competition May 4-5 via a conference call with three regional judges. There will be a five-minute pitch followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers.

SDSU students will be one of 19 teams competing for eight spots at the national competition, which will take place June 7-10 in New Orleans.

“This is a fun and meaningful way for these students to end their undergraduate college careers,” Lucchesi said. “We are looking forward to the semifinals.

“We feel this is the best capstone experience we can offer our advertising students,” Lucchesi said. The sponsor provides a real-world case study, and partners, which include AdMall, Kantar Media, Simmons, Nielsen and iResearch, provide students with access to industry tools. Additionally, professionals judge the students’ work.

“I met a lot of influential people in the workforce that I now have strong connections with who will help guide me with my future career,” said Julia Bodnaruk, a graphic design major and senior who is formerly from Lakeville, Minnesota.
About NSAC:
NSAC offers insights and experience into a real-world experience and helps prepare students for their next steps after graduation. Students develop a marketing plan and then pitch their work to advertising professionals at the district, semifinal and national levels.

About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from six different colleges representing nearly 200 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 35 master’s degree programs, 15 Ph.D. and two professional programs.

The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state.

For more information visit    www.sdstate.edu.