ISU’s National Student Advertising Competition Team Places First in District-level Competition

Idaho State University’s National Student Advertising Competition team placed first in their regional competition this spring, competing with universities in Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

The students spent the spring semester preparing a fully integrated marketing campaign for a major, real-world client - the popular online job board, Indeed. From start to finish, all of the research, creative concepts, media planning, events/sponsorships/partnerships, and public relations efforts were student initiated and produced.  This year’s competition included Boise State University, BYU-Idaho, ISU, the University of Oregon, the University of Idaho, and Washington State University. 

“NSAC has given me a lot of great experience and I’ve learned to be really versatile, and to actually learn how to work in a mock agency has been really important,” said Riella Batson. “I was able to be in positions that I wasn’t comfortable in, but I ended up flourishing in, because I was able to explore different qualities and skills I didn’t know I had. I’ve made a lot of friends and I’ve built strong personal and professional relationships through this class.”

In addition to winning first place, the team was also awarded three Ad Star Awards for Best Use of Research to Identify Audience Insights, Best Overall Media Plan, and Best Single-Minded Idea that Connects to Indeed’s Key Message. The Ad Star Awards are People’s Choice Awards that are voted on by the audience throughout the competition. 

In addition to presenting their campaign to a panel of judges and meeting students from the other schools, ISU’s team also participated in agency tours and attended a panel discussion with several advertising professionals from the Spokane area. The opportunity to connect with industry professionals is one of many benefits of participating in the competition.

"Being there in-person not only reaffirmed marketing is where I’m meant to be, but also gave me memories I'll hold dear for the rest of my life,” said Katie Morgan.

The 2023 NSAC team, led by advisors Amanda Bennett and Jessamyn Skutches, included: Marly Ausman, Riella Batson, Sean Betz, Katie England, Madison Johnson, Houston Jones, Mary marshall, Kyler Mascheck, Jacob Mayes, Beatrice Min Fa, Gracie Peer, Aurora Perley, Shayla Rowe, Saybree Swanson, and Savannah Wootan-Ullery. 

These students are from the Communication, Media, and Persuasion department in the College of Arts and Letters, as well as from the Marketing department in the College of Business at ISU.

“NSAC has meant a lot to me and has been a really great learning opportunity for me, but more importantly it’s taught me how to work as a team,” said Kyler Maschek. “Every person in your team has a different part to play, but as long as you’re trusting in your team it can be really great in the end.”

The National Student Advertising Competition, in association with the American Advertising Federation, is the premier college advertising competition that provides more than 2,000 college students the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising/marketing/media campaign for a corporate client. Students develop a marketing plan and then pitch their work to advertising professionals at the district, semi-final, and national levels.