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SFA Advertising Students Bring Home Award
Sylvia Bierschenk - May 6, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Advertising students from Stephen F. Austin State University received a special award at the district level of the American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Competition held April 16 through 18 in Dallas.
Competing against 15 other university teams from Texas and Oklahoma, SFA's eight-member team was singled out for the campaign they created for marketing the AOL instant messaging system to the Y generation.
"They had the most amazing web design that I have seen in a really long time," announced judge Amanda Brinkman to hundreds of advertising students and professionals at the awards ceremony. She also commented on the team's "phenomenal" logo design and complimented the logo's name, Guru, because "it tied right into the strategy of creating the identity for the whole thing. It was a really great thing."
"This was an incredible experience for the students, working together as a small advertising agency," said Chris Ingersoll, the students' instructor. "The competition gave them an opportunity to see what they will go through in the real world of advertising."
Tony Sanchez, Nacogdoches senior who was responsible for the graphics and web design, said the experience drove him further than he has ever been driven before as he furthered his skills and strove to accomplish the task with the team.
Junior Amie Jones of Lufkin, another team member, said she was impressed by the caliber of the judges. The students made their presentation before Mark Hadley, an account director for AOL; Beverly Ingle, senior vice-president of the international public relations firm Guerra DeBerry Coody of San Antonio; Brinkman, vice-president of Creative Services of United Health Group of Minneapolis; and Rik Shiiki, president/creative director of Shiiki and Sichler, Inc., a multimedia marketing agency in Portland, Ore.
"SFA is fortunate to have such creative, hard-working and dedicated students! Their portfolio work is professional," said Peter Andrew, SFA professor of art and the team's advisor. "I am grateful for the assistance the team received from marketing faculty members Dr. Marlene Kahla and Barbara Bieber-Hamby and marketing student Vivian Alvarez. I look forward to more interdisciplinary collaboration between Art, Marketing and Communication."Team members included Sanchez, Jones, sophomore Holly Nelson of Cushing and juniors Jonathan Abowd of Pearland, Trevor Connolly of Carrollton, Matt Griffin of Linden, Allie Jackson of Austin and Brandon Mason of Houston.