Students of Iowa State’s advertising campaigns class, ADVRT 434, spent the year developing advertising strategies for NASCAR, culminating in an end-of-the-year competition in the Student Innovation Center Launchpad.
Students were split into two advertising agencies, each developing a campaign and competing for the best product. Each group consisted of nine participants who took on different aspects of the challenge of developing an advertising campaign.
The competition was judged by Matt Nordby, the managing director of communications at NASCAR and a member of the Greenlee Advisory Council, Michael Dahlstrom, the director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communications and Catherine Huggins, assistant teaching professor in advertising.
Nordby said the competitive element of the presentation fits right into the real world, where advertising agencies compete for business with high-level clients.
Michael Dahlstrom and Matt Nordby pictured after students’ presentations, remarking on the quality of information proposed by each team. (Jack McClellan)
“So, a bit of a real-world scenario, which is kind of fun, right?” Nordby said. “But, I mean, at the core of it, I’m an ISU grad and passionate about Iowa State. And I just love being able to do something like this — come back years later and work with the students.”
Nordby said he likes the idea of paying it forward and helping students with their professional development the same way others helped him when he was a student.
“It’s been fun to work with them throughout the entire semester and answer questions and provide feedback,” Nordby said. “You know, hopefully, it was a good mock trial run. It’s something that could be a real-world for them one day when they step into the professional world.”
Both student agencies chose to center their advertising campaign around the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, set to take place in early July 2023. The agencies’ main focuses were attracting a more diverse demographic and becoming more relevant within Generation Z.
The student advertising agency, 9th G.E.A.R., presented first with ideas like developing short-form video content for social media, making deals with popular influencers, and viral stunts like using NASCAR drivers in random Uber rides or an augmented reality bus stop advertisement.
9th G.E.A.R. also suggested participating in the Chicago Pride Parade to show their support for the LGBTQ community and show off some of the stock cars before the race.
FastLane was the second student advertising agency to present, offering similar means of attracting new and diverse audiences.
Jack McClellan
FastLane suggested embracing connections with other professional sports like the NBA or NFL, promoting their Chicago event through Chicago-based musicians like Chance the Rapper and Brett Eldredge and promoting the event through the video game NASCAR Heat.
All of the judges were very complimentary of each group and their presentations. The competition winner was FastLane, with a score of 1,413 out of 1,500, and 9th G.E.A.R. followed shortly behind with 1,400 out of 1,500.
Dahlstrom said having the opportunity to work on a project with real-world significance throughout the semester is great for students who plan to get into the professional world soon.
“That’s what the Greenlee school really tries to do,” Dahlstrom said. “We’re a professional school, so it’s not just to learn about it — it’s to be able to do it, so you can integrate with the profession. So, these are the types of classes, they’…….