UNL students win American Advertising Federation district competition

            For the fourth year in a row, students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications took home first place in the District 9 American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Competition April 20 in Kansas City, Mo.

            Nebraska will compete for the national title in Austin, Texas, June 2-5 during the annual AAF conference. The ninth district represents advertising clubs and American Advertising Federations in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas.

            "UNL's team keeps on winning. In just eight years of competing in NSAC, UNL has won first place four times," said Ruth Brown, advertising and public relations sequence head. "That speaks volumes about the students' -- and advisers' -- passion, knowledge, capability and motivation."

            This is the 39th year the competition has provided college students with real-world advertising experience by requiring a strategic advertising/marketing/media campaign for a corporate sponsor.

            The competiton challenged AAF college chapter teams to focus on the Nissan brand as it relates to multicultural audiences, expanding upon Nissan's innovation theme. Brown called it the "most complex, formidable challenge ever issued for the NSAC."

            The competition required AAF college chapter members to develop a 32-page marketing campaign and 20-minute presentation in response to a case study co-authored by Nissan Americas and the AAF Academic Division.

            Phil Willet, an assistant professor of advertising, said, "The judges called UNL's campaign 'brilliant' and 'genius.'" The judges awarded UNL a perfect score on the presentation and named team member Hans Christensen of Johnson as the best male presenter. Willet is the adviser and instructor for the project.

            This is the eighth consecutive year that UNL has entered what is considered the premier college advertising competition. Nationwide more than 150 colleges and universities take on the challenge in district competitions at 15 locations nationwide.

            Nebraska will compete for the national title against winning teams from Penn State University, Syracuse University, Texas A&M University-College Station, Texas Christian University, University of Virginia, University of Miami, Ohio University, Butler University, Grand Valley State University, University of Alabama, Southwest University of Visual Arts-Albuquerque and the University of California, Berkeley.

            The 2011-2012 NSAC team members by hometown, and the roles they played:

NEBRASKA

            Bellevue: Sara Smits, media director.

            Bennington: Dana Oltman, art director.

            Humboldt: Michelle Pineda, account coordinator/project manager/public relations.

            Johnson: Hans Christensen, account services.

            Kearney: Bingjie Zhao, media planner.

            Lincoln: Zee Chiweshe, account planner/public relations; Nolan Gauthier, copywriter; Dylan McCaugherty, interactive designer/writer; Abby Meyer, film; Tim Obermueller, copywriter; and Russell Troxel, copywriter.

            North Platte: Jana Schneider, account planner/public relations.

            Omaha: Dennis Bukowski, art director; Calvin Drey, account planner/project manager; Kevin McCaskill, account supervisor; Rance Ristau, project manager; Landon Stahmer, creative director; and Ashley Turner, account planner.

            Scottsbluff: Paul Henderson, account planner.

            Sidney: Megan Homolka, copywriter/media planner.

            Wayne: Maddie Jager, art director.

ELSEWHERE

            Pensacola, Fla.: Tayler Thomas, account planner/media planner/public relations.

            Sioux Falls, S.D.: Chelsey Wahlstrom, account planner/public relations.

Writer: Marilyn Hahn