South Dakota State University was awarded second place overall at the District 8 National Student Advertising Competition held in Minneapolis, Minn., this April. Nine universities competed in the regional competition held by the American Advertising Federation. First place went to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. 

Glidden paint sponsored the annual competition and asked students to create a campaign to increase awareness and consideration for their paint offered in Walmart stores. Twenty-seven senior advertising majors from SDSU participated.

“Glidden’s challenge pushed us to learn more about shopper marketing, which is prevalent in Walmart,” said Emily Murtha. 

SDSU’s student agency, New Tab Marketing, presented their ‘My Mix. Make Yours With Glidden’ campaign. Presenters included Amelia Thompson, Doland, SD; Daniel Roberts, Milwaukee, Wis.; Emily Murtha, Parkston, S.D.; Justin Larson, DeSmet, S.D.; and Tiffany Mennis, Brookings, S.D.

Their campaign focused on traditional, social and Walmart media elements; shopper marketing components; digital in-store innovations, including touchscreens and a self-serve paint mixing station; and a Color Run promotion event. 

New Tab Marketing also received recognition for their out-of-the-box research after completing 27 do-it-yourself projects with the client’s product.

 “I never thought of painting my mom’s old dresser and analyzing my personal experience as marketing research, but it was a great way to gain insight into the planning and buying process,” said Angela Berry. “It made the project personal.”

This competition is part of SDSU’s Department of Journalism & Mass Communication capstone advertising campaigns course. 

 “We like challenging our seniors with this project, because it is a realistic case study judged by professionals,” said Roxanne Lucchesi, SDSU adviser. “It provides a dose of real world experience prior to graduation.” 

It is the most prestigious competition in the industry and is highly regarded among professionals as an opportunity to gain real-world experience.