May 9, 2000
KALAMAZOO -- For the second consecutive year, students from Western Michigan University nabbed the top honors in a national advertising design competition.
Two student teams from the University claimed first and third place in the Yellow Pages Publishers Association Creative Competition, earning $7,500 in prize money that will be split between the students and WMU's Department of Marketing in the Haworth College of Business.
The competition, which drew 262 entries from 38 schools around the nation, required teams to design three print ads in various sizes, give a written analysis of the students' creative strategy and provide a 30-second audio recording of a talking Yellow Pages ad for a fictional Manhattan sporting goods store.
The first place team members, who were awarded $2,500 for their entry, included Jamie Giar of Middleville, Mich., an advertising and promotion major; Stephen Hein of Lansing, Mich., an advertising and promotion major; and Natalie Oblak of Kalamazoo, an advertising and promotion major. The WMU Department of Marketing also received a matching $2,500 prize.
Third place went to the WMU team comprised of Joshua Brcka of Paw Paw, Mich., an advertising and promotion major; Sarah Preston of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., an advertising and promotion major and member of the Lee Honors College; and Suat Ying Teo of Johor Bahru, Malaysia, a telecommunications management major. They shared a $1,000 prize, with the department also receiving that amount.
The student teams entered the competition as part of a senior level marketing class in creative strategy instructed by Dr. Betty J. Parker, assistant professor of marketing. This was the second time WMU students entered the four-year-old contest. In 1999, the University's teams also captured first and third places, along with an honorable mention. The YPPA award is the latest in a long string of state and national awards secured by WMU's advertising and promotion students.
"I enjoy teaching the principles of creative strategy by participating in national contests," says Parker. "The awards and recognition are great motivators for students to do excellent work. The recognition we consistently receive has also enhanced the prestige of our advertising and promotion program among the advertising industry, other universities and incoming students."
The winning entries can be viewed at <www.yppa.org>.
Media contact: Jessica English, 616 387-8400, email@example.com
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA