The competition requires AAF college chapter members to develop a 32-page marketing campaign and 20-minute presentation in response to a real-world case study co-authored by the Glidden brand and the AAF Academic Division. The case study will focus on the Glidden brand as it relates to increasing customer awareness at Walmart stores and driving purchasing behavior among the various Glidden products that are available at the retailer’s 3,200+ stores across the country. Each student team will first participate at the district level, and then winning teams will advance to the national level. Student teams will pitch their campaign to a judging panel selected by the sponsor during the AAF’s National Conference, the annual ADMERICA!, to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, June 5-8, 2013.
”We’re excited to be tapping into some of the country’s brightest, most creative and innovative student marketers to help us address this real opportunity for the Glidden brand,” said Rob Horton, vice president of North American marketing for AkzoNobel, makers of Glidden paint. “The opportunity to communicate Glidden’s brand message to the more than 120-million people who visit a Walmart store each week has endless possibilities; the challenge, though, is for the students to hone in our target audience and deliver a breakthrough marketing strategy that inspires and drives action.”
The AAF has 15 districts with over 200 college chapters represented. Last year, 152 AAF college chapters competed at the district level, and it is anticipated that that number will increase in 2013.
“Having the Glidden brand as our NSAC sponsor will be a new challenge for our college chapter members since the program has not had a client in this category before. Paint products are highly relevant to the millennial market with it being a top of mind home décor option for dorm rooms, apartments, and even possibly, first home purchases. We look forward to having our students help Glidden build the type of brand loyalty that will stay among this core market as they transition through their lives,” states Constance Cannon Frazier, Chief Operating Officer, AAF.
The AAF and client sponsor are anxious to see what new innovative ideas the students have in store to target the millennial market. Year after year, the quality of work and level of creativity surpasses the previous year, and sponsors have been known to implement the ideas generated by these impressive, high-caliber student teams.
To learn more about how to start an AAF college chapter and participate in the NSAC, please visit www.aaf.org/education.
About Glidden® paint
The Glidden® paint brand offers a rich tradition of innovation and color inspiration, having consistently embodied quality and performance for generations of customers. From the first latex paints that were developed and marketed under the Glidden brand decades ago, to today’s broad assortment of versatile paints, Glidden paint makes it easy for consumers and paint contractors alike to turn inspiration into action and add color to people’s lives. Available nationwide at The Home Depot, Walmart, company-owned Glidden Professional Paint Center stores and other fine retailers. Glidden paint is a brand of AkzoNobel, the world’s largest paint and coatings company.
About AkzoNobel’s North American Decorative Paints Business
Within its North American Decorative Paints business, AkzoNobel produces a portfolio of well-respected brands, including Glidden®, Glidden Professional™, Dulux®/Bétonel®, CIL®, Sico®, Ralph Lauren® and Devoe® paints; Flood®, Sikkens® and Synteko® wood care products; plus LIQUID NAILS® adhesives and Mulco® adhesives and caulks. Products are sold through company stores, national retail outlets, distributors and independent dealers throughout the region as well as exported internationally.
Ralph Lauren® is owned by PRL USA Holdings, Inc. and used under license.
About the American Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation (AAF), the nation’s oldest national advertising trade association, and the only association representing all facets of the advertising industry, is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” The AAF also has 15 district operations, each located in and representing a different region of the nation. The AAF’s membership is comprised of nearly 100 blue chip corporate members comprising the nation’s leading advertisers, advertising agencies, and media companies; a national network of nearly 200 local federations, representing 40,000 advertising professionals, located in ad communities across the country; and more than 200 AAF college chapters, with over 6,500 student members. The AAF operates a host of programs and initiatives including the Advertising Hall of Fame, the ADDY Awards, the National Student Advertising Competition, the Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism, and summer Ad Camps for high school students in Chicago and Washington. For more information on the full range of AAF programming, visit the AAF’s website at www.aaf.org.