A team of students in the UNM Anderson School of Management’s advertising campaign course took home first place and a $5,000 prize in a national fintech marketing competition sponsored by EdVenture Partners.
The team’s challenge was to identify the right branding, messaging, marketing channels and product strategy for an all-in-one financial app aimed at helping young adults take control of their finances. To meet the challenge, students in the class developed a campaign (The Smart Way to Spend, Save and Invest Your Money) that included digital video and social media activations across multiple platforms.
Students who were part of the team included Justin Abel, Nicholas Havens, Mateo Iliohan, Carlos López, Kieron Magee, David Martinez, Noah McDonald, Kai Nakamura, Jennifer Nguyen, Dominique Ortega, Cassandra Ruiz, Zachary Weiss and Devin Wolfel.
Image of the McKinnon Building
The $5,000 cash prize will support the Rick and Debbie Johnson Marketing Lab, a state-of-the-art learning studio for students enrolled in advertising campaigns and social media marketing courses at the Anderson School.
Professor John Benavidez states that student success begins in the classroom. “Our classes prioritize hands-on experience in market research, strategy development and creative execution, giving our students a competitive edge. Numerous judges have praised our students for developing highly effective messaging strategies and data-driven creative.”
The win builds on UNM’s long history of excellence in competitive learning. Since 2005, the marketing program has won eleven first places, five second places and two honorable mentions in national collegiate marketing competitions.
“The most important thing is that we have always received outstanding support from UNM to succeed,” Benavidez said as he credited the success of UNM’s investment in the Rick and Debbie Johnson Marketing Lab. “The Marketing Lab gives students access to the same tools used by blue-chip multinationals, advertising agencies and media companies to perform in-depth analysis of markets and develop integrated marketing communications campaigns.”
The Rick and Debbie Johnson Marketing Lab mirrors the hands-on experiences available in this state-of-the-art facility that promotes the learning of valuable business skills such as negotiation, persuasion, motivation and more. Rick and Debbie Johnson were the owners of the state’s best-known and longest-running advertising agency, Rick Johnson and Company founded in 1977. The name comes from the fact that out-of-the-box ideas and thoughts can be created in a laboratory. Benefactor Debbie Johnson says the Marketing Lab is modeled after a conference room in Johnson’s advertising agency called the “creative kitchen,” where the creative staff “crafted” strategies and ideas.
For more information, visit the Rick and Debbie Johnson Marketing Lab.
