Advertising Students Head To Kansas City To Compete For Top National Honors

6-5-97
University Park, Pa. -- For the first time, students representing Penn State's College of Communications will travel to compete with 11 other schools for top honors in the American Advertising Federation's national advertising competition, the most important student advertising competition in the United States. The event will take place on Sunday, June 15 in Kansas City at AAF's annual convention.

In April, the students won the 1997 District II competition in New York City, beating out teams from 17 colleges from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The team, composed of 21 students, prepared a 40-page marketing plan and a comprehensive advertising and public relations campaign for Pizza Hut, this year's client. Graduating seniors Elizabeth Allan, Catherine Bol, Steve O'Connell, Kristi Pietragallo and Amy Roy presented the group's campaign to win the competition.

In addition to participating in the national competition, each of the five presenters received a $4,000 work scholarship and an internship at a top New York agency. The students credit adviser Chuck McMellon, assistant professor of communications, with a large measureof their success.

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Contact: Angie Bolton (814) 865-8801 (office) aab7@psu.edu