Two Advertising Students Create TV Ads for Nokia and Win a Trip to the Sugar Bowl

Margaret Duffy Strategic Communication Chair

Dallas (Dec. 18, 2003) -- Two Missouri School of Journalism students have been chosen as the Fall 2003 Nokia ADvantage advertising competition winners from the Missouri School of Journalism.

Michael Spear of St. Louis, Mo., and Jamie Kitsis of St. Louis, were awarded all-expense paid trips to the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl national championship game in New Orleans. Runners-up Mary Dreyer of St. Louis, and Lauren Curry of Plano, Texas, received Nokia 3200 phones.

Heidi Robnett, product marketing manager for Nokia, presents a $10,000 donation to Jack Smith, professor of the broadcast advertising course.

"We're very proud of our students here at the Missouri School of Journalism, and we're exceptionally pleased when their work is recognized by world-class organizations such as Nokia. This project exemplifies the Missouri Method where students learn by doing," noted Margaret Duffy, chair of the Advertising Department.

Nokia advertising executives visited the Missouri campus in early December to review the student ads and select a winner. In addition to the team prize, Nokia presented the School with a $10,000 donation. The Missouri students, led by Jack Smith, spent the last three months developing and creating TV ads for Nokia as part of their broadcast advertising course. Smith, a former worldwide creative director for Leo Burnett, serves as the professor for the course.

Missouri served as the pilot school for Nokia's college advertising program. Of the work produced by the students, two television ads created by two student teams were produced by Nokia and ran on national television shows such as American Idol, VH1 and MTV.

The nationwide Nokia ADvantage student advertising competition provides college seniors the opportunity to develop real TV commercials for new Nokia products. Students are responsible for all aspects of ad creation from copy writing to actual video production. Also participating in the Nokia ADvantage competition were senior advertising students from Southern Methodist University, the University of Colorado and the University of Texas.

Founded in 1908, the Missouri School of Journalism has set the standards for journalism and strategic communication training for almost a century. The proven "Missouri Method" blends theory and practice through coursework and the university's own media, including a community newspaper, a network television station and a national public radio station.