By Caeli Rice
We are excited to share some outstanding news from our talented Gaylord College students. In Spring 2022, students in our advanced advertising portfolio class embarked on a creative journey that has resulted in remarkable recognition. Within this class, students were tasked with selecting a product or service, emphasizing a charitable or public service angle. The goal was to create compelling and impactful campaigns that not only honed their skills but also offered real value to a deserving cause.
Art directors Madeline Campion and Carlie Langlois joined forces with copywriter Skylar Gardner for their campaign that focuses on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and draws attention to the work of the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC). These dedicated students conducted their research, developed their creative strategies, crafted media mixes, and conceptualized campaigns from scratch. They presented their ideas for critique and evaluation, both by professors and peers, refining their work to perfection. The most exceptional campaigns were chosen for submission to local and national award competitions.
Gaylord College is thrilled to announce that their hard work paid off.
The campaign won Gold in the "Student Integrated Advertising Campaign" category and “Best of Show”—Student award at the 2023 American Advertising Awards Competition in Oklahoma City.
But the accolades didn't stop there!
The students also took home the “Student Impact Award” at the National Mosaic Awards for their campaign called "This Hand” in New York City. These talented students, in the event of outstanding recognition, hope to offer their campaign's creative resources to the NIWRC in Lame Deer, Montana, potentially making a nationwide impact with their work.
Professor Ray Claxton joined the students on their trip and summed up his feelings about the event.
"I was thrilled by how positively the professional community received our students and their work at the Mosaic Awards Gala. It was amazing to see the students being treated like rock stars by industry giants like WPP, Publicis, VMLY&R, R/GA, Grey, Meta, and Amazon. They received well-deserved attention and praise, and I couldn't be prouder of them,” he said.
Claxton's JMC 4233 Advertising Portfolio collaborates with Professor Thomas Patten's JMC Advanced Copywriting course to create new mini-campaigns for their portfolios. These projects offer future art directors/designers and copywriters the chance to work as part of a creative team and build solid portfolio pieces.
The students expressed that they learned the power of letting passion and personal connections drive their work. This realization sparked commitment among the team to put the utmost effort in executing their campaign.
“Our motivation was clear; we aimed to do justice for the women and indigenous community,” said Madeline Campion.
They are also on a mission to inspire their peers.
"In advertising, we have an extraordinary platform to make a real impact on people's lives. Pour your heart into every campaign, and you'll be surprised where it might lead,” said Skylar Gardner.
Carli Langlois echoes this, offering advice to future students: "When you take the Portfolio class and embark on similar projects, choose something you're truly passionate about. The opportunities we've had through the American Advertising Federation have been incredible, and we're grateful to both Gaylord and the AAF for making this possible."
We are incredibly proud of their dedication, creativity, and the impact they have made. Stay tuned for more exciting updates and success stories from our students and alumni!
