Marketing students among top 10 in Honda nationwide media challenge
Marketing majors Nicole Blaszczyk, Lauren Cavanagh and Alice Oh are cruising their way to the top with a public relations campaign for the new hybrid Honda CR-Z.
In a national competition presented by Edventure Partners and Honda, Wayne State was selected for the top 10 among 30 competing universities and colleges. Joining WSU in the race for first place are Northwood University, Syracuse University, the New England School of Communication and others.
As a part of James Cleary’s media planning course, the students developed a local campaign for the CR-Z, dubbing themselves the “CR-Z Street Team Detroit.”
To get the word out about the CR-Z, the students’ campaign uses social media outlets and special events. Most of the special events incorporate guerilla marketing techniques like “flash mobs” and “chalk branding.” For this campaign, a “Z,” instead of an “X,” marks the spot for information on the vehicle.
Honda visited campus on October 12 to present the students with a brand-new CR-Z. For six weeks, the students will run their media campaign and use the CR-Z to enhance it.
The Street Team also received a Flip camera to document their activities and create promotional videos, plus a $150 gas card to fuel up their CR-Z.
“We were pretty confident that we had a competitive entry,” Media Coordinator Nicole Blaszczyk said. “We’re just excited that our campaign was something Honda deemed as a feasible option to pursue in today’s marketing and ad trends.”
Better Made snack foods donated products for the Street Team to use for their first campaign event, a tailgate flash mob at the University of Michigan’s homecoming game. Wayne State has also stepped up to sponsor the Street Team by donating promotional items.
One of the campaign goals is to engage as many supporters as possible through social media channels. To support the CR-Z Street Team Detroit or to learn more about their upcoming events and activities, check out their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages. Supporters are welcome to provide media or marketing assistance, but no monetary donations can be accepted.
