Student advertising competition to award internships

Grand Valley State University students are aiming to win the admiration of local advertising professionals during the fourth annual Yardsticks advertising competition.

Yardsticks, a student advertising competition held in West Michigan, allows entrants to work as individuals or in groups to develop a marketing campaign for a local business. All competitors work from the same strategy brief and target audience profile provided by the selected client. This year students will develop a campaign for The Hotel Kitchen, which produces and sells various sauces under the direction of Josef Huber, chef for the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids.

Submissions will be presented by students from multiple West Michigan colleges at the public event Thursday, October 30, at 7 p.m. in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel’s Gerald R. Ford Presidential Ballroom.

Creative directors, designers and marketing officers from various companies and organizations will attend the event as judges and to provide networking opportunities for students.

Frank Blossom, coordinator of Yardsticks and affiliate professor of advertising and public relations at Grand Valley, said the judges will first review and critique all 30 entries during the October 30 event. Then, they will narrow the field down to the top 10 for a second round of presentations. After round two, the best four entries will receive awards and the opportunity to work as a team interning with The Hotel Kitchen and the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel while combining their individual campaigns into one idea.

“Yardsticks provides something beyond the classroom: a chance to make something, get noticed, get nervous and present in front of peers and professionals,” said Blossom. “It’s something I and other advertising professionals wish we had when we were in school and it’s a launching pad for careers in advertising.”