UC’s Mad Men and Mad Women impress at this year’s Ad Awards

Andy Visser

7 November 2018: There was no crying over spilt milk at this year’s University of Canberra Ad Awards as final year advertising students successfully kicked their final assignments into touch and locked in their client pitches with great enthusiasm.

In its third year, the UC Ad Awards have become hotly contested amongst final year advertising students who put their knowledge to the test for their clients – Lifeline Canberra’s Lock-Up Your Boss campaign, NRL Touch Football ACT and Canberra Milk.

The Awards are the culmination of a semester-long project in which students work in groups to develop campaigns and then pitch them to their clients at the event.

Lecturer in Communication and Media Studies, Mrs Shara Ranasinghe, is the custodian of the Awards that are contributing to developing work-ready graduates that can contribute from the outset in their chosen professional advertising environment.

“The students are required to work on an actual brief, conduct research and pitch their campaign to their clients, which has proven highly beneficial to advancing their careers upon graduation,” said Mrs Ranasinghe.

At the same time, the organisations that participated in this year’s initiative can glean from the pitches and select creative concepts and ideas that could be beneficial to their marketing efforts.

“It’s an integrated learning experience, using advertising concepts and processes that students have been exposed to throughout their degree and applying them to real-life situations,” Mrs Ranasinghe continued.

It was an outstanding pitch for Canberra Milk by ‘The Lab’ that won the majority of the awards this year. Their iconic pitch using cow spots and icons showcased The Lab’s creativity coupled with an understanding of media consumption, meeting the client’s desire to capture the local market by building true Canberran loyalty.

While senior marketers from the client companies select their winners, three major category awards are awarded by a panel of professionals drawn from Canberra's leading creative and media agencies.

The clients and industry leaders apply judging criteria based on workplace expectations and standards ensuring that the learning gained by the students is a true reflection of what they could expect when they enter the workplace.

International Advertising Association Australia Chairman Heather Leembruggen (Chairman Emeritus of IAA Australia Chapter, Vice President & Director of IAA World Board and Chairman of IAA Inspire Awards) has become a familiar face at the Awards, having supported the event since its inception in 2016. She praised the efforts of UC in building robust professionals that will contribute to the advertising industry in the future. She remains firm in her view that the initiative is an essential learning experience for students.

“I would like to congratulate all the students who presented today for their insights and how they utilised these to create concepts and campaigns for each of the brands assigned to them,” Ms Leembruggen said.

“How you create campaigns to engage consumers is a critical aspect in presenting each brand in a way that benefits the customer experience and builds brand loyalty and high brand valuation; and these awards provide a high level experience for these students in ready-for-career training.

“All those who participated can be very proud of their achievements. And the University of Canberra is to be congratulated for conducting these awards, which give the students the finest opportunity to create marketing communications campaigns to share their ideas for 'real-life' organisations in their community.”

The event was attended by staff, students, their friends and families along with industry professionals, giving the students an opportunity to network with potential employers while mingling over drinks and snacks at the end of the vent. Among the guests were representatives from Cre8ive, 180 Degree Marketing, Feed Media and Planet Media.

Dr Barbara Walsh Faculty of Art's Associate Dean International and Work Integrated Learning was impressed with the quality of the presentations this year. “What a great way for the students to end their education at UC –a real-world project with real clients and valuable advice from industry judges. It was exciting to see them rise to the challenge with such creativity and poise."

“The Awards provide an invaluable opportunity for students to apply critical thinking and sharpen their skills in a hands-on learning experience that is essential to career development as graduates transition from university into their chosen professional fields,” concluded Mrs Ranasinghe.

The Client Choice Winners and Major Category Awards are listed below: