The ANA Educational Foundation hosts a case competition with the goal creating awareness among marketing and communications students of the role and effectiveness of direct marketing within omnichannel marketing campaigns. The challenge for students is to create a marketing plan and campaign idea to drive Gen Z to sign up for USPS’s “Informed Delivery” service.
SMU Temerlin Advertising Institute was extended an invite through Dr. Carrie LaFerle’s direct involvement with the ANA Education Foundation (AEF). The campaign was lead by Professor Andrew Elliot for the ADV 2333 Internet and Mobile Advertising class.
“A sharp insight and a rock-solid plan turned a class assignment into a defining moment—one where our students proved they’re capable of more than they imagined. Watching them rise to this challenge has been nothing short of inspiring.” – Professor Andrew Elliott
On November 21, 2024 Athenas Mamatas, Jaime Maybery, Samantha Hernandez, and Shivani Kosuri were recognized as the 2024 Semifinalist for the USPS Innovation Challenge placing for the semifinals to travel to Washington DC. On December 6 the students and Professor Elliott arrived to USPS Headquarters in DC to present their campaign.
“Under the guidance of Professor Andrew Elliott, I had an incredible time participating in the USPS Direct Effect Innovation Challenge! This challenge provided me with a real-world experience which allowed me to remember why I fell in love with advertising in the first place. Being able to work on something that impacts and contributes to a larger part of our society was an incredibly fulfilling experience and I can’t wait to be apart of more work like this in the future!” – Shivani Kosuri
The strategy was to support Gen Z by delivering certainty in a world full of uncertainty with the big idea of “life’s unpredictable.” Athenas, Jaime, Samantha, and Shivani leveraged Gen Z’s unpredictable moments to effectively showcase the service’s relevance in their lives.