One of the Lubin School of Business’s most challenging courses, Marketing 346: Advertising Team Workshop, better known as “Ad Team,” has recently been conducting research for the National Student Advertising Competition, in which they will be participating this spring.

“I’ve been told by anyone who has ever taken this course that this is one of the most challenging courses at Pace,” junior marketing major Kathleen Hachmeyer said. “However, they all agreed that this was one of the most rewarding experiences, and probably the best career preparation they could have gotten.”

This two-semester course, according its course description, is a “hands-on preparatory course for the American Advertising Federation (AAF) National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) that culminates in spring 2015.”

The students work to make a marketing campaign for a real company that sponsors the national competition; this year’s competition is sponsored by Pizza Hut.

The courses are led by Professor Paul Kurnit, who is a veteran of the advertising industry, having worked with big advertising agencies and one that quintupled in size following his joining.

This year, Kurnit is leading a team of 15 students on the Pleasantville campus.

The ultimate goal of this course is to present a quality marketing plan and presentation for a nationwide competition that includes over 150 colleges and universities, one of which is the team from the Pace New York campus.

“We are all very eager, working hard, and excited to see what we will end up with” junior marketing major Sara DiGiovanna said.

Ad Team I focuses on the planning and creation of a preliminary marketing strategy to accomplish the goals that the sponsoring company sets. Ad Team II focuses on applying and executing the strategy that they developed in the previous semester, and preparing for the NSAC regional competition.

At the competition in spring 2015, the team will submit and present their ideas to a panel of advertising industry professional judges.

“Probably the best thing I’ve noticed so far about the class is that we all want to be there and everyone is dedicated and motivated,” Hachmeyer said. “It’s rare to find a class like that.”

“The real joy of teaching these classes is the powerful experience our students have in seeing how the marketing and advertising businesses operate, and in stepping up to creative excellence on all levels,” Kurnit said. “Ad Team students exit these courses totally ready for the real world.”

Currently, the Ad Team class is working on research and strategy development for Pizza Hut, trying to land on a big insight that will separate them from the rest of the participating colleges. Some of the research that has been conducted includes online surveys and taste testing regarding participant’s pizza preferences.

It is important to note that this course is not only open to marketing and advertising students; it is one which skills from across a wide range of business and liberal arts disciplines are quite valued. The only prerequisites for the course are MAR 250 and MAR 321.

The Ad Team students look forward to seeing their ideas come to fruition, and sharing them at the NSAC, and with the Pace community.