Design Students Win Scion Ad Competition
A beaming College of DuPage student, Stephanie Harrington (center), listens as Brandon Wilhelmi, right, general sales manager of
What better way to market a popular automobile that appeals to young consumers ages 18 to 25 than to go to the source for advertising expertise.
That's just what Lombard Toyota did when it recently proposed that College of DuPage students in David Chu's Design for Advertising class participate in a competition to design a magazine ad for Toyota's fast-selling Scion automobile.
Chu, a C.O.D. professor in Advertising, Design and Illustration, said the 14 students in his class readily accepted the challenge.
The students had three weeks to come up with their designs and then present them to five judges, including three representatives from Lombard Toyota and two officials from Scion.
The judges made their decision and on Tuesday, Dec. 11, Chu announced the winners. Capturing first-place honors was Stephanie Harrington of Batavia. Second place went to the team of George Ilavsky of Oakbrook Terrace and Martin Sitta of Riverside. Notching third place recognition was Natalie Yono of West Chicago.
Harrington's winning entry earned her a tuition reimbursement of $1,000 from Lombard Toyota. The team of Ilavsky and Sitta split a $500 award and Yono earned $250 for her third place ad.
Moreover, Brandon Wilhelmi, general sales manager of Lombard Toyota, said there is a "more than good chance" that Harrington's first-place ad will appear in an issue of Scion Life magazine.
"This was amazing and a great opportunity," said Harrington of her winning ad. "For students at a community college to get this opportunity to participate in this contest is amazing. It confirms that my work is good."
Harrington said that her ad "captured the Scion package and focused on the Scion culture and style." She said she did extensive research on the automobile.
Wilhelmi agreed. "Scion is about kids - listening to music, adding lots of stereos to the car and bright colors. Stephanie captured that in her ad." The Scion pictured in Harrington's ad appears almost like a fun cartoon. She used the word "tempting" in the ad, suggesting that owners are tempted to put more and more stuff on their cars.
Wilhelmi, who was one of the judges, said he was impressed with all of the ad creations. "It was very tough to narrow it down to the top three." Wilhemi said the judges walked away from the students' presentations "gleaming." One Scion official has copies of the winning ads on the walls of her office.
"This was an excellent experience for the students to work in a real-world situation," Chu said. "Instead of a C.O.D. faculty member commenting on their work, a real-world client did the critiquing."
Chu explained that each student researched the Scion and Toyota Motor Corporation and the company's marketing strategy prior to their design work. "The students learned that in order to succeed, they need to do thorough research."
That's just what Lombard Toyota did when it recently proposed that College of DuPage students in David Chu's Design for Advertising class participate in a competition to design a magazine ad for Toyota's fast-selling Scion automobile.
Chu, a C.O.D. professor in Advertising, Design and Illustration, said the 14 students in his class readily accepted the challenge.
The students had three weeks to come up with their designs and then present them to five judges, including three representatives from Lombard Toyota and two officials from Scion.
The judges made their decision and on Tuesday, Dec. 11, Chu announced the winners. Capturing first-place honors was Stephanie Harrington of Batavia. Second place went to the team of George Ilavsky of Oakbrook Terrace and Martin Sitta of Riverside. Notching third place recognition was Natalie Yono of West Chicago.
Harrington's winning entry earned her a tuition reimbursement of $1,000 from Lombard Toyota. The team of Ilavsky and Sitta split a $500 award and Yono earned $250 for her third place ad.
Moreover, Brandon Wilhelmi, general sales manager of Lombard Toyota, said there is a "more than good chance" that Harrington's first-place ad will appear in an issue of Scion Life magazine.
"This was amazing and a great opportunity," said Harrington of her winning ad. "For students at a community college to get this opportunity to participate in this contest is amazing. It confirms that my work is good."
Harrington said that her ad "captured the Scion package and focused on the Scion culture and style." She said she did extensive research on the automobile.
Wilhelmi agreed. "Scion is about kids - listening to music, adding lots of stereos to the car and bright colors. Stephanie captured that in her ad." The Scion pictured in Harrington's ad appears almost like a fun cartoon. She used the word "tempting" in the ad, suggesting that owners are tempted to put more and more stuff on their cars.
Wilhelmi, who was one of the judges, said he was impressed with all of the ad creations. "It was very tough to narrow it down to the top three." Wilhemi said the judges walked away from the students' presentations "gleaming." One Scion official has copies of the winning ads on the walls of her office.
"This was an excellent experience for the students to work in a real-world situation," Chu said. "Instead of a C.O.D. faculty member commenting on their work, a real-world client did the critiquing."
Chu explained that each student researched the Scion and Toyota Motor Corporation and the company's marketing strategy prior to their design work. "The students learned that in order to succeed, they need to do thorough research."