Students pitch ad campaigns free to downtown businesses
St. Clair College copywriting class gains real-world experience
Creativity. Skill. Confidence.
Copywriting students from St. Clair College put all three on display Tuesday night as they pitched advertising campaigns to downtown businesses.
Matt Daley’s copywriting class has spent the whole semester working on what the advertising industry calls “the creative” for three downtown businesses. “This is it,” Daley said Tuesday night as the students unveiled their ideas.
“This is like the third act in a Shakespeare play.”
The students worked with Little India, Hello Beautiful Custom Fashion & Bridal Boutique and Pushers Collective. All three have recently set up new shops in the downtown — one of the criteria to get the free marketing help.
Dawn Martens and Joe Merheje from Pushers said they were impressed.
The business, which will soon add a restaurant to its clothing store, recording studio, hair salon and print shop, offered a unique challenge to the students. In the end, the students pitched the outlet as a “lifestyle,” playing on the brand of a “pusher” as a driven person who works hard to find success.
The campaign even included a hashtag — #HOWIPUSH.
One idea was a loyalty card for customers. Clients would start out with a bronze card with certain rewards. As the clients spend more money at Pushers, they would get free upgrades to a silver card and finally a gold card with increased rewards.
The students had prototypes of the cards, which would attach to a key ring.
Students also pitched the idea of an app that would allow customers to see the availability of their favourite stylist, book an appointment, outline what kind of work they want done and pay for the visit before even stepping into the door.
It would be the first hairstyling app, said student Bakir Merachli.
“Sixty-one per cent of millennials use apps on a daily basis,” Merachli said, leading off his team’s presentation. The app could also be used to send out ads and promotions to clients.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Meherje said during the presentation. He recorded the entire thing on his cellphone.
Larry Horwitz, chairman of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, called the collaboration with the college’s marketing students a “no-brainer.”
Most businesses, especially those just starting out, would never be able to afford to pay an ad agency for the campaigns the students have come up with for free, Horwitz said.
And students need real-world experience to find jobs upon graduation.
“We think this is a huge success,” Horwitz said. “We help the students and the businesses at the same time.”