Ringling College of Art and Design Takes 3rd in NSAC Nationals!

SARASOTA, Fla., June 9, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ringling College National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) Team won 3rd place and Best Plans Book in the National Competition, which took place during the AAF's annual national conference, ADMERICA, at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. Competing against eight schools in the final round, the Ringling College team, comprised of Advertising Design, Graphic Design, and Motion Design students, accounted for the only art and design college to advance past districts.

This year, corporate sponsor Snapple challenged student teams to develop innovative business solutions to enable the brand to better connect with audiences across the United States and expand consumer reach. After creating a written campaign proposal and 20-minute presentation, winning their AAF district competition and advancing from semi-finals to the finals, the Ringling College team delivered its final presentation to the judges on Sunday, June 5th and participated in a Q&A with the judges to defend their campaign.

The judging panel included Ashley Bristol, Brand Manager, Snapple at the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Brent Chism, Director of Marketing, Tea and Juices at the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Adam Graves, EVP, Group Account Director at Deutsch and Mitch Polatin, SVP, Group Planning Director at Deutsch.

"Our team delivered a flawless presentation. Each one of them gave 200% on that stage. And they had thoughtful, prepared answers for all of the judges' questions," said Vivian Owen, Faculty Co-Advisor for the Ringling NSAC Team. "Their enthusiasm and passion just couldn't be contained, and we're confident the judges recognized that energy. Allen and I couldn't be prouder of this team's accomplishments."

In addition to the national titles, the NSAC research partners awarded prizes in recognition of exceptional work throughout the competition. Simmons Research awarded Best Plans Book to Ringling College of Art and Design.

Ringling's "Oddly Satisfying" campaign included TV commercials, in-store promotions, a mobile app, packaging and web designs as well as out-of-home, social media, Spotify, YouTube and experiential advertising to answer the challenge.

Ben Bryant, member of the NSAC team and recent Ringling College Graphic Design graduate says, "Being a creative director on the team was one of the best learning experiences in my life. Watching an idea evolve beyond a slogan through the hands of my peers was something that only NSAC students can appreciate. Although we were one of the smallest teams in the competition, I think we had the most amount of skilled diversity. No one person had a limiting job focusing on their major, even our amazing motion designer would help during idea creation, filming, or proofreading. Everything about the campaign was manufactured and developed from the team, which makes me so proud to be a part of it for the second year in a row."

Congratulations to faculty advisors Allen Harrison and Vivian Owen and the amazing 2015-2016 Ringling NSAC Team:

Account Team
Cindy Almonte (AD) – Account Director, Presenter
Tebello Mosenene (AD)

Copy Team
James Armas (AD)
Christopher Campbell (AD) – Presenter
Tyler Shea (AD) – Copy Director, Presenter

Creative Team
Matthew Bongiollati (GD) – Creative Director
Ben Bryant (GD) – Creative Director, Presenter
Marissa Ebanks (AD)
Jose Gayosso (AD)
Jon Nguyen (GD)
Ian Plath (GD)
Jeremy Puttkammer (MD)
Robson Tan (AD) – Presenter

Plans Book Team
Jose Lazarte (AD)
Emma Lee (AD) – Plans Book Director

Research/Strategy
Christian Lowell (AD)
Natalie Monte (AD)
Kaylynn Olmstead (AD)

Each year, over 150 schools across the country compete in the NSAC, sponsored by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The eight teams competing in the final round of the National Competition included:

Ringling College of Art and Design
Webster University
University of Virginia
George Washington University
St. John's University
UC Berkeley
Purdue University – Calumet
West Texas A&M University

To learn more about NSAC, visit http://tinyurl.com/hd9slcv

About Ringling College of Art and Design
For 85 years, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit fully accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in eleven disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College's rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive, first-year program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers. www.ringling.edu
 
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