URI business class effectively promotes Acura, wins national marketing challenge

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND business students pose for a shot after delivering their winning marketing presentation to executives at the Acura Division of American Honda Motor Co. in California. From left to right, Alison Plunkett of North Kingstown; Tara Larson of North Smithfield; Samantha Valenza of Plainview, N.Y.; Taylor Burns of Cranston; and Kristina Cheamitru of North Smithfield. The presentation was made on behalf of their fall semester Social Media for Marketing class. / COURTESY EDVENTURE PARTNERS
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND business students pose for a shot after delivering their winning marketing presentation to executives at the Acura Division of American Honda Motor Co. in California. From left to right, Alison Plunkett of North Kingstown; Tara Larson of North Smithfield; Samantha Valenza of Plainview, N.Y.; Taylor Burns of Cranston; and Kristina Cheamitru of North Smithfield. The presentation was made on behalf of their fall semester Social Media for Marketing class. / COURTESY EDVENTURE PARTNERS

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island’s social media and marketing class took first place in the national 2016 Acura ILX Marketing Challenge in California, according to a release by the school Tuesday.

Classes were given a $2,000 budget to implement a social media plan encouraging millennial-aged working youth with disposable income to purchase the 2017 Acura ILX which was funded by Acura’s marketing agency, Boston-based Mullen and EdVenture Partners, which develops industry-education partnership programs.

This was the first time URI participated in the challenge, according to Christy Ashley, assistant professor of marketing, and top place won the university a $5,000 scholarship. The University of New Mexico took second place and Johns Hopkins University came in third.

Vital Innovative Promotions, the agency established by the 34-undergradaute student team, created and executed a “multi-level marketing campaign in just over nine weeks. All with finesse,” she said.

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The class’ top place finish is “one more to showcase our advanced and applied teaching and learning. The students’ innovative and creative thinking, combined with their hands-on skills are so fundamental to the state,” said College of Business Administration Dean Maling Ebrahimpour.

Once the class submitted its results in November it was chosen as one of three finalists, and five team members flew to California to present their findings to an American Honda Motor Co. Inc. management team.

Other participating institutions included: the University of Houston, Florida International University, San Jose State University, Georgia State University, University of Arizona, University of Pittsburgh, Aurora University, Drexel University, Middle Tennessee State University, Michigan State University, Virginia Tech, Boston University, San Diego State University, Texas Christian University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Illinois and Syracuse University.

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