UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO MARKETING TEAM CLAIMS 1ST PLACE WITH NAVY SEALS PROJECT

CHICAGO, June 6 -- The University of Illinois at Chicago issued the following news release:

Chicago Creations, a team of University of Illinois at Chicago students working with EdVenture Partners, an education organization, claimed first place recently at a national marketing competition.

The team went undefeated in competition against three other teams in the Navy SEALs Scouting Project, a partnership managed by the Navy SEALs and EdVenture Partners that challenged students to create and implement an integrative marketing campaign for the Navy SEALs recruitment effort.

"This project demanded excellence and creativity," said Aziz Ali, project co-coordinator, who graduated from UIC in May with a bachelor's degree in information and decision sciences. "All Chicago Creations departments were always on top of their assignments, and our professor helped us see the obstacles ahead of time."

This year's competition pitted student-run marketing agencies against each other to create a campaign including event marketing, internet marketing, and interactive and print media, designed to reach the SEALs' target market -- African-American male athletes.

The UIC team won by creating a campaign that attracted more than 240 attendees to a campus event held April 7 at Malcolm X College, and generated more than 343,000 gross impressions throughout the entire campaign, according to the team. Post-campaign research demonstrated a 56 percent increase in awareness for the Navy SEALs.

The team, mostly junior and senior marketing majors, included 24 students mentored by David Koehler, clinical assistant professor of managerial studies. Most of the students were enrolled in Koehler's classes.

"I felt that the competition would bring out the best in my students," Koehler said. "They took ownership, and the results were outstanding."

Five team members participated in a formal agency-style presentation to Navy SEAL representatives June 1 at the Naval Amphibious Base at Coronado Island, Calif., where they received a $1,500 award and recognition for their scholastic achievement.

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Jeffron Boynes, 312/413-8702, jboynes@uic.edu.