"This competition gives students a taste of real-world agency advertising before they leave the university," said Dr. Cynthia Nichols, associate professor for the OSU School of Media and Strategic Communications. "I am so proud of these students. I have never seen students with as much poise, dedication and passion as these. It was the honor of my life to work with them on this."

Hosted annually by the American Advertising Federation, each team at the competition is given an assignment or case study by the corporate sponsor (client) of the contest outlining the history of its products and current marketing challenges. Students must research the product and its competition, identify potential problem areas and develop a completely integrated ad campaign for the client. The team must then sell a panel of judges on its campaign.

The OSU team's client was Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc.'s Tai Pei Frozen Entrees and Appetizers. The campaign titled "Tai Pei, it's what you want" centered around 1990s nostalgia that connects the product line to the target audience of millennials, many of whom grew up in that decade. The creative strategy combined modern aesthetics and quirky throwbacks to make the sell.

"To represent OSU at nationals was an incredible experience," said Brandon Havens, strategic communications and multimedia journalism senior. "We put in the hard work and to see it really pay off with a top honor was a huge reward."

OSU's team was advised by Nichols and Dr. Jami Fullerton, professor and Endowed Research Chair for the OSU School of Media and Strategic Communication. OSU team members were:

OKLAHOMA

ARDMORE

Maddy Oaks

BROKEN ARROW

Andrew Burnett

EDMOND

Michelle MacLean

ELGIN

Tiffany Gebhart

GUTHRIE

Mallory Fulks

MUSKOGEE

Jeffrey Grey Denton

NORMAN

Rylie Carter

OKLAHOMA CITY

Brandon Havens

TEXHOMA

Ann E. Freeman

TULSA

Britain Drennan

Sydnie Hill

Leanna Smith

Adriana Ware

ILLINOIS

AURORA

Tom Carlson

KANSAS

LEAWOOD

Paige Hess

MARYLAND

TOWSON

Kendall Treece

MINNESOTA

COTTONWOOD

Chelsey Johnson

TEXAS

ARLINGTON

Sarah Rothschild

CANADIAN

Allie Collier

FLOWER MOUND

Jessie Brandt

RICHARDSON

K.J. Leu

Jessica Wedge

SAN ANTONIO

Alexis Gliedt

THE COLONY

Devon Post

FLORIDA

LAKEWOOD RANCH

Maddie Duffy