By Natalie Lasky
The Ad Club started as a course offered to marketing students within the Williamson College of Business Administration, according to the club’s advisor Michael G. Pontikos, senior lecturer in the Marketing and Management Department.
Pontikos said the pandemic slowed the progress of the club, as it was unable to meet in person with clients.
When the club takes on a client, it builds a portfolio known as a book. Reaching its pre-pandemic state and looking to expand its membership, the club has opened its doors to students of all majors.
“[The Ad Club] is open for everyone. You do not even have to take any advertising classes or be in advertising or be a marketing major,” Pontikos said. “We have it open to everybody, just so people can understand what advertising really is.”
Last year, the club made marketing material for a company called Oculus. Oculus is a virtual reality company that offers a wide variety of VR equipment.
Pontikos said finding the time to do research and getting the project going is the hardest for students. Once the students grasp the goals for the projects and begin implementing action, the students become productive, they begin to get enthusiastic as they see the progress come to life.
“Time is like getting going and doing the research, because it is very involved,” said Pontikos.
Robert Simmons, a sophomore business major, said he enjoys the comradery he shares with his fellow club members.
“My favorite part is about the people; we have a really great set of people,” Simmons said.
Every year, the Ad Club participates in the American Advertising Federation competition against various schools which have collegiate chapters within district 5. There are a total of 13 districts within the United States.
For the April competition, the club presents a book of material to a set of judges. First place gets a ticket to the national competition.
Last year, the club took fourth place at regionals with hopes to do even better this year, according to Simmons.
The students must follow a set of restrictions when building an advertising campaign that aligns with what the AAF and the client for the competition wants to see. Every client has unique needs, and the club adjusts to the guidelines the AFF sets forth for each competition.
“It’s our goal to put together a whole, like, an advertising campaign booked around what [the AAF] wants [the club] to do,” Simmons said.
The club is expressing interest to improve its ranking this year, with high hopes of getting first place to move on to nationals.
The client this year is a well-known company for job placement, Indeed. It is a widely used platform with recruiters and human resource professionals to connect with potential employees.
For more information regarding Ad Club membership or potential project, contact Michael Pontikos at mgpontikos@ysu.edu.
