Students Dominate Advertising Competition: Bold AT&T Campaign Earns Top Honors
Students Dominate Advertising Competition: Bold AT&T Campaign Earns Top Honors
A team of UNI advertising students recently claimed first place at the AAF District 9 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) in Kansas City, Missouri. Their winning campaign for AT&T was designed to connect with Gen Z consumers. Their work earned high praise from judges — including Steve Harris Jr., talent & development marketing manager from AT&T, who flew in from Dallas, Texas to judge the entries.
The UNI team delivered a standout pitch for a national promotional campaign, impressing the panel with their strategic insight and creative execution. Eliza Carlson captured the spirit of the experience, saying, “This has been one of the most challenging, rewarding and fulfilling parts of my college career.”
Carlson reflected on the team’s journey, emphasizing the intense preparation and dedication behind the scenes.
“Every step of this journey was powered by collaboration, late nights, unexpected breakthroughs, and the excitement of knowing we were bringing a creative vision to life. This class simulates a real agency environment, but more than that, it creates a real sense of purpose, pride, and connection.”
The 26-member team began work on the campaign in September, joining more than 200 college teams across the country who received a creative brief from AT&T outlining the goals and target audience of the campaign. The challenge was to make Gen Z crave AT&T using the brand platform “Connecting Changes Everything” as their foundation.
Their work continued into the spring, integrated into an advanced marketing course, Advertising Campaign Development, which operates like an advertising agency. The course is facilitated by Associate Professor of Practice in Marketing and Entrepreneurship Matthew Wilson, who also serves as the faculty advisor for the AAF chapter at UNI.
Months of research into Gen Z behaviors, mobile service trends and AT&T’s brand legacy culminated into a comprehensive strategy including media, messaging and creative — centered on the theme, “Find Your Everything.”
After advancing to the national semifinals, UNI competed against top programs including Texas State, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Minnesota, BYU and Michigan State, in the most competitive real-world competition for advertising students. Ultimately, UNI placed 9th in the nation — marking the highest finish in school history and outperforming prestigious institutions like UCLA, UC Berkeley, Syracuse, Texas Tech and the University of Oregon.
It was an amazing weekend in Kansas City, and I can’t say enough about the incredible efforts of these top-tier UNI students. Up against formidable competition, grappling with insanely tight deadlines and working together as one unified advertising agency up until the very last moment, this team pulled off the seemingly impossible.
Reflecting on the class, students described it as one of the most challenging they've taken — but also one of the most rewarding, citing personal growth and the opportunity to bring their ideas to life.
"It didn’t feel like a typical class. It felt like actual, meaningful work,” said Faith Zanoni, who was part of the pitch team. “The projects and assignments weren’t just busy work or tasks to fill time; everything we did contributed to a bigger picture and a real end goal. What we were working on had purpose, and we were trusted to handle it in a professional, team-based environment
Kamryn Klas, who served as a Media Analyst on the team, shared her perspective on the value of being a proactive team member.
“This class has opened my eyes to how important being self-driven and motivated in the professional workplace is.” said Klas. “You really do need to be proactive. Whatever you put into the class is what you will get out of it."
This team demonstrated Gen Z’s talent, drive and work ethic. Their performance speaks volumes — and sets a new standard for excellence in Wilson College!
