A University of Rhode Island Social Media for Marketing class
recently won first place in the 2016 Acura ILX Marketing Challenge,
according to a news release.
URI beat out the University of New Mexico and Johns Hopkins
University to win a $5,000 scholarship.
“We are so proud of these students and professor Christy
Ashley,” Maling Ebrahimpour, dean of the College of Business
Administration, said in the release. “This achievement 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 and nation’s
economic development. It is wonderful to have these skills applauded
nationwide.”
The competition, which involved 34 undergraduates, involved
research, creative design and implementation. URI’s team competed
against 19 other colleges from throughout the country, and after
being one of three finalists students from the team delivered a
20-minute marketing presentation at American Honda Motor Co. in
California, securing its win.
“Our class’s campaign emerged with lots of positive energy and
speed,” Ashley said. “The students formed their agency called
Vital Innovative Promotions (V.I.P.), right away to create and
execute their multi-level marketing campaign in just over nine weeks.
All with finesse. They were passionate, fast, and fearless
social-media marketers.”
URI team wins 2016 Acura ILX Marketing Challenge
