Agency is a real class act

On top of all of the pressures that classes, homework and life in general bring, having an… On top of all of the pressures that classes, homework and life in general bring, having an internship can really build up stress.

The students in Robert Gilbert’s Advertising and Sales Promotion class do not have to worry about this.

They have formed an in-house agency to develop an advertising campaign promoting Citibank’s Credit Education program for students. Their agency, which the class named PROs in MOTION, is made up of the approximately 40 juniors and seniors from the class.

“This project will look great on a resume and is something that future employers will undoubtedly be interested in,” said Nicole Leister, who is in charge of the public relations department of the agency. “It is giving us a lot of real-world experience. Not only do we get to actually create and implement a marketing campaign, but we also have to deal with the real-world complications of time crunches, approval processes and client relationships.”

Last Wednesday, the students held a video conference call with Vaseem Baig and Leah Scodras of Citibank. Baig and Scodras oversee and approve everything that the students do.

The class developed a presentation to show the progress that they have made so far.

Ashley Wingert, the CEO of PROs in MOTION, compared the agency to that of other schools and said that Pitt is “setting the bar for everyone else.” He added that he is proud of his classmates’ hard work and success.

Wingert gave the introduction and an overview of the presentation.

Andrea Sudik, the head of the research department of the agency, explained surveys passed out to Pitt students. The surveys questioned students about credit cards and revealed that 71 percent believe credit education is important.

Gina Sokol, who is in charge of the strategy department, discussed the ways in which her department plans to increase awareness about credit and credit management among Pitt students. They hope to pass out bookmarks with their slogan, “Swipe smart,” and Citibank’s student Web site, www.students.usecreditwisely.com, to students at their advising appointments.

Leister explained that they would send out numerous press releases and media kits to local media outlets.

Andrew Krimmel, who is in charge of the non-traditional advertising department, discussed the various ways in which the agency hopes to promote their campaign.

The students, who developed a Web site for their campaign at www.geocities.com/pros_in_motion, receive a $2,500 budget from Citibank to run their agency.

Dan Borelli, the head of the budget department, explained that the majority of their $2,500 budget would be directed toward advertising and public relations.

Stephanie Cappo, the coordinator for PROs in MOTION, gave the closing remarks for the presentation. She explained that, among other things involved with this campaign, the students hope to build Citibank’s reputation and generate positive media coverage.

The class meets every Monday and Wednesday, with Monday classes following more of a lecture format, and Wednesday classes reserved for agency work. Students are divided into six departments, each contributing something different to the campaign. The departments are advertising, budgets, public relations, published reports, research and strategy.

On March, the students will hold a Credit Education Day at Pitt. The event will begin at 11 a.m., with students sitting at strategically placed tables throughout the campus. The main program will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the William Pitt Union.