NSAC, which entails creating a national campaign and a plansbook for a renowned brand, is highly regarded and competitive. The student teams are given creative freedom in the execution, but are challenged to work within a set budget when creating their campaigns. 

“In NSAC, you have a wide range of creativity. It’s not like a typical classroom experience. They don’t even tell us where to start,” said Caitlyn McCraw, a senior advertising major. McCraw served as the account director and presenter for this year’s campaign.

The team, which typically consists of 25 students, is co-advised by professors Larrey Kelley and Julie Fix. This year they opted for a more intimate setup, only enlisting 15 people for the team. Each NSAC team is composed of various departments, such as research, media planning, accounting, creative and plansbook. 

This year’s progression throughout the competition has been the culmination of months of hard work. The team began meeting in December and, despite the coronavirus pandemic, has continued to pour work into crafting and presenting their campaign.

“Our client does everything right in terms of design, so the biggest challenge for us was figuring out how to do it their way and be innovative—we went in a different, but very creative direction,” said William Broussard, a junior advertising major. He served as the creative director and plansbook director for the team.

Although the team ultimately did not progress to the final round of the competition, they look back at their experience fondly, remarking on the long-term advantages of participating in such career-related competitions.

“You develop life-long friends, and a network that you stay close to,” said McCraw. “These are friendships that I don’t think you can get anywhere else, unless you are part of an organization like this one.”