The Saluki Ad Club won second place in their district at the National Student Advertising Competition in South Bend, Indiana on April 12.

“They only missed first by .6 points,” Bridget Lescelius, the faculty adviser, said. “We beat the school that won last year.”

Lescelius said most of the school came with 40 members, SIU had 15 members attended the competition, which consisted of two parts: the Best Plans Book and a Presentation.

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“I think it’s really nice to do so well,” Lescelius said. “The group of universities are really great programs. It was validating.”

Maggie Burke, a senior studying communication studies; Chris Cole, a senior studying advertising; Andy Phillips, a senior studying cinema and photography; and Hannah Smith, a senior studying advertising presented for the club.

“Since September we’ve been working on an ad campaign for Wienerschnitzel,” Burke said.

Lescelius called the Plan Book a comprehensive merchandising campaign. It includes the whole campaign, creative strategy and research, among other things Smith said.

Smith said she cried. It was a mixture of happy tears and frustration.

“We were the only unknown,” Smith said.

Cole said next year they’ll go from underdog to topdog.

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“The goal was to place,” Cole said. “Being so close [to first], it hurt.”

Lescelius said they are launching the Saluki Ad Lab soon and feel energized after the competition.

“We have about 10 clients we work with,” Lescelius said. “It was a great way to promote the university. We can’t wait to get started next year.”

Staff writer Brandi Courtois can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Brandi_Courtois.

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