IAA Big Idea 2012 competition now open for uni students – Good Beginnings is this year’s client
The International Advertising Association (IAA) in Australia is pleased to announce IAA ‘Big Idea’ 2012, a student competition designed to foster the talents of the next generation of communications professionals.
In its tenth year, the IAA ‘Big Idea’ 2012 invites student teams, Australia-wide, to produce marketing communications solutions for a not-for-profit organisation.
The IAA Australia Big Idea is a unique Australian national student competition that provides hands-on integrated marketing communications campaign development experience for students at tertiary institutions and universities who offer advertising and marketing communication courses and programs. Initiated in 2003, IAA ‘Big Idea’ has attracted entries from right around Australia for over 10 years.
This year IAA is looking for the Perfect 10, the absolute best campaign to commemorate a decade of IAA Big Ideas, campaigns that have supported and promoted many of Australia’s leading charity and not-for-profit organisations.
Previous IAA Big Idea clients have acknowledged with gratitude the creativity and high quality of workable ideas they have received from the student teams, and include The National Heart Foundation, Foodbank Australia, United Way Australia, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Habitat 4 Humanity, Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA), Assistance Dogs Australia, Frontier Services and in 2011, Coeliac Australia.
The Client for IAA ‘Big Idea’ 2012 is Good Beginnings, a national charity providing early intervention and practical parenting programs for disadvantaged children and their families, so that every Australian child has the opportunity for a good beginning in life. Good Beginnings focuses on children who are at risk in the absence of early intervention strategies with practical parenting programs and support – with over 120 programs across every state and territory in Australia, based at Good Beginnings Centres or at partner primary school sites. Their programs are provided free of charge to children and families in need.
Students from universities across Australia will compete in agency-style teams to develop integrated concepts to raise awareness of the brand and capitalise on the charity’s major 2013 fundraising project, “The Great Tribal Chase”.
Entries will be professionally evaluated by a judging panel of respected industry professionals and representatives of Good Beginnings.
The judging panel will select a shortlist of 3 finalists teams who will have the opportunity to make their final presentations to the judging panel. The presentations will be the final step in the selection process for the winning team, which will be announced as the “National Champions” in November 2012.
Here’s what some university educators right across Australia say about the values of IAA ‘Big Idea’ as a learning experience for their students:
Says Dr Joanna Henryks, assistant professor advertising and marketing communication & deputy, associate dean research, University of Canberra, ACT: “The IAA competition provides an excellent opportunity for students to work together on a ‘real world’ case study where they are not assessed academically but by industry (potential) peers. Students learn to appreciate team work in a different (professional) context and emerge from the experience with a deeper understanding of practice. In my experience, the students have also benefited from increased confidence in their ability which has in turn translated to improved job interviews. All this and the client is a not for profit – it’s a WIN WIN!”
Says Kerin Brearley, lecturer professional practice, advertising program, RMIT, VIC: “As the lecturer and course co-ordinator of Professional Practice for both undergraduate and post graduate students in the RMIT Advertising Program I have been using the IAA BIg Idea competition for the past three years as part of a major assessment piece. The huge advantage for the students is the chance to work on a real life brief with interaction from the client. Students are always enthusiastic about working with a not for profit organisation and the chance to enter a competition run by an international association. They learn as much from the process such as team dynamics and deadlines as they do from developing and managing an integrated marketing campaign.”
Says Anne Llewellynn, lecturer in advertising, school of communication & creative industries, Charles Sturt University, NSW: “Thank you once again for giving our students the opportunity to enter the 2012 IAA ‘Big Idea’ marketing communications competition. This competition allows our students to apply everything they have learnt over all the years of their degree. It is part of their professional practice capstone subject and provides them the opportunity to prepare an integrated marketing communications campaign for a real (and very worthwhile) NFP client. In addition, the value of the competition is not only in the excitement and stimulation of competing but also the opportunity to be named National Champions, the ‘best in Australia’, against all the other tertiary institutions involved. We have found over the years that we have competed, for a student even to be awarded a place in one of our teams is a high achievement in itself, and a much sort after position. The authentic experience our students gain from IAA ‘Big Idea’ certainly helps make them ready to hit the ground running when they graduate at the end of the year.”
Says Dr Rod McCulloch, head, school of communication, University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD: “Since its inception in 2003, as a faculty advisor and lecturer in advertising at 2 Australian universities, I have mentored student teams in every IAA Big Idea competition to date and I have been extremely fortunate to have been part of teams that have won the competition on a number of occasions.
“The IAA Big Idea is an excellent initiative in that it provides an opportunity for tertiary marketing and media communication students to apply their learning to the development of campaigns for real clients, organisations that can truly benefit from the fresh thinking that these student teams can bring to bear. What is really gratifying is that in many cases these organisations, not-for-profits and charities, apply these recommendations to marketing campaigns that actually go to market.
“In educational-speak, we refer to this as ‘work-integrated learning’. In plain terms, the IAA Big idea provides an unbeatable opportunity for students to enter the industry with a real campaign under their belt – and in their portfolios! I encourage all advertising and marketing communication educators to leverage this unique opportunity for the benefit of their students and their institutions.”
Says Diane Slade, advertising & creative services course coordinator at Edith Cowan University, WA: “The big idea? Work integrated learning at its very best. Not least when students are so sufficiently engaged to participate out of classroom time, forming their own teams as an extra curricular activity that has only one benefit… A fantastic endorsement of academic accomplishment to watch as they put their classroom learning into true real world practice. What more can we as educators ask for?”
Says Heather Leembruggen, president of IAA Australia Chapter: “We are very proud to offer the IAA ‘Big Idea’ national student competition, in its tenth year, as a professional development opportunity to foster and encourage the talents and skills of the upcoming generation in our industry Australia-wide.”