Looking for fresh, social-media-oriented ideas for the launch of the 2010 Chevrolet Cruze, GM has signed on as the new title sponsor of Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec, an annual marketing competition created and hosted by McMaster University.
Chevy’s title sponsorship makes it an integral part of the competition, which launches in mid-November and runs to March 30, 2010. Its branding will be featured not only in the competition marketing campaign, which includes campus-focused print materials, promotional reps and a cross-campus tour, but as the central focus of the competition itself.
Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec is open to undergraduate business and commerce students from Canadian universities. Last year’s competition, sponsored by Volkswagen, attracted 564 entrants from 45 of Canada’s 52 business schools and generated 2.2 million impressions for the sponsors on board, Mikhael Metauro, contest co-chair, Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec, tells MiC. He estimates that the contest reaches approximately 160,000 students nationally through promotional activities.
The 2009-10 edition of the competition has students competing to create a social-media-focused marketing campaign for the 2010 summer launch of the Chevrolet Cruze, a new-to-market compact car. Students compete to win the car itself, and to see their ideas used as part of the car’s promotional launch campaign next summer.
The contest provided a unique way to not only reach a younger demographic but to get their ideas on new media as well, Chris Hay, marketing manager, Chevrolet Cruze, tells MiC.
‘We were presented with the opportunity to work with the student groups through Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec and we thought that would be a great way to get their ideas in terms of going to market with this brand new product and leveraging new media to get the word out and increase our appeal,’ Hay explains.
