Each team had access not only to Willisâwho has experience in public relations and marketing communicationsâbut also local professionals. Adjunct PR professor Bailey DeCamillis mentored the CU Connect team while Jane Dvorak, president of JKD & Co., mentored Get CUlturd. Both teams also benefited from the expertise of Jeffrey Spivock, a senior vice president at communications and PR agency Weber Shandwick.
Their expertise was invaluable to the students, especially given they were tasked with creating campaigns for a client whose mission is to promote diversity and inclusion, and whose brand is largely grounded in tangible products. Both teams concluded that Culturs was most valuable as a tool that could be used to talk about culture on campus.
âWeâre hoping everyone understands that CU has its own culture and itâs important to bring our cultures to the university,â said Isabel Pitalue, of Get CUlturd. âSo, we really wanted to spread the message rather than the magazine. If you feel misrepresented and you see articles about your culture, it can make you feel more empowered.â
Similarly, CU Connect appreciated how Culturs emphasizes the importance of global community while featuring stories about individual peopleâs experiences.
In order to prompt these conversations, both teams have used a mix of social media, tabling on campus and events to connect with students.
One such event Get CUlturd organized was a Panhellenic event to highlight the diversity within CU Greek life. They also collaborated with the Boulder chapter of PRSSA to host a seminar series featuring experts in marketing, journalism and sports media.Ìę
Meanwhile, using the student surveys, the CU Connect found students were most interested in learning about culture through music and food. As such, much of their campaign centers around promoting new cultural experiences through food with discounts offered at restaurants such as Centro Mexican Kitchen, Pasta Jayâs, Blofish Sushi and Sushi Hana. But theyâve been most excited about their Culturs Coalition, which has brought together over 15 student affinity groups on campus.
âI think it has the most potential to stay on campus, because we had people ask us, âAre you going to put someone in charge of this?â and âHow can we make this last?ââ said Brianna Centeno, of CU Connect.âKnowing that you have this magazine thatâs catered toward you, as a person of color or someone with many cultural experiences, is a really good resource for the coalition.â
The campaigns officially ended March 5. The teams are compiling their observations, findings and reflections into a report to submit to the competitionâs board for review.
âThe teams have absolutely blown my expectations away. The things they think about and have managed to execute have been awesome,â Willis said. âI want to win, but ultimately, this brief is about culture, diversity and the in between. The two plans that have been rolling across campus have been so good for CU Boulder. Iâm so proud of them.â
