A team of five students from Syracuse University's
S.I. Newhouse School of Public
Communications placed first out of more than 140 institutions of higher education at the
2009 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). The team's winning campaign,
"The Stupid Drink," targeted binge drinking among college students.
The team is composed of May 2009 graduates Erica Bruno of New York City (formerly of
Shaker Heights, Ohio); Peter Ceran of Long Valley, N.J.; Gregory Rozmus of Northport,
N.Y.; Paul Savaiano of New York City (formerly of Glen Ellyn, Ill.); and Maria Sinopoli of
Boston (formerly of Manlius, N.Y.). Faculty advisor is Ed Russell, assistant professor of
advertising at the Newhouse School.
According to Russell, "The Stupid Drink" refers to "that drink between in control and out of
control, the drink where judgment deteriorates and consumption accelerates." The idea of
the campaign is to try and speed the learning process about safe and responsible drinking
by helping students identify and name their "Stupid Drink." It might be a number, a type
of liquor or a feeling they get when they are about to go too far.
"Well over 100 students came together to help us win this competition. We had terrific
research, an amazing strategy and fabulous creative. It was a tremendous amount of work,
but well worth it," says Sinopoli, who served as the team's account management director.
Administered by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), the NSAC is the nation's
premiere student advertising competition. Each year, students create a campaign based on a
case study for the competition's sponsor. This year's sponsor was The Century Council, a
national not-for-profit organization funded by distillers dedicated to fighting drunk driving
and underage drinking. This year's competition was the first time that teams were asked to
address a social issue to promote a positive behavioral change-the prevention of dangerous
over consumption of alcohol among college students, also known as "binge drinking."
The Newhouse team was one of 18 to make it to the final round of the competition, where
the members presented to executives representing The Century Council; the Advertising
Council, a nonprofit organization that marshals pro-bono resources of the advertising and
media industries to create public service campaigns; and the American Council on Education
(ACE), the major coordinating body for all of the nation's institutions of higher education.
Both the Ad Council and ACE assisted The Century Council in developing the competition's
case study.
Final round presentations were made Thursday, June, 4, and Friday, June 5, followed by the
award presentation at a luncheon Friday afternoon.
"My congratulations go out to Syracuse University," says Ralph Blackman, president and
CEO of The Century Council. "We were consistently impressed by the enthusiasm and
creativity that all of the competitors brought to the competition. The NSAC enabled us to see
what some of the best students in academic marketing programs believe will be an effective
communications campaign to persuade their peers to stop engaging in the dangerous over
consumption of alcohol. We will continue to combat this critical social problem using the
creative tools and the lessons we have learned in this competition."
The American Advertising Federation (AAF), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the
oldest national advertising trade association, representing 40,000 professionals in the
advertising industry, with a national network of 200 ad clubs located in communities across
the country. Through its 214 college chapters, the AAF provides 7,500 advertising students
with real-world case studies and recruitment connections to corporate America. For more
information, visit http://www.aaf.org.
