Students conduct campus marketing campaign as part of Chevrolet competition.

“Where will you take your Chevrolet?”

That thought-provoking question was the thrust of a marketing event planned and hosted by the College of Business Administration’s collegiate chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). Chevrolet selected Florida International University (FIU) as one of 23 schools nationwide to participate in its Chevrolet Campus Promotions program.

On November 17, 2010, AMA displayed a trio of 2011 Chevy models—the Camaro, the Equinox and the all-new Cruze—at FIU’s Betty Chapman Plaza.

“We made it an exciting event,” said AMA member Santiago Diaz. “We had pizza, popcorn and other fun treats. Most importantly, visitors could inspect the cars, sit behind the wheel, look under the hood and speak with a Chevrolet product specialist.”

tn_Roary — Roary posed with the Chevrolet t-shirt that AMA at FIU designed for the event.

To measure the effectiveness of the campaign, AMA members asked visitors to complete a short survey. More than 500 people did so.

Giveaway t-shirts printed with “I would take my Chevrolet to . . .” let the new t-shirt owners complete the statement on the spot. Write-in answers included everything from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, from My House to Colombia.

tn_t-shirts — Students were asked to write where they might “Take their Chevrolet,” as part of AMA at FIU’s theme to integrate the Chevrolet into a modern, positive and college-friendly image.

Event was part of Creative Edge effort.

The work on the Chevrolet competition was done by Creative Edge, an in-house marketing agency created several years ago by the AMA at FIU to work on projects presented by businesses.

This fall, using a $3,000 budget from Chevrolet, Creative Edge team members researched, implemented and evaluated a marketing campaign to increase awareness of the three Chevrolets among the Generation Y target market. The November event on the plaza was the core of the campaign.

tn_group — AMA at FIU committee members who organized the event

Acting as a liaison between the university and Chevrolet was EdVenture Partners, a marketing education consultancy; Natalie De Leon served as account coordinator with the FIU team.

Early in December, AMA students made a presentation to Chevrolet officials, describing their campaign. Competition winners will be announced early in 2011.

“This project has given students hands-on marketing experience, using the knowledge and skills learned in their courses,” said Tim Dugan Birrittella, the chapter’s advisor. “One of AMA’s main benefits is that members gain practical marketing experience to enhance their résumés before beginning their careers.”