UNM Anderson student team wins national collegiate marketing competition

March 15, 2022 - Anna Dykeman


A team of undergraduate students from the UNM Anderson School of Management took first place at the recent TPG Ideal Career Experience national marketing competition, managed by EdVenture Partners.

Final presentations were presented virtually to TPG executives and leadership. The winning team, composed of marketing students Deion D’Arco, Shania Jurado, Joseph Nechvatal, Lauren Roberts and Ayulia Ruiz and advised by faculty member John Benavidez, won a $3,000 cash prize along with the top honor. Middle Tennessee State University and University of South Carolina were also finalists.

The team’s assignment was to research and strategize a plan to attract ideal candidate applications for a behavioral science analyst position with TPG Telemanagement, Inc. Based on the research findings, the students developed the campaign, “Shape the conversation. Shape your future,” which included digital video and social media activations across multiple platforms.

“We were both impressed and delighted by the UNM team’s well thought out research, cohesive strategy elements and master-class graphic design,” said Tony Sgro, EdVenture Partners founder and CEO.

“I am quite proud of them, and to validate this by winning an American Advertising Federation Gold ADDY in the social media campaign category further demonstrates the caliber of work university students are capable of delivering.”

The $3,000 cash prize will support the Rick and Debbie Johnson Marketing Lab, a state-of-the-art learning studio for students enrolled in upper-division marketing courses at the Anderson School.