It’s official: The 2025 NSAC client has been announced by AAF! AT&T, one of the oldest global communications brands in the world, will be the sponsor of the 2025 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). The UNI chapter of AAF first participated in NSAC in 2012. This year will be our 14th year of competition. Last year’s team won a special Judge’s Citation for “Best Experiential Activations” in the very competitive District 9. With four returning veterans from last year’s team – we are hoping to do even better this year!
About AT&T
Founded in 1875 by Alexander Graham Bell (who invented the telephone), AT&T is today the world’s third-largest telecommunications company by revenue and the second-largest wireless carrier in the United States.
About NSAC
The National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) is the premier college advertising competition that provides more than 2,000 college students the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising/marketing/media campaign for a corporate client. NSAC started in 1973 and clients have included global brands such as Tide, Indeed, Meta/Oculus, Tinder, Adobe, Snapple, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Bank of America, Pizza Hut, Burger King, State Farm, and Nissan. More information about NSAC
On Friday, April 21, the NSAC team from the AAF college chapter at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) walked away with a third-place finish overall while also winning additional special awards at the AAF District 9 competition in Lenexa, Kansas.
UNI NSAC Pitch Team: Riley Davis, Ella Poppen, David Holesinger, and Bryan Woodall
This year’s National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) involved a challenge from the jobs platform Indeed to increase awareness and consideration among the 18-24 age demographic in the United States.
Teams had to engage in primary and secondary research to identify insights to drive a messaging and media strategy, as well as execute creative campaign elements. Teams submitted a plans book with budget and schedule, followed by a 20-minute campaign pitch.
The supportive NSAC team from UNI during rehearsal
Best Presenter
UNI pitch team member David Holesinger (Marketing and Entrepreneurship, ’23) also took a top honor at the awards ceremony. He was named Best Presenter for his performance during UNI’s presentation.
UNI Senior David Holesinger (Marketing and Entrepreneurship, ’23)
Advisor of the Year
To cap off the night, the faculty advisor of the UNI AAF college chapter, Matthew Wilson won the Advisor of the Year award after being nominated by team members.
“I’m not crying – you’re crying!” – Wilson as the Advisor of the Year award is announced.
Kansas City Agency Visit
During the visit to Kansas City, the team also somehow found time to visit the award-winning advertising and branding agency Signal Theory, where they learned about the amazing work they do.
Returning Champs
Returning to this year’s team were four veterans from last year’s champion team that took first place in District 9 and went on to place 14th in the nation. Their leadership and experience were invaluable in helping this year’s team succeed.
Returning Champs: Claire Schettler, Will Polansky, Madison Tenhulzen, and Maddie Naeve.
The competition wraps up another outstanding year of AAF at the University of Northern Iowa – the only student organization for students with a passion for big ideas and creative advertising.
NSAC 2023 Team Members
Accounts and Strategy
Madison Tenhulzen (Director)
Mia Schemmel
Hannah Brown
Will Polansky
Media
Kamryn Arguello (Director)
Allison Oberbroeckling
Shayleen Perez
Carter Klatt
Pitch team
Bryan Woodall
David Holesinger
Ella Poppen
Riley Davis
Research and Insights
Claire Schettler (Director)
David Holesinger
Mia Rampton
Kelan Goff
Creative
Alyssa Schwarz (Director)
Madison Naeve (Director)
Bryan Woodall (Senior Copywriter)
Ella Poppen (Art Director)
Emma Martinson (Director of Video and Social Media Production)
Mia Rampton (Director of Creative Partnerships and Brand Activations)
Nixson Benitez (Copywriter, Designer, Video Producer)
It’s official: The 2023 NSAC client has been announced by AAF! Indeed, one of the world’s leading job search sites, will be the sponsor of the 2023 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC).
This year we also join AAF in celebrating the 50th birthday of NSAC, which was started in 1973!
The UNI chapter of AAF first participated in NSAC in 2012. This year will be our 12th year of competition. Since we took the 1st place trophy last April at the District 9 Competition, we’ll be defending the D9 title this year and need all the help we can get!
About Indeed
Indeed is the #1 job site in the world with over 250M unique visitors every month. Indeed strives to put job seekers first, giving them free access to search for jobs, post resumes, and research companies. Every day, we connect millions of people to new opportunities.
About NSAC
The National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) is the premier college advertising competition that provides more than 2,000 college students the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising/marketing/media campaign for a corporate client.
NSAC started in 1973 and clients have included global brands such as Meta/Oculus, Tinder, Adobe, Snapple, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Bank of America, Pizza Hut, Burger King, State Farm, and Nissan.
We Won! All the hard work by the UNI NSAC team this year paid off with a first-place win at the AAF District 9 National Student Advertising Competition.
The UNI chapter of AAF first participated in NSAC in 2012. This year will be our 14th year of competition. Last year’s team won a special Judge’s Citation for “Best Experiential Activations” in the very competitive District 9. With four returning veterans from last year’s team – we are hoping to do even better this year!
