Students win South Africa marketing competition

A group of Political Communication students this month were on the winning team at the GlobCom competition in South Africa, where they devised the best marketing strategy for a town trying to cultivate tourism.

“It was an interesting experience to make friends with people from all over the world, and learn how they conduct public relations and marketing where they’re from,” said Juliet Albin ’14.

Emerson joined 12 universities from 12 countries at GlobCom, which was held June 13–17.

Albin was on the winning team with students from Emerson and colleges in Australia and Germany that came up with a marketing strategy for the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She said the judges, who were civic and business leaders, praised her and her teammates for their presentation skills and not relying on notecards.

“It really spoke to the legacy of Emerson, which is always known for its communication skills in professional situations,” said Associate Professor Gregory Payne, who accompanied the students.

The judges also enjoyed the winning team’s ideas of selling tourists gift cards with discounts for local stores and public transportation, viral videos, and celebrity endorsements.

“They liked our emphasis on social media and wanting to promote the natural beauty of Stellenbosch, since there are great outdoor aesthetics,” Albin said.

Also on the winning team were Donovan Birch ’15 and Taylor Smith ’14.

“The South African hosts showed us tremendous hospitality that really showcased their culture,” Birch said.

The trip was organized by Payne and Scholar-in-Residence Spencer Kimball.