This article from Speakeasy Magazine can also be read at
http://speakeasymag.com/campuslife/eyeonou/2009/feb/03/ou-ad-club-hosts-second-annual-ad-bowl-party/
By Cameron Glover, Staff Writer
The Ohio University Ad Association will be hosting its second annual Ad Bowl at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 19 South's Aqua Lounge on Court Street.
The 2009 OU Ad Bowl party is a chance for any OU student to produce original commercials. The commercials will be shown along with the Super Bowl XLIII commercials on a big screen and compete against some of OU’s most creative minds to win the title of “Best of Show.”
All 11 teams competing have turned in their 60-seconds-or-less commercial that they had one week to put together. Each team consists of up to five core members that are responsible for generating the idea for a campaign and writing a script. The team is then allowed to recruit anyone else to help with acting, production and editing of the commercial.
“Some teams are really hardcore and dedicated,” promotions chair Victor Rasgaitis said.
Rasgaitis, a senior studying advertising management, has been a member of the OU Ad Association since his freshman year. He, too, will be competing on Wednesday.
“I know my team is pretty intense,” Rasgaitis said.
Last year, only three teams took part in the competition causing a lack of intensity. However, the 43 registered students participating this Wednesday should boost the competitive atmosphere this year.
The campaign clients for the commercials were chosen based on the major campaigns that were going to be shown during the Super Bowl. Each team drew the name of a client out of a hat at the Ad Bowl Kickoff on Saturday, Jan. 24. The clients range from Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi to Castrol Oil and Skittles.
The OU Ad Association faculty advisers, Craig Davis and Hong Cheng, will judge the competition, looking for creativity, brand representation and overall production. Teams will fight for titles, such as “Best of Show,” “Most Creative” and “People’s Choice.”
“People work hard to put [the commercials] together, and we look at them critically,” Davis said. Davis is also looking forward to getting together with everyone outside of class to enjoy the night filled with entertainment, he said.
The Ad Bowl party is one of the many events that the OU Ad Association has planned for winter quarter. It will be hosting a few socials throughout February and March, including two fundraisers at Jackie O’s.
The Ad Association also participates every year in the National Student Advertising Competition, where members have the school year to create an entire campaign and present it at the finals in June. Last year OU came out victorious with 30 members aiding in the campaign construction. This year more than double the amount of members are working to defend OU’s title as reigning champions.
