Crash Campaign pull all-nighters to help local businesses

Fueled by lots of coffee, bagels, granola bars and pizza, close to 80 students spent 24 hours straight planning advertising and public relations campaigns for small Chapel Hill businesses, non-profits and start-ups this weekend in a competition known as Crash Campaign.

The idea was formed by UNC graduates Joanna Sanfilippo and Matt Hurley four years ago. Each November, different teams of four to five students camp out in the School of Media and Journalism and try to create campaigns for a real-world client. The next day the groups present before judges to pitch their campaign, and the winners receive $500. After the competition, students have a chance to network with the judges who are professionals in the fields of advertising and PR.

Crash Campaign is open to all undergraduate students both in the journalism school and out.

While many participants get involved to apply their journalism school education, some simply want to have a new experience or check off another 24-hour event from their UNC bucket list. 

Senior Rachel Horowitz serves as the current president of the Crash Campaign competition. She has been involved with Crash Campaign all four years at UNC, from participating on a team her first-year to now running the event.

"Crash Campaign was created to give people this experience that they weren't able to get until they got into the higher level classes, so that they could use it for their jobs and internships," she said. 

Faculty advisor Lois Boynton said the progression of leadership, as well as the chance to exercise delegation skills, are some of the central benefits of Crash Campaign.

“I love seeing students become leaders, seeing students take the skills we hammer home in classes and actually say, 'Here is a client who is legitimate, they are a real business, they need some assistance and you get to do it,'” Boynton said.

Not only do participants come from many academic backgrounds, they also come in with various levels of experience. The teams are divided up based on the application they submit, in order to create an equal playing field in terms of seniority, experience level and interest. 

“There are so many different people who do this, it is very interdisciplinary," said participant Anna Bradsher. "You learn a lot. I’ve learned a lot from my team members I would not have known otherwise.” 

The benefits that Crash Campaign affords its participants and leaders goes far beyond the 24-hour period they spend in Carroll Hall. Crash Campaign provides a major highlight for student resumes, creates networking connections with judges and professors, gives students time to learn from peers and a chance to experiment with possible career options. 

Senior Elise Pericles said the campaign is an eye-opening experience to stress in the workplace and will help in the future when applying to jobs.

"I'm going to take this Crash Campaign and smear it all over my resume any way I can."

Crash Campaign’s aim to enrich is two-fold, as it gives students chances to learn but also provides local businesses and non-profits with a service they might not otherwise be able to have.

“It really is an opportunity for them to have some resources that don’t cost them any money,” Boynton said.

“I think it reinforces for others that our students are proactive. They are go-getters, they do not shy away from a challenge, from hard work."

@JessySnouwaert

university@dailytarheel.com