AMA Places Third in the Sherwin-Williams Marketing Design Competition
Last fall, the UIC American Marketing Association (AMA) competed in the Sherwin-Williams Marketing Design Competition at the University of Whitewater AMA Regional Conference. The competition involved creating a marketing communication post intended to attract job seekers to career opportunities at Sherwin-Williams. A total of 35 teams competed, and UIC finished in the top three! The winning team consisted of members Iwona Goscinski, Purivsh Patel, and Karla Ramirez. Below is an overview of the event, provided by each participant.
Congratulations on bringing home third place! Can you describe the award-winning project? Heading link
Congratulations on bringing home third place! Can you describe the award-winning project?
In the Sherwin-Williams Marketing Competition, our task was to design a post that aims to help the Sherwin-Williams digital recruitment efforts on social media. We had to create content for a new, career-focused company Instagram account that communicates information about job opportunities and incorporates the Sherwin-Williams culture. Our objective was to drive traffic to their website and attract graduating seniors and recent college graduates.
A fundamental component was making sure it was relatable by following popular trends such as incorporating QR codes and making it seasonal. Our main goal was to make our Instagram post fun, which would garner increased traffic to Sherwin-Williams’ career website.
Did AMA have to overcome any obstacles throughout the competition?
A challenge our team faced was the time constraint. We had one hour to discuss and create our content post with so many ideas to consider. At one point, we felt rushed to complete our work before the deadline, but we pulled through and created our envisioned post! [Pictured above] This lead to us placing third.
What did the members learn from this AMAzing experience?
Overall, the competition was so much fun! We had a great time brainstorming with each other and working together to create something that the target audience could relate to. It was great to put what we learned in class into real-world scenarios. This experience taught us how to handle time-sensitive projects, especially when working with others, since you need to make sure to communicate with everyone about what’s going on. It also taught us not to be afraid to go with a plan that sets you apart. It is good to take a risk than to be safe by staying in your comfort zone.
What goals does the organization have for the next Sherwin-Williams Marketing Design Competition?
AMA-UIC has the goal to place again in the competition and get 1st place! We will continue to take risks, to bring on creativity, and to compete with energy and an open mind. Our main goal is to have fun, to not stress about technicalities, and to get as creative as we can.
“Win or lose, enjoy the ride!” – Iwona Goscinski