12 seniors compete in marketing challenge

University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration seniors Megan Nelson (second from left) and Hannah Paxton (third from left) and University of Nebraska at Omaha students Joe Franco (left) and Elizabeth Stevens (right) took first place in the Yahoo Advertising Knock-Out Challenge Nov. 17-18 at UNO.

Twelve University of Nebraska-Lincoln seniors competed in the inaugural Yahoo Advertising Knock-Out Challenge Nov. 17-18 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

The challenge involved identifying a target audience and developing a marketing plan to get more people to play Yahoo fantasy football. Teams presented their plans to a panel of faculty, Yahoo professionals and local business professionals.

Students competed against the clock, using knowledge of public relations, advertising campaigns and media buys to create their plans. Four teams competed, with some working late into the night.

Senior marketing majors Megan Nelson of Newman Grove and Hannah Paxton of Apex, North Carolina, collaborated with UNO students on the first-place team. Their business plan involved using social media and Amazon’s Alexa feature to encourage more families to use Yahoo’s fantasy football app.

The second-place team featured Nebraska students Haley Schepers, a marketing major from Adel, Iowa, and Linsey Armstrong, an advertising and public relations major from Scribner. Their plan included a fantasy football kit for companies looking to hold leagues internally.

Rob Simon, associate professor of practice of marketing at Nebraska, said the competition helped students by giving them a collaborative challenge.

“The students all enjoyed the competition and said the teams were some of the best they participated in during college,” he said. “Combining their marketing and advertising skills with students they did not know made for rewarding learning experiences. It is also very practical work experience to find out what you would be doing at a company like Yahoo.”

The following is a list of students by hometown who competed in the challenge, including their academic major.