Texas A&M University-San Antonio students once again flexed their marketing prowess at the annual Campaign in a Day competition, developing a marketing campaign for a San Antonio nonprofit alongside industry professionals.
During the hands-on competition, each four- to five-person team was paired with a local marketing agency, which provided guidance and helped with brainstorming. The A&M-San Antonio team placed second—compared to third last year—behind winner Texas State University. The other participating universities included St. Mary's University and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The San Antonio chapter of the American Marketing Association organizes and manages Campaign in a Day, which allows students to engage in real-world challenges and the chance to meet with potential employers. At the same time, the marketing agencies have the opportunity to identify new talent entering the workforce pipeline.
This marked the third annual Campaign in a Day. A&M-San Antonio hosted the inaugural competition in 2024.
This year, the teams were challenged with creating a marketing campaign for House of Neighborly Service, a Westside nonprofit with programs dedicated to child and family wellness and early childhood education.
Amumna and former student body president Serenity Gill explained she and her fellow team members—Caro Coutino, Jesus Delgado, and Hope Trinidad—worked with marketing agency Texas Creative to create a brand guide, mascot, logo, and social media strategy to help increase the nonprofit’s visibility, donations, and volunteers.
“This was a very competitive, reality-based experience,” said Gill. “It was interesting to develop a campaign together to help alleviate the organization’s pain points. And because it’s a nonprofit, we had to be budget-friendly, which required us to get really creative.”
Gill, who graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing, is now focused on growing her company, Devine Muse Marketing Agency, which focuses on social media management, website SEO, branding, and paid advertising.
“I'm hoping to launch my website this summer and really go full bloom by August,” she said.
Dr. Roberto Saldivar, assistant professor of marketing, who helped supervise Gill and her team members, said Campaign in a Day is a great learning experience for students.
“We want to continue to work with AMA-San Antonio and help students make that transition to working professionals,” he said. “These competitions are the perfect platform to showcase our students and what they're capable of. They’ve been great representatives of the University.”
To recap the competition and showcase the students’ teamwork and marketing skills, Dr. Jorge Villegas, dean of the College of Business, organized an event at Patriots’ Casa. The student team presented the marketing plan they crafted during Campaign in a Day to an audience that included faculty, staff, and invited executives representing a variety of industries, from real estate to business consultants.
“As A&M-San Antonio continues expanding experiential learning opportunities through partnerships with organizations like AMA-San Antonio, we are helping prepare the next generation of business and marketing professionals,” said Villegas. “It’s one more way we’re opening doors for our students.”