Arts & Entertainment, Arts & Entertainment, Pop Culture

Advertising Student Development Forum Teaches Valuable Marketing Skills

President Alyssa Trapp leads ASDF members as they plan their Ocean Spray ad campaign.

Story by Sarah Wright

Photos by Xavier-Thomas Mendoza

Every Wednesday at 5 p.m., the Advertising Student Development Forum (ASDF) works diligently to help teach advertising majors how to succeed in the respective jobs within their field.

The Advertising Student Development Forum is a Central Michigan University student organization that aims to teach students valuable skills in marketing and advertisement.

Currently, the ASDF is working on an ad campaign for Ocean Spray for the National Student Advertising Competition. The project begins with a case study that later requires research and the creation of an ad throughout the semester which will later be presented in South Bend, Indiana. Also, the ASDF does resume work shops and networking events in Detroit and Grand Rapids.
The club is currently helmed by President Alyssa Trapp, who is an advertising major and multimedia minor, and Vice President Samuel VanCamp, who is a double major in advertising and social science.

ASDF Vice President, Samuel Van Camp works on Ocean Spray ad campaign with fellow RSO members.

VanCamp first got involved during his freshman year after seeing an ad on OrgSync and became interested from his first meeting after watching a brainstorming session. VanCamp was also able to find work at CMLife due to his connection through the ASDF with two other members of CMLife.

“Between the club and CMLife, I then had a lot of experience building ad campaigns and involving myself in advertising. It kind of served has fodder for job interviews and internships,” VanCamp said.

The ASDF is not just for advertising majors as it helps members learn how to work as a team to accomplish ad campaigns by using different aspects like media and research in order to help create a cool ad

ASDF members, Alyssa Branoff (right) and Austin Jennings (left), work on Ocean Spray ad.

Graphic design major and RSO member, Julia Hauenstein, was able to get some real-world experience and connections due to this club. Hauenstein got involved with ASDF discovered the club at Main-stage and was later encouraged by Trapp, who is also Hauenstein’s sorority sister, to join. Hauenstein has done some research for the club and also helps by pitching add ideas during meetings.

“I hope to use these skills in a field related to marketing, but I’d prefer to do some freelance work and maybe own a café on the side,” Hauenstein said.

The ASDF provide it’s members with some helpful experiences and insight in order to better prepare them for careers outside of a campus setting.

Interview with ASDF President: Alyssa Trapp

https://soundcloud.com/sarah-wright-103/alyssa-trapp

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