IP@CE 2010 Valencia - Advertising Campaign Training

The task for this year’s IP@CE was to come up with an advertising campaign that would promote green issues and make young Europeans aware of responsible energy consumption habits. Students came to work together to Valencia from Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, UK and Spain. From TAMK Virrat students of the option Marketing and International Business Karri Kähärä, Anni Kilpiö, Anu-Eveliina Muuri, Turo Ristolainen and Jussi Virtanen participated in the IP hosted by CEU Universidad Cardenal Herrera.

Before arriving to Valencia, every country had to deliver a research report about the target group of 13-25 year-old youngsters of their own country. The research included their thoughts about climate change, their media usage, internet habits and their actions concerning climate change. These researches offered background information for the actual advertising campaign that was conducted in Valencia.

In Valencia students were divided into eight groups that would be advertising agencies and every agency had to come up with the campaign for our client, The European Commission. The only challenge in the task was not about being the most creative but also to work successfully in an international group.

Two weeks is a very short time and each team had to determine their target group and understand it in order to come up with a strong and creative idea that wouldn’t cost too much and would be easily adoptable for young Europeans.

As usual, the two weeks of IP was not just about working together but also about having fun and getting to know other students. The Spanish organization had planned us something for almost every evening. We got to taste typical Spanish tapas, see the night life in Valencia and also go to a local football match. We also got to taste typical food from each participant country as we organized an intercultural dinner with all the other students where every country would prepare something from their own countries.

In the last evening they had organized a farewell party where all the students and teachers came to eat, drink and dance all together to celebrate the successful IP. A DJ was playing everyone’s favorite songs that had been collected beforehand.

Working in an international group and expanding your knowledge as well as learning from other students and having fun ended up being a priceless experience that all the students participated in the program would remember long after this.

Story & pictures: Anu-Eveliina Muuri