Skip to this page's content

Spotlight on Simmons

Students Embark on "Real-World" Advertising Mission


One of the winning team's print advertisements
What began as a Simmons communications class assignment to create a captivating advertising campaign to help the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) boost its national recruitment efforts of women and minorities, turned into an opportunity of a lifetime for teams of students.

The advanced advertising students' work - including print, TV, and radio ads fully produced by three teams of students - was so strong that, not only did the NCIS decide to use it, but it flew NCIS director Thomas Betro from Washington, D.C. to Simmons College to help choose which campaign would be selected during a college-wide presentation on May 3.


Winning Simmons advertising team and top NCIS personnel, along with Simmons Communications Professor Dr. Ed Vieira on left at NCIS headquarters in Washington D.C.

The project for NCIS - the primary law enforcement and counterintelligence arm of the U.S. Department of the Navy - culminated in the winning team of seniors Katharine Mistretta, Kimberley Mitchell, Olga Karagiannis and Emily Catallozzi, and junior Anna Reinhard being flown to Washington, D. C. to tour the NCIS headquarters and present their campaign to the director's senior executive board.


One of the winning team's print advertisements.
"The students had a real client with real-world needs and requirements, and were given the opportunity to bridge critical-thinking skills and creativity," said Communications Professor Dr. Edward Vieira, who accompanied the students to Washington. "The students worked in teams, providing an exercise in planning, organizing, and managing a timeline - resulting in a project that gave students a résumé item as well as portfolio pieces."

NCIS Director Thomas Betro with the advanced advertisement class at Simmons on May 3.

One of the winning team's print advertisements
To complete the assignment, the students researched and analyzed information provided by NCIS to define target audience demographics and psychographics, and then conducted a situational analysis, developed a creative strategy, and created ad drafts. On May 3, each team pitched their own advertising plans to the NCIS director, chief diversity officer, recruitment chief, protocol officer, chief of the director's advisory board, and communications director. Numerous special agents from throughout New England also attended the presentation.


One of the winning team's print advertisements
The other judges for the competition were Joan Abrams, director of the Simmons Master's in Communications Management program, and Cheryl Marsh, NCIS recruitment chief. The winning team won a Copy and Layout Award from the Department of Communications. NCIS funded the award this year, which is given each spring to an advertising team at Simmons.