April 19, 2024
Connect-A-Cat members rose from their chairs and high-fived themselves Thursday night when they heard their team announced as the group best suited to their client's needs during Northwest Missouri State University's annual Native Course. and hugged each other.
Each spring, the interdisciplinary program places senior undergraduate students in an environment that mimics a digital media marketing agency. This year, Knacktive students are partnering with the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments, a benefits program funded through the Federal Communications Commission, which provides a variety of programs, products, and services to the Northwest Missouri community. We built a campaign to promote our “Affordable Connectivity Program.” Help provide broadband her internet to your home.
Connect-a-Cat proposed a campaign built on extensive analysis to determine the best approach to connect with the regional council's target market. They create printed materials such as flyers, brochures, newspaper ads, and mailers, as well as social media posts and websites, with the goal of enhancing communication and building partnerships with the community council's audience. did.
“They gave us more information than we already had,” said Jerry Diamont, executive director of the regional council. “They were really detailed and talked about values and trust, which was really great. So they did their research.”
Team Connect-a-Cat consisted of, from left to right, Juliet Johnson, Didar Orazgeldiyev, Anna-Claire Matz, BreAnna Reeve, Deep Shikha, and Alyssa Zion.
This year's Knacktive class consisted of 19 students organized into three teams: Connect-a-Cat, Cyber.C@ts, and Fast & Furious. Students are interviewed and assigned to specific roles on each team, including project manager, media manager, marketing strategist, art director, and digital media manager.
Juliet Johnson, a senior marketing major from Trenton, Missouri, was the project manager for Connect-a-Cat.
“It was very rewarding,” she said. “All of our team members did a great job and we had a great time. It was so cool to work with these people and meet them and we really We built a strong bond.”
Johnson said she joined Knacktive to connect with people outside her major and develop her skills in a real-world environment. After earning her degree from Northwest University, she hopes to build a career in marketing and branding.
“I think it's really cool that this was a global example of what we did with real customers,” Johnson said of the Knacktive experience. “It looks great on a resume and it's really good to be a part of as a college student because I don't think a lot of people have this opportunity. I really appreciate it.”
Didar Orazgerdiev, who will graduate from Northwest University this spring with a bachelor's degree in digital media with an emphasis in visual imaging, served as art director and graphic designer for Connect-a-Cat. Orazgeldiyev said he joined Knacktive because he was interested in challenging himself and appreciated the opportunity to hone his skills while working with a cross-functional team to create marketing strategies. .
Orazgerdiyev, who hopes to pursue a career in user experience and graphic design, says he is “a better designer and a better designer than I ever thought I could be, or better than I ever thought I could be.” He became a great art director.”
Originally from Mary, Turkmenistan, Orazgerdiyev drew inspiration for Connect-a-Cat's artwork from the landscape of northwest Missouri.
“We wanted the design to represent Northwest Missouri, including windmills, farmland, and blue skies, and we were inspired to add yellow from the sunset,” he said. “This region has beautiful skies, so we wanted to showcase and express that.”
About Nactive
Knacktive is an elective course designed to recreate the creative demands and intense teamwork atmosphere of a professional, technology-oriented marketing and communications agency. Students are selected for this experience and actively develop their creative abilities, collaboration skills, and academic knowledge with the aim of improving their competitiveness in the professional market after graduation.
Throughout the course, students experience a realistic, agency-like atmosphere as they work in teams on comprehensive campaign plans for real clients with real problems to address. Competing teams conduct research, analyze data, devise strategies, budgets, develop tactics, and finally make a formal presentation to the client.
Knacktive embraces the principles, strategies, and tactics of design, marketing, and public relations through a melting pot of Northwest schools and communication and mass media majors. Language, literature, and writing. Fine and Performing Arts; Work; Computer Science and Information Systems. Interested students must apply for the course and the selected student will receive three hours of credit for successfully completing the course.
In 2011, the first Knacktive class designed a comprehensive marketing campaign for Cincinnati-based LasikPlus Vision, and the winning team's “Eyes Save Lives” campaign was spun off nationally within three months.
Subsequent Knacktive classes worked on a rebranding project and marketing campaign for Science City at Union Station in Kansas City. Tri-State Ford Automobile Dealership in Maryville. Horace Mann Institute School of the Northwest; Hy-Vee's Market Grill; Velociti Inc., a Kansas City technology development company. American Royal; City of Maryville Tourism. Nodaway County Farmers Mutual Insurance. Ringgold County, Iowa. and St. Joseph Youth Alliance. Meanwhile, our bright graduates find jobs at the region's top advertising and marketing agencies.
Business owners interested in learning more about working with Knacktive should contact the Northwest Foundation at 660.562.1248. For more information about Knacktive, please visit www.knacktive.com.