May 03, 2023
SIU’s Saluki AdLab earns student advertising district title, advances to semifinals
CARBONDALE, Ill. — For the second time in three years, Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Saluki AdLab captured the National Student Advertising District 6 competition this past weekend in South Bend, Indiana.
The award-winning work by the full service, student-run agency puts the team in virtual semifinal competition later this week. If the team places there, they compete June 1-4 at American Advertising Federation National Conference in St. Louis.
Saluki AdLab is within SIU’s School of Journalism and Advertising in the College of Arts and Media.
Eleven universities, including teams from Michigan State University, Ball State University, the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan, competed in the event, split into two divisions. SIU is one of two winning teams to advance. More than 29 campuses in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan have college chapter associations within the American Advertising Federation’s District 6.
The Saluki AdLab presentation team, by hometown and major, comprises:
ILLINOIS
- Champaign: Ashleigh Spence, linguistics, with a minor in American Sign Language and journalism.
- Carterville: Ryley Bisaillon, advertising, with a minor in marketing.
- Neoga: Jada Plummer, marketing.
- Romeoville: Ryan Edwards, advertising with a minor in marketing.
The creative director is Monserrat Munoz of Fairmont City, Illinois, who is majoring in advertising with minors in Spanish and communication design.
Bridget Lecselius, an associate lecturer in the School of Journalism and Advertising, said the students’ hard work to perform above expectations is behind the team’s continued success through the years, which includes a second-place finish in the district a year ago, with the efforts of support team members.
“It’s not easy, so students who have the grit and tenacity to achieve are eager to take on this challenge,” she said. “Plus, they work with real clients the rest of the year in the AdLab, which gives them a professional edge. And I push them — really hard. I think advertising is simply a lot of fun for people that like to figure things out in a creative way. It’s the intersection of business and creativity.”