The Pitch is an annual student competition that brings the adrenaline of a competition reality TV show to your weekend! Students will receive hands-on experience by working with Columbus agencies on a real-world project with a local non-profit organization. This is a great opportunity for students to show off their talents to some of the best agencies in Columbus, donate their skills to a good cause, and get to collaborate with other students in a new way.
During the 48-Hour Pitch event, student teams will create a social media awareness campaign for their assigned non-profit over the course of a weekend. The creative brief and the client will be revealed at the start of the event!
EVENT DETAILS
How many students are on a team? Teams will be comprised of 4-5 students.
Don't forget, you'll have agency professionals on your team to bounce ideas with you.
How are teams assigned? Students can sign up together as a team or individually to be assigned to a team. Each team will be assigned a unique non-profit to promote, and an agency to help guide the way.
Why 48 hours? Our goal is to reduce demand on student schedules while offering enough time to bring good ideas to life on behalf of our non-profit partners.
How much does it cost? $30 per student
Fees include Pitch Registration and AAF Columbus Student Membership.
What do you win? The winning team will receive exclusive bragging rights, an awesome line item for your resume, the coveted trophy, and an extra special gift that we're cooking up.
Schedule
In-person Kick-off Event - 5:30 PM on Friday, 2/17
The event will start on Friday evening with an IN-PERSON event. Teams will receive their creative challenge for the weekend, be assigned a local non-profit organization to promote, and have a brief meeting with their mentoring agency.
Working Weekend
The teams will work remotely Friday night through Sunday afternoon.
Rolling Submissions - Noon to 5:30 PM on Sunday, 2/19
Submissions will be accepted as early as 12:00 PM and until 5:30 PM on Sunday afternoon. Submissions should include the creative work, written strategy, and a pre-recorded “pitch” video. Submission will be made via email.
Recorded Pitch: Teams will need to record a short presentation explaining how their work and strategy fit the assigned non-profit brand and execute the creative brief and submit with their creative work and written strategy documents.
Agency Interaction
A local agency will be present to help the team create a work plan for their weekend. We encourage the agency to guide a brainstorm session and consult via email over the weekend as time permits. We encourage agencies to invite students to participate in an on site brainstorm, but we understand the limits of an evening / weekend event.
Judges & Winners
The AAF board will create a panel of three judges. They will evaluate the work, the strategy and the creative brief to identify a winner.
Nonprofit Partners
To be announced
Participation in The Pitch comes with a student membership to AAF Columbus!
Why should you get involved with AAF Columbus as a student?
AAF provides opportunities for you to explore and learn about the advertising industry.
- Build Your Portfolio through The Pitch and other volunteer opportunities
- Be on the Forefront of Our Fast-Moving Industry
- Discover Opportunities for Your Career Path
- Attend Networking Events and Find a Mentor
- Grow Your Network of Recommendations & Referrals
- Attend Networking Events and Find a Mentor
- Attend Ongoing Educational Events
- Meet Industry Thought Leaders
- Discover Job Opportunities
Interested in joining AAF or learning more? Contact education@aafcolumbus.org.
