Year in School: Senior
Major: Marketing
Hometown: Wayne, PA (but I was born in London, England)
One of the best things about going to a school like Pitt is the incredible amount of opportunities students are given to go above and beyond the average classroom experience. Senior Orla Rea is fully taking advantage of these opportunities as her Projects in Marketing team prepares for an upcoming national competition.
Her Campus: Tell me a little bit about yourself. What are you involved with here at Pitt?
Orla Rea: My name is Orla Rea, and I am a senior marketing major at the University of Pittsburgh. During my time at Pitt I have been involved with Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity and served as the liaison for Family House during my sophomore year for this club. Family House is a home-away-from-home for people with family members in long-term hospital care. I am also actively involved with Women in Business and serve as the VP of Community Service. Our organization focuses on the development of young women as professionals. I have also had the opportunity to work in the Pitt Serves office. Right now, I am working part time at PachaMama Divine Connection, a boutique in the Strip District which has a foundation for children in the Andes. The store puts profits towards mission trips and helping these kids with eyewear and school supplies. I also have a position at Junior Achievement of Western PA as an intern where I help the team with marketing and events planning. JA brings programs of financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship to kids (K-12), a mission I am very passionate about as a business student. Something else I just started working on is a sustainability blog, it’s in the very early stages but it is an extension of a travel blog I started after going to Ecuador last year: http://leadmyfeetaway.blogspot.com.
HC: I hear you’re a part of a really cool project for your Projects in Marketing class. What have you been working on?
OR: Projects in Marketing is a marketing class offered at Pitt, but unlike other elective classes, students must apply before they can be accepted for the class. As a part of the class, I am working with 23 other Pitt marketing students to develop an integrated marketing and communications campaign for Acura. Specifically, we are trying to increase brand awareness of Acura and purchase consideration of the Acura ILX among millennials.
HC: Did you find out anything interesting while working on this project?
OR: When we started the project, we were under the assumption that millennials simply weren’t buying cars. This has been a long held assumption in the auto industry, largely due to the rise of automobile technologies such as Uber. However, when we conducted research, we found that our sample of millennials did intend to purchase a car but also reported having little knowledge and interest in automobiles. Our task then became to engage these same millennials who self-reported low interest in cars but have also traditionally been described as wary of marketing messages.
HC: Can you describe the competition your group is participating in?
OR: We are in a nationwide competition with prestigious universities across the nation, and the school that develops the best campaign will be flown to California and win $5,000 for their university.
Website: http://www.aimhigher412.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AimHigher412/
Instagram: @aimhigher412
HC: What has your team been doing to prepare for the competition?
OR: In a few short months, we have conducted market research, developed a campaign theme, put together a budget, created advertising in various mediums and engaged the outside world through public relations. The campaign we have launched is ‘Acura, Aim Higher,’ and the message intends to inspire our target audience to set goals, surpass them and strive for better. The message shows millennials that they are high striving, ambitious and always searching for the next big thing to create and to conquer. The campaign aims to motivate millennials to move forward in their lives, ditch their hand-me-down, high school wheels and enter adulthood with the sleek performance Acura ILX.
HC: What are you most excited for about the competition?
OR: We will be having our main event on Pitt’s campus on November 7th, 11a.m. – 2 p.m., at the William Pitt Union driveway where we will have two Acura ILXs so students can see the features and interact with the cars. At the event, we will be having attendees cover a ‘junk car’ in post-it notes listing their dreams and aspirations, encouraging attendees to ‘aim higher.’ Attendees will also be asked to bring donations in the form of cans with the goal of stuffing an entire Acura ILX with cans that will be donated to a local food pantry after the event. There will also be car karaoke, appearances from Roc and the Pitt cheerleaders, cornhole, KanJam, high striker, Spikeball and the chance to win prizes through various raffles. I think the event is going to be super fun and also a great way to give back to the local community.
HC: What has been the biggest challenge your team has faced with this project?
OR: I think the biggest challenge we have faced is how quickly the project has been moving. Something we learned pretty early on is the agency environment is extremely fast paced, so you have to be on the ball to keep up.
HC: What has been the most rewarding part of working on this project?
OR: The most rewarding aspect of the project is getting the chance to work with creative students who also work really hard and bring a diverse array of ideas to the table. It makes for a challenging and valuable learning experience.
HC: Describe your experience with this project in three words.
OR: Dynamic, Intense and Collaborative
HC: What will be the biggest lesson/takeaway you’ve had from this experience so far?
OR: Communication is key; keeping the whole team in the loop and aware of what’s going on in the internal and external environment is essential to creating an effective campaign.
“Support your fellow Pitt students and local community by coming to our event and bringing canned food donations. Also, look out for our advertising online and around campus, and don’t forget to Aim Higher! #AimHigher412”
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/147586269042087/
Photos provided Orla.