UH Advertising Team Prepares for National Competition

For students in the University of Houston’s advertising program, the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition is more than just a class—it’s a battle for a national championship.

Jason Tinnel, a UH alumnus, former NSAC participant, and now the head advisor for the University’s team, compares it to “the NCAA college football playoffs, but for advertising.”

Schools across the country compete in district-level competitions, then regionals and only six teams advance to nationals.

UH has a history with the competition, winning the national title in the 1980s. However, in the last 25 years, the team has only made it as far as regionals.

Tinnel was on the team in 2013 when UH won district and placed at regionals.

Each year, the NSAC assigns teams a real-world client and a campaign objective. This year, UH’s challenge is to make Gen Z "crave AT&T."

The team has conducted extensive research, gathering “over 1,200 pieces of quantitative data, hundreds of pieces of qualitative data, and hours of secondary research,” according to Tinnel.

The goal? To understand how Gen Z perceives AT&T and how to shift that perception.

The competition isn’t just about research—it’s also about execution. Teams must submit a 13-page campaign book summarizing their entire strategy and deliver a presentation judged by industry professionals.

For Brooke Choppin, a junior strategic advertising major and the team’s art director, that means countless hours spent perfecting the campaign layout in InDesign.

“This is rough draft number 85,” she joked. “Things have already been taken out of what I printed this morning.”

Choppin oversees the final layout of the campaign book, ensuring it reflects the team’s strategy while maintaining a strong visual appeal.

The team structure extends beyond just advertising majors, with students from different disciplines filling various roles.

Creative Director Itzel Mazariego, a senior in advertising, is one of the few returning members from last year’s team.

She described the competition as a “good type of stress” and said she returned this year with one goal: “I just want to win.”

Mazariego also plays a leadership role in guiding the creative team, helping them refine their ideas and maintain motivation.

“When I’m struggling, I say it,” she said. “I try to be open about the process, because we’re all in this together.”

Entry into UH’s NSAC team isn’t automatic.

“Last year, I had 38 applicants and only selected 20,” Tinnel said. The team isn’t limited to advertising majors—students from media production and even the design school participate.

 “A lot of this work is creatively driven, so we bring in people who can help fill that gap,” he said.

Presentation is another crucial part of the competition, and students must audition to earn a spot as one of the four presenters.

“Your peers vote on it,” Tinnel said. “Last year, five people auditioned, and this year, we had three.”

Tinnel, who took over as head advisor last year, admitted that his first year leading the team was a learning experience.

“I somewhat felt like a chicken with my head cut off,” he said. “I didn’t know the exact timeline we needed to follow, and we ended up scrapping our entire campaign at the end of February. We had just 25 days to build it all out.”

This year, the process has been much smoother.

“We worked a lot faster, and we’re ahead of where we were last year,” he said.

Despite the intense workload, Tinnel doesn’t treat the competition as a class.

“I tell students on day one—this is not a class,” he said. “Your expectation is preparation for your career. I treat them as if I’m the CEO or the client, and they manage the work like they would in a real agency.”

For students looking to break into the advertising industry, NSAC provides an unparalleled real-world experience. Whether UH’s team will break its 25-year streak and make it past regionals remains to be seen, but one thing is clear—they’re putting in the work to make it happen.

As Mazariego put it: “The most rewarding part? When we win.”