Published: Feb 19, 2008
Marketing students at The University of Tampa are teaming up with local
businesses to compete in the international Google Online Marketing
Challenge.
As part of the challenge, the student teams and
local businesses will receive $200 of free online advertising with
Google AdWords. The main goal is for the student teams to run a
campaign that will create more hits to the businesses’ Web sites in
order to gain more recognition, possibly raise sales and bring in new
customers.
The student teams will work with local businesses
including Brandon Montessori in Valrico; Splitsville Lanes in Tampa;
Glow Day Spa in Tampa and Dooley Groves in Sun City. The student teams
will ultimately provide the businesses with recommendations to further
develop their online marketing strategies.
When the challenge
is complete, students send their reports to Google for judging by a
panel of independent, international academics. Winners will be
announced in July.
The UT students participating are enrolled in Dr. Judith Washburn’s Marketing 411 class “Promotional Strategy.”
According to the Google Web site, the challenge was created for
students to gain a sense of a real world online marketing experience.
Approximately 20,000 students from 61 countries are participating.
“This competition allows students from all over the world at different
universities to compete against each other in a global online marketing
competition,” Washburn said. “Plus it gives local businesses a chance
to get publicity and marketing strategy advice, at no cost.”
Other Florida universities participating in the challenge include
University of South Florida, Rollins College, Florida State University
and Florida Atlantic University. To see a map of participating
institutions and learn more about the challenge, go to
www.google.com/onlinechallenge/.