Day Two: Early planning and assigning mentors

Photo: Tanner Evans

Competing teams were assigned into different classes (Class A, Class B, etc.) led by a set of professional mentors at the start of today's conference. These mentors will help the teams with their early advertising concepts for Chevrolet in China.

Taking breaks from industry speakers in the main hall, teams split off and began working on several concepts to pitch to their mentors. Due to the secrecy of the concepts and the nature of competition, we will not publish meeting details that could compromise the success of any team.

On a more general note, the challenge teams face is how to create a culture in China that romanticizes Chevy cars like Americans do. The difference is already clear in marketing campaigns between the two countries. In the United States, Chevy advertisements include “Find your roads” as a slogan, while Chinese advertisements have two slogans that translate into “Love what you love” and “Dream Unlimited.”

The Chinese slogans are less rooted in adventure and nostalgia, the latter method being near useless as a marketing tool for a brand without an established culture in the country. By contrast, the former slogan for U.S. branding played off of nostalgia: “Chevy runs deep.”

Late Friday brought surprise news that MSU professor Henry Brimmer will temporarily substitute as a Class C mentor after one of the assigned mentors had a scheduling conflict.

This change means two of the MSU-based teams will have Brimmer as one of their mentors over the next two days. Saturday, each class will meet their mentors and begin discussing early concepts for the Chevrolet advertising campaign.

Team Sponge宝宝 (SpongeBaoBao)

​From left to right; starting with back row: Maddie Guzzo, Jiahao Yan, Lin Guo, Benjy Joung, Feng Pu, Campbell Thompson, Amanda McCafferty.

Team CC

From left to right: Zhen Feng, Yi Rong, Eric Flewelling, Huang Hao, Taiyou Chen, Parker Sessa, Tianyu Shi

Team Mosaic 6+1

From left to right: ​Piper Cook, Laurel Chen, D.C, Marissa Ceccato, Tianyi Xie, Xu Shang, Anna Warbel.

Team Green Teeth

​From left to right; starting with back row: Teng Teng, Larraine Fu, Carlie Wirebaugh, Sarah Ellison, Zihan Shen, Amy Xiang, Julian Plata.