After a full semester of hard work, students in assistant professor Erin Schauster’s sustainable brands class had the opportunity to present their briefs to Boulder’s own Upslope Brewing Company last Wednesday. As part of their final project, the students, who were split into teams, showcased their ideas for new social media strategies Upslope could use to strengthen their brand, utilizing the company's environmentally sustainable practices as a core theme.
With a representative from Upslope present, the teams pitched ideas such as reaching out to local “influencers” on social media sites likes Instagram and hiding messages in branded water bottles at popular outdoor sites in Boulder. The students explained their ideas with research they conducted on Upslope’s intended audience and the company’s average consumers. The groups also created special hashtags for use on social media, such as #shareyourpeak and #packinpackout to be used along with the proposed content.
The project gave students the opportunity to work closely with a real, local company to provide a unique, hands-on advertising experience.
“This class and this project is exactly what I want to do with what I’m studying, so it was really cool to be immersed in the actual things that I want to do” said student Makaila Rosin.