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Bird's EyeView
Monday, September 30,1996
Some KU students are working to create an advertising campaign for the Kansas Army and Air National Guard. Their class with Professor Len Alfano is molding them into...
Top Guns of advertising
Story by Ashleigh Roberts
Photos by Steve Puppe
J
on Newman felt his stomach drop Thursday morning.
Newman, Marietta, Ga., senior, was one of about 20 KU students who left Forbes Field in Black Hawk military helicopters to be briefed at the Kansas National Guard's military bases in Salina and Manhattan.
"It was the most exciting part of the whole trip," said Matt Dorsett, Topeka senior. "It isn't every day that a bunch of journalism students get to hop on a military aircraft and be taxed to different destinations. It's quite a different experience than flyboarding."
Newman said the helicopter rose straight into the air, without a traditional take-off or landing. It was a little wobbly at first, but became smoother than any other type of flight he had experienced.
"Once the oscillating subsided, the motor began to hum, and the thousands of RPMs circling above your head developed a constant rhythm," he said.
Len Alfano, assistant professor of journalism,
takes a break from his notes to look out the window of a Black Hawk military helicopter. Alfano and his advertising class flew to Kansas Air National Guard bases Thursday for briefings on an advertising campaign they were working on for the guard.
The students were not part of KU's ROTC. In fact, they weren't associated with the military at all. They were journalism students in Len Alfano's Advertising Campaigns class.
paigns class.
The students are developing an advertising campaign for the Kansas Army and Air National Guard to increase general awareness and recruitment levels.
Alfano, assistant professor of journalism, said the course was designed to acclimate students to real-life promotional problems that they would deal with in the advertising world. It is the final course required to graduate in the advertising sequence.
The class was divided into groups of four and will develop different advertising campaigns using the information taught in the previous four advertising courses.
The client gives the journalism school a stipend, which pays for the materials the students use,
"We wanted the students to have a chance to actually get in their boots and see what the National Guard was all about," said Joy Moser, public relations director of the Adjutant Generals Department. "We are trying to provide an inside look at the guard. If they haven't seen it, they can't relate."
The field trip was the second in a series of informational briefings explaining existing recruiting levels and detailing the goals of the guard's promotion to the students.
Alfano said. This year, each group was given $40,000 to do the research, media, creative and marketing aspects of the campaign.
are good if they last. The students toured the Mobilization and Train-
mg Equipment Site at Ft. Riley and the Kansas Regional Training Center in Salina to develop the research side of their project.
Hallele Shink, Newapolis senior, said the trip was beneficial because it provided a good look at what the guard did on a daily basis.
"It was a hands-on experience. I feel more comfortable and knowledgeable about our project," she said. "It was very informative for my own personal good as well as for the campaign."
Brandon Presia, Prairie Village senior, said he learned that although the army was downsizing, the National Guard was staying relatively the same size.
That makes a difference in the methods used to find marketing tactics to raise recruiting levels, he said.
"I gained a lot of knowledge about the armed forces, not only for a scholastic use, but for my own personal gain." Prestia said. "My sister is in the Army, and I kind of have a feeling for what she is experiencing."
Alfano said he began to talk to the guard about the job in late July. He said that the guard was eager, and that he thought the guard and the class complemented each other well.The experience gave the class a chance to learn more about military.
"It's a great information exchange," he said. "This is a great opportunity to get to see the front line."
Captain Todd Starin is giving students in Alfano's advertising class a tour of the Mobilization and Training Equipment Site Thursday at Ft. Riley. Students saw the types of military equipment the Kansas Air National Guard repaired and the different levels of maintenance they handled.
"It's important to see what the military is all about, especially when they are going to help promote what has been called 'the best kept secret,'" Hoffman said. "The military is a direct reflection of our society."
Barry A. Hoffman, executive officer of the Kansas Regional Training Center, said he was excited about the project because it developed a better relationship with civilians.
Robert Bearce, staff sergeant and crew chief mechanic, waits to help students board Black Hawk military helicopters at Forbes Field. Bearce gave students proper safety instructions and helped pilot the helicopters to military sites Thursday.
Matt Dorsett, Topeka senior; Brandon Presta, Prairie Village senior; and Hallee Shink, Minneapolis senior, wait to board Black Hawk military helicopters at Pt. Riley. Students in Alfano's advertising campaigns class were surveying Kansas National Guard sites in Kansas as part of a project to develop an advertising campaign for the Kansas Army and Air National Guard.