Students Get Marketing Down Cold at Eric Rob & Isaac
A dozen middle school students from central Arkansas attended “Brand Camp” recently at the Eric Rob & Isaac advertising firm, learning about branding, advertising and of course, ice cream.
The students gathered at the firm’s downtown Little Rock offices to invent their own flavors for Yarnell’s, one of ERI’s clients. They learned about copywriting, design and presentation, devising a carton for the new ice cream flavors, photographing them for display advertising and producing a radio commercial about them. Then they presented their pitch to real Yarnell’s representatives. “Who knows, there may soon be a new Yarnell’s flavor out there,” said ERI partner Rob Bell. Or maybe three: The flavors they came up with were Banana Pudding Delight, Country Road and Neapolitan Jolly Rancher.
Karina Bao, a senior at Little Rock Central High School, finished fifth in the recent Brain Bee World Championship neuroscience competition in Copenhagen, Denmark. As a junior she won the USA Brain Bee championship in the national competition in March in Baltimore. Attending the global event was a major prize, and Karina finished ahead of 20 accomplished students.
The Brain Bee tests students on their knowledge of the brain, including its anatomy and conditions that affect it. The overall world winner was Ana Ghenciulescu of Romania. Karina said she shares her success with her coaches, Michelle Chiu and Kevin Spatz of Central, as well as doctors at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Baptist Health System.
It’s a long journey from kindergarten to college. But it’s never too early to start saving, and for students in Arkansas, a crayon could mark the way. This month, hundreds of kindergartners will be coloring to compete for one of 75 college savings accounts worth $529 apiece, sponsored by the Arkansas 529 GIFT College Investing Plan, the Arkansas State Treasury and the Arkansas Department of Education.
The statewide Coloring for College contest runs through the end of the month, and rules and parental consent forms are available at Arkansas529.org. Artwork, drawings and consent forms must be mailed by Sept. 30 to Arkansas 529 College Investing Plan, 1401 Capitol Ave., Suite 275, Little Rock, AR 72201. For information, email BethAnne.Rankin@ARTreasury.gov or call (501) 682-3817.