COmSTRAT 480, Advertising Agency Op & Camp

The COUGSFIrst Project

In Fall 2025, I completed COMSTRAT 480, an advanced capstone‑style course focused on integrated strategic communication, brand strategy, and applied client work. Under the guidance of Erika Schlomer‑Fischer, PhD, our class partnered with CougsFirst!, a business network that encourages Washington State University alumni and friends to “think CougsFirst!” when choosing products, services, and hiring.

Our challenge: reposition CougsFirst! to better reach younger alumni and soon‑to‑be graduates, expanding the network’s relevance, recognition, and long‑term loyalty. As a member of the creative team, I helped develop strategic and creative materials that reflected research‑driven insights and resonated with emerging professional audiences.

Throughout the semester, our team produced a full professional pitch and presentation that included:

Background & Research

  • Primary and secondary research on brand perceptions, market positioning, and alumni engagement

  • Analysis of student and young‑alumni behavior, communication preferences, and barriers to adoption

  • Visualized findings through charts, graphs, and comparative insights to identify strategic opportunities

Brand Strategy & Positioning

  • Clear goals and objectives aligned with CougsFirst!’s expansion vision

  • Updated brand positioning to connect with a younger demographic without losing legacy brand equity

  • Recommendations for brand management, consistency, and long‑term community integration

Audience Strategy

  • Prioritized target segments, including upper‑division students, recent graduates, and young professionals

  • Developed personas to reflect career stage, motivations, and lifestyle patterns

  • Identified the core “why”—a key insight rooted in research: young Cougs want community, mentorship, and meaningful professional connection, not just a directory of businesses

Creative Strategy & Execution

  • Developed a creative brief aligning the brand truth, key messages, tone, and value proposition

  • Crafted message frameworks centered around belonging, opportunity, and the idea that “thinking CougsFirst!” drives the WSU community forward

  • Produced example executions (e.g., campaign concepts, social content ideas, storyboard elements) showcasing how the new positioning could come to life

  • Recommended strategic mediums including social platforms, short‑form video, peer‑driven content, campus events, and ambassador programs

Promotion & Media Planning

  • Defined measurable promotional objectives tied to time frames and target locations

  • Proposed an integrated promotional mix combining social media, digital advertising, experiential activations, and relationship‑driven outreach

  • Outlined a media strategy with specific reach, frequency, and impact goals

  • Built an implementation schedule and success metrics to evaluate campaign performance

This course allowed me to work like a real agency team, conducting research, building strategic frameworks, and turning insights into compelling creative outputs for a meaningful client. Contributing to CougsFirst!’s repositioning allowed me to refine my skills in brand storytelling, creative conceptualization, and integrated campaign thinking, all while helping strengthen a network built by and for Cougs.