Written by Lauren Pacsi
Last Tuesday in Sports Management with Professor Andy Clark, our class wrapped up the quarter by presenting our final projects. We were challenged by Michael Miller, Vice President at Paragon Sports Marketing, Libby Heisinger, Senior Account Executive and Talia Petrosino, Account Executive at Paragon Sports Marketing to develop a full marketing activation plan for a beverage brand during the big soccer event next summer. Under Paragon’s direction, our six student teams analyzed U.S. cities, identified key activation sites, and proposed innovative footprint concepts, sampling initiatives, and PR approaches designed to genuinely engage fans and local communities.
Our team included Mairin Duffy, Layden Blocker, Kahmara Landrum, Selena Martinez, Krushil Patel, and Justin Rude, with Philadelphia as our chosen city.
The team’s theme: Philadelphia isn’t just a city with teams; it’s a city that lives for victory. “City of Champions” celebrates the grit, pride, and passion that defines Philly fans and connects that same spirit to the world’s game: soccer.
Students researched target audiences and shaped authentic messages to design activations that resonated with communities and soccer fans in the United States. Beyond the creative challenge, this project was a fun and rewarding opportunity to obtain practical experience. Students were able to step into the role of professionals and see how strategy, creativity and execution come together in the sports marketing world.
Philadelphia gained a new champion on Tuesday, as our team was awarded first place for our campaign presentation. I truly valued the opportunity to collaborate with such hard-working students like my team members. Importantly, all six teams brought forward creative and thoughtful ideas, which were complimented by the Paragon team for their quality and innovation.
Thank you to the team at Paragon Marketing Group for working with us this quarter and giving us the opportunity to apply our skills in a real-world setting!