Innovation
Challenges


Check back soon for announcements about the Direct Effect Innovation Challenge in 2022.

Direct Effect
Innovation Challenge Videos

Meet our live clients, hear from participating faculty, and experience student-generated campaigns through our series of Direct Effect® Innovation Challenge videos.

The Direct Effect®
Innovation Challenge

Direct Effect Innovation Challenges are experiential learning events that bring together students from multiple colleges to design and develop integrated marketing campaigns in response to real-life marketing challenges, all in a single day.

Faculty
  • Assemble student teams to attend a Direct Effect Innovation Challenge and coach them on-site
  • Get in touch if you’re interested in holding a Challenge at your school, or even in your classroom using our Innovation Challenge Facilitator Guide and supporting resources.
Students
  • Apply their knowledge to real-world business scenarios
  • Gain experience creating a mail campaign, including the basics of mailpiece design and copywriting

Get Involved


Think you might like to host near-by schools for a Direct Effect® Innovation Challenge? Would your organization like to serve as a live-client, or support an Innovation Challenge as a sponsor? There are plenty of ways to get involved. Get in touch by emailing:

team@directeffectinnovation.com

Past In-Person Challenges

Cincinnati Direct Effect® Innovation Challenge

Six student teams from four colleges in the greater Cincinnati area were prompted to create an integrated marketing campaign to address Cincinnati Bells primary marketing concern: help the regional telecommunications company competing against larger national competitors by

Targeting the Millennial and Gen Z consumer populations with an enticing advertising campaigns
Recruiting local businesses to thecompany’s broadband internet service


Cincinnati Bell’s live-client challenge, developed for the Innovation Challenge event, was packaged for use in the classroom. To access the live-client challenge and its associated resources, please visit the Classroom Tools page.



Participating Schools



Winners

Xavier University


Miami University of Ohio

Past Virtual Challenges

SUNY Farmingdale Innovation Challenge

Seven student teams from six colleges across the country competed virtually to see who could create the best integrated marketing campaign in response to live-client Mohawk's business challenge: help the international paper company grow their virtual audience and opt-in lists while their primary lead generation source, The Mohawk Maker Quarterly, is temporarily out of service due to COVID restrictions.

Hosted by SUNY Farmingdale, this virtual Innovation Challenge was supported by the Direct Effect® Innovation Challenge Facilitator’s Guide, a free resource for schools to use when running their own Innovation Challenges, found on the Classroom Tools page.



Participating Schools



Winner - Farmingdale State College