For the fifth year in a row, Milwaukee-based independent agency Hanson Dodge has partnered with the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) to host high school students as part of a summer internship program.
This year, the students again got to work on real-life assignments for actual clients. In the past, these assignments have included the Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee Pretzel Company and Johnsonville Sausage. This year, the product was a start-up: Festa Pinsa, oven-ready crusts to top with your favorite pizza ingredients. The product is currently available online and making its way into local grocery stores in Salt Lake City.
The assignment was to encourage families to make bake-at-home pizza a part of their weekly family dinners. A brief was provided by Eric Schwartz-Johnson, president and co-founder of Festa Pinsa.
The program was overseen by two Hanson Dodge employees, one of whom, Brady VanderHart, was a recent graduate of MIAD and is now a full-time designer at HD. The other, Ina Li, previously worked at MIAD.
Four groups and great ideas
The interns were divided into four groups. Week one was spent immersing themselves in the agency’s operations including strategy, media, creative and production. Week 2 was spent executing against the assignment, culminating with presentations to Schwartz-Johnson.
Group 1’s platform was titled “Your new 5 to 7” and was based on research that revealed that people tend to remember numbers better than names (“Numerical Cognitive Load”). Festa Pinsa takes 5 to 7 minutes to make; dinner is usually served between 5-7 p.m.; Festa is made of seven ingredients. The campaign was entirely digital and socially focused.
Group 2 promised that Festa Pinsa is “Made to bring families together.” The campaign included TV and employed user-generated content, emphasizing the fun of making dinner together.
Group 3 focused on how “There’s something for everyone in the family.” The campaign was entirely social, but also included a proposed partnership with TMNT (given they love pizza), a recipe book, package design and more. Pinterest was a critical social element.
Group 4 acknowledged people’s different tastes when it comes to toppings. But one thing they can all agree on is how Festa Pinsa crusts “Make this taste good.” Social was the primary vehicle for delivering the message.
“The quality of these students’ thinking was most impressive,” said Schwartz-Johnson. “They understood the audience, knew what media vehicles were best to deliver the message and zeroed in on relevant platforms for communicating our product benefits. I hope many of them choose to pursue careers in advertising and marketing. Our industry can always use an infusion of youthful energy.”
The HD/MIAD intern program was launched in 2021 as a way to expose students to a career that might not be well known to them. HD was the inaugural company to partner with MIAD and has since helped the program grow to include 60 interns across 12 participating business partners. Demand has been so great that another 55 high school students were offered an opportunity to participate in the MIAD Jumpstart program—a chance to learn from MIAD faculty.
“Ina and Brady, our two HDers who organized and oversaw this year’s intern program, are proof that being a part of and supporting the MIAD initiative can make a difference when it comes to recruiting talent for our industry,” said Stacie Boney, president of Hanson Dodge.
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Kyle O’Brien is managing editor of Indie Agency News.
