UMSL advertising students (from left) Neeraj Uttamchandani, Han Wu, Aaron Mann and Bill Bell, pictured with their teacher Kristy Tucciarone, won a gold in the 2014 St. Louis ADDY Awards. (Photo by August Jennewein)

Advertising students at the University of Missouri–St. Louis have had a productive spring, bringing home a haul of medals at the St. Louis ADDY Awards.

Kristy Tucciarone’s students won a gold medal for digital advertising for a video promoting UMSL’s certificate in advertising program, as well as certificates of excellence in the integrated campaign and the elements of advertising categories.

UMSL senior Josh McNew filmed the gold-medal winning video, which promoted UMSL’s certificate in advertising program. Tucciarone, associate teaching professor, wrote the script, and advertising students discussed their experiences with the program. Featuring the students themselves may have been what gave the video the edge, Tucciarone said.

“I think the judges liked the video because it actually featured students who were going through the advertising program,” she said. “They weren’t actors. The passion they had in the video resonated as they read their lines. It was authentic.”

The ADDYs is an advertising competition sponsored by the American Advertising Federation. Competitions take place in student and professional divisions at the local, district and national levels.