Photos by Ralph Freso
Dreaming of a cozy Christmas seemed unfathomable during Phoenix's triple-digit temperatures this summer on the Grand Canyon University campus.
But the work of GCU student graphic designer AnnaGrace Call and copy writer Ireland Fleck over the last six months persuaded Lope Shop leaders to select their project for the retailer's big “5 Days of Christmas” sale, which starts today.
“We thought the themes of the other ones were good,” Lope Shop visual merchandising manager Briana Gonzales said of presentations by three groups from GCU’s Student Ad Agency. But the marketing materials by Call and Fleck, centered around the "Cozy Christmas" theme, stood out.
“We knew immediately that we wanted something fun and festive,” said Fleck, a senior majoring in professional writing for new media with a minor in advertising and graphic design. “We first asked each other why we love Christmas so much.
“For both of us, we love how nostalgic Christmas is and all the fond memories of celebrating the holidays with family. As students, we knew that other students could also relate to this.”
The five-day event features 25% discounts on different items every day: T-shirts today, hoodies on Tuesday, long-sleeve T's on Wednesday, crew sweatshirts on Thursday, and gifts and hats on Friday at the store and website (lopeshops.gcu.edu).
Those graphics will be displayed on store signage and campus digitals and will be a part of social media content promotion.
The Lope Shop hopes to capitalize on Tuesday on hoodie sales, which will be discounted the same day the men’s’ basketball team plays host to 2022-23 NCAA men’s basketball tournament runner-up San Diego State.
Preparation for the 5 Days of Christmas Sale is essential for the retailer, which sold 5,114 items at the main store on the Promenade last December (that's 6,227 when you count the other Lope Shops locations).
“I think it's great to students as a reminder, as well, that sometimes projects of this scale can take months to complete,” Grand Canyon Education marketing project specialist Kyle Peterson said. “This was a Christmas campaign that we were working on earlier this summer. There’s that total process of ideation to final print, and everything in between – getting critiques from designers and copywriters, polishing it – to present to the client and then getting approval.
“You have to prepare a lot in advance for that.”
Shelly Schrimpf, assistant director of campus retail and licensing for the Lope Shop, embarks on the trade show circuit in January. But she has worked closely with the student ad agency, particularly with women’s clothing lines last spring, as well as Christmas themes.
The student ad agency recently completed a project regarding move-out information for students during the winter break, said Peterson, who was part of the first student ad agency five years ago.
“The partnerships are pretty strong with marketing because they have a sense of what’s needed,” Schrimpf said.
Fleck has been with the student ad agency for 2 ½ years and has worked on many “passion projects,” such as the Lope Shop’s Thunder Threads program and GCBC’s “We’ve Got Major Flavor” Finals Week campaign.
“As the copywriter, I really liked creating fun names for the drinks, like Happy Little Stampede for CAM (the College of Arts and Media) or Chai Hard for the Honors College,” Fleck said.
Call, a junior majoring in digital design, and Fleck were one of three pods selected at the end of June for the Christmas project.
“All the pods worked on this gradually throughout the whole summer,” Fleck said. “It was hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it was 120 degrees outside.”
While students and GCU staff members and employees were recovering from a robust Thanksgiving dinner, Gonzales and her staff spent Black Friday transforming the Lope Shop for Christmas.
This also included a window display designed to catch the eyes of those strolling by retailer.
Lauren Thomas, GCE marketing project specialist, said the student groups received assistance and approval from the Grand Canyon Education marketing team and Lope Shop during the six-month process.
“The creative campaigns are a great opportunity for students to practice pitching and presenting concepts to clients, managing marketing projects and creating marketing collateral,” Thomas said. “They can also utilize the materials they create for their portfolios.”
Those groups not selected still gain “real world experience” similar to an internship, Peterson said.
“One thing we hear from clients a lot is they're looking for fresh work, and the students a lot of times are eager for new creative projects to sink their teeth into,” Peterson said. “It's sort of just a win-win for both sides because (even if) one team doesn't get picked, they're still putting forth a great campaign that they can use as portfolios that the client might use for the next year.”
GCU senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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