Familiar logos flashed across the screen, and responses came quickly.
“Nike Swoosh!” “McDonalds Golden Arches!”
Before the week was over, middle school scholars had created products, designed logos, written slogans, and produced commercials of their own.
Guided by ODA alumna and coordinator Alexis Williams (“Miss Lex” to the scholars), Media & Marketing Camp challenged scholars to think like marketers – creatively and strategically – rather than consumers, while exploring how successful brands connect with people.
“Your commercial has to have a theme,” Lex told the class. “You have to persuade the audience that they’ll actually want to buy what you’re selling. You have to understand their motivations.”
For middle school scholar Jayce Y., that meant helping create a new snack brand called Cloud Puffs.
“We’re doing digital marketing... for our own brands we’re making,” he said. “It’s like a cloud that’s candy, and it’s filled with ice cream inside.” Earlier in the week, his team had developed a logo and slogan, turning a simple idea into a recognizable brand.
Lex hopes scholars leave with practical skills they can carry into future classrooms, careers, and creative pursuits.
“I hope they leave knowing how to market a product they need to sell, thinking about what messages might resonate with their audience, not just what they want to say,” she said.
By the end of the week, scholars had transformed simple ideas into recognizable brands – the promise you make to your audience – while building creativity, collaboration, and persuasive communication skills. Along the way, they discovered that successful marketing begins with understanding the people they're trying to reach.
Media & Marketing Camp is one of many hands-on experiences that make ODA Summer Camp a place where scholars learn by doing, explore new interests, and build skills they’ll carry with them long after summer ends.
