Front (left to right): Allie Richard, Darcy Epstein, Jasmine Black, Alex Webster; Back: Kayla Schmerbach, Jason Ordorff, Dustin Powell, Evette Massey
Team Next Generation, formally known as Next Gen, is one of four new Knacktive teams planning to go head-to-head for Kansas City's Science City best marketing and communication plan.
The team decided to name themselves Next Gen because they represented how they were going to bring the next generation of kids back to Science City.
"We chose Next Generation because many of the students in our group went to Science City when we were in elementary school," Allie Richard said. 'I was a little surprised at the state of things when I took the kids I nannied there during the summer. I wanted kids of the next generation to love it as much as I did when I was in elementary school. We want to pass it down to the next generation of kids that should love Science City."
Knacktive is an integrated, interactive marketing communications agency, which incorporates the principles, strategies and tactics of design, technology, advertising, marketing and public relations. Knacktive is composed of five different areas of study on the Northwest Missouri State University campus: Communications, Mass Communication, Marketing/Management, Art and Computer Science/Information Systems.
Next Gen is composed of eight individuals with different positions. Each student was appointed a different position according to his or her strengths and areas of study. Interactive Digital Manager is Jasmine Black an IDM Computer Science major from Kansas City, MO. Project Manager is Darcy Epstein a Business Management major from Omaha, NE. Copywriter is Evette Massey a journalism major from Lenox, Iowa. Research Manager is Jason Orndoff, a marketing major from Independence, MO. Graphic Designer is Dustin Powell, a Graphic Design major from Asheboro, NC. Art Director is Allie Richard, an IDM New Media major from Kansas City, MO. Public Relations Manager Kayla Schmerbach is a public relations major from St. Joseph, MO. Media Manager Alex Webster is an Advertising major from Cameron, MO.
Each of the four Knacktive teams is competing against each other to rebrand Science City. Each team conducts research, gathers information, designs websites, logos, handles public relations and writes their own pitch book.
Knacktive is a highly competitive program. Students go through rigorous application and interview processes where they have to prove they have what it takes to be on the team. Knacktive gives students a chance to network with the business world and build their portfolios. It also gives team members the experience needed to be successful in his or her respective fields of study.
"I became interested in Knacktive because it is a great opportunity to get a real world experience inside of a classroom," Schmerbach said. "It provides a learning environment where we can bounce ideas and make small mistakes that can be fixed before we enter the real world. It's good to see how this type of project happens from the very beginning to the final presentation."
Next Gen is ready to jump into research and get kids back to Science City.
