Stern College Student Named Finalist in Nationwide PepsiCo Marketing Competition
Scrolling through LinkedIn one day, student Michal Kupchik was intrigued by an ad challenging viewers to submit an entry to PepsiCo鈥檚 鈥淢eeting of the Minds鈥 competition: 鈥淐ome up with an innovative way to link a PepsiCo brand with an up-and-coming musician. How would you creatively use, or misuse, technology and short-form video to achieve your goals?鈥
Stern College senior Michal Kupchik is one of nine finalists in PepsiCo鈥檚 鈥淢eeting of the Minds鈥 competition.
Kupchik, a senior from West Hempstead, New York, majoring in public relations, knew exactly what she had to do. Her mind already whirling with campaign options, she pored over Pepsi鈥檚 social media pages and website, familiarizing herself with the brand鈥檚 history and mission. Inspired by a recent Pepsi campaign, 鈥淥ut of the Blue,鈥 Kupchik came up with a spinoff: 鈥淏reak Into the Blue.鈥 With the tagline 鈥淢usic Experiences, Made Real by You,鈥 Kupchik鈥檚 campaign focuses on uniting Pepsi with raw, undiscovered musical talent by calling for musicians to upload an original song to YouTube that shows why they deserve a big break. After the country votes on the top three most-watched videos, the winner and their music would be featured in a Pepsi ad.
鈥淧epsi鈥檚 rich music heritage has always been about the famous musician, but today, the world is just as interested in the dreamer as they are in the superstar,鈥 said Kupchik. 鈥淚n fact, according to the recent research of Next Big Sound, over 90 percent of artists today are considered undiscovered. I believe that Pepsi will be very successful if they center their focus on the undiscovered musician by giving them a once in a lifetime chance at their big break and having their music heard by the world.鈥
Kupchik credits numerous public relations courses with Deborah Brown, adjunct instructor in Stern College鈥檚 English department, for helping her hone her media instincts. 鈥淚n her classes I gained a real inside look at the field and had the opportunity to pitch campaigns that I developed along with my peers to marketing professionals from brands like Skinceuticals and Colgate,鈥 she said. 鈥淧rofessor Brown has served as a mentor to me outside the classroom as well, taking her own personal time to answer any questions I have about the field.鈥
How did Kupchik know she could beat out thousands of other contestants to become a finalist? She didn鈥檛鈥攂ut she鈥檚 never been daunted by the odds before. Kupchik won a university-wide Chanukah film competition during her first semester on campus, entered an Ellen DeGeneres talent competition, and has been featured as an audience contestant on 鈥淲ho Wants to be a Millionaire.鈥
鈥淢ost people look at these contests and automatically assume that they don鈥檛 stand a chance,鈥 Kupchik said. 鈥淚 have learned that with passion and determination, winning these contests really is plausible. This contest in particular appealed to me, as it fused my passions for PR, short-form videos and social media, as well as the fact that the grand prize of the contest is an internship at PepsiCo鈥攁 dream position for a graduating senior like myself.鈥
You can help Kupchik win by voting for her pitch .
Stern College senior Michal Kupchik is one of nine finalists in PepsiCo鈥檚 鈥淢eeting of the Minds鈥 competition.
