UA Advertising, PR Graduate Students Win National Case Study Awards

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Two University of Alabama advertising and public relations graduate students were winners in the Arthur W. Page Society’s 2012 Case Study Competition.

Master’s student Jessica Carlton of Huntsville won UA’s first-ever Case Study Grand Prize, and Carleton Rafield  of Birmingham took third place in the communication division.

“The Page Society receives terrific entries, many of them from doctoral students, so to have a master’s student win is a significant accomplishment,” said Dr. Bruce Berger, Reese-Phifer Professor of Advertising and Public Relations and faculty adviser for the entries. “It’s highly competitive, and the fact that both students received awards speaks volumes for our program and the University. Our students are competing against top students from across the country and doing very well.”

Carlton’s case, “Water on Fire: An Analysis of ExxonMobil’s Communicative Defense of Hydraulic Fracturing,” examined ExxonMobil’s campaign that promoted the controversial natural gas energy-extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing.

“It’s really humbling, but it’s an exciting honor,” said Carlton, who received her undergraduate degree in public relations and political science at the University. “It’s rewarding to know I put in a lot of work for it, and it’s recognized by some of the leading PR professionals and academic minds in the country.”

Rafield’s winning study, “Four Loko Frenzy: Phusion Projects Responds to FDA, FTC and Media,” “took months to complete, so it honestly felt like an accomplishment within itself just to submit it to the competition,” she said. “To be recognized from the Arthur W. Page Society was beyond exciting when considering everything the organization represents in the PR world and all the accomplished individuals that are part of the society.”

The nationwide competition attracts 60-80 entries annually from master’s and doctoral students studying business or communication.

The student must select a case that is typically associated with controversy and perform an objective, lengthy, formal evaluation of it. Along with the evaluation, the student must prepare a set of teaching notes and a PowerPoint presentation that outlines how they would present the case to a classroom. This includes an explanation of how the Page Society’s six ethical principles apply to the specific case.

The Page Society selects a Grand Prize winner, along with first, second and third place for each discipline. Winners are awarded cash prizes, as well as national exposure on the Arthur W. Page Society’s website. The Grand Prize winner also receives an all-expense-paid trip to New York City to receive the award.