E-ALERT - January 31, 2006

USC School of Journalism to Conduct its Third Annual Ad Bowl with Public Input

You make the call! This year, the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications is opening its annual Super Bowl advertising rating to all would-be "ad refs."

Each year, students in Associate Professor Bonnie Drewniany's Super Bowl Advertising class gather for the big game at Newsplex, the USC/Ifra converged newsroom, on Sunday evening, Feb. 5. They systematically rate each ad during the Super Bowl in three categories: most persuasive, strongest brand identity and overall favorite. The creators of the winning ad then are invited to USC and receive the coveted Cocky Award.

To enhance the program in 2006, Professor Drewniany has developed a rating system on the school's Web site. At the end of the game, viewers can go to www.jour.sc.edu/superbowl/index.html and cast their votes. The site will be available for voting for one hour after the game, and results will be combined with the students' to determine the winning commercial.

The creators of the 2006 winning advertisement will receive the Cocky award during the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies' I-Comm Week April 3-8. The results of the 2006 Ad Bowl will be posted on the Journalism Web site.

For more information about the Ad Bowl and to see how USC students and faculty have voted in the past, visit www.jour.sc.edu/news/isite/05superbowl.html.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. More than 1,500 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs of study.