Glimmering in her success of securing the silver award (second place) at the Asia Advertising & PR Education Network (AAEN) 2024 Student Competition was Loon Qiao Lin, a Bachelor of Communication (Honours) Advertising student from the Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FAS).

She enthused, “I am proud and grateful to have contributed to increasing the visibility and brand reputation of UTAR. I am also grateful to my advisor, Ms Farah for her guidance. Her experience living in Korea has truly inspired me and given me ideas for my campaign proposal. It was challenging balancing my time between my internship and participation in the competition. However, the weekly consultations with my advisor helped me generate creative ideas. I am truly overjoyed that my dedication and hard work came to fruition. Travelling to South Korea and participating in the competition were two of the most valuable and unforgettable experiences of my university life.”

She also expressed gratitude to UTAR for providing a platform through the Multimedia Content Production 1, Advertising Client Management, and Design for Media courses, which contributed to her ability to design and develop the campaign for the competition.

The competition, hosted by the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Hallym University in Gangwon, South Korea on 16 February 2024, saw Loon presenting an Integrated Marketing Communication Campaign proposal, titled “Chasing Season in Gangwon-derland”. Her proposal was inspired by Gangwon’s picturesque winter landscapes, especially in Pyeongchang, and the cultural significance of Chuseok in the fall. The proposal suggested input and research findings from Malaysia’s perspective.

FAS academic and advisor, Ms Farah Nabila binti Hamdan, commented that the competition was an ideal opportunity for Loon to expand her knowledge and enhance her skills. In addition to providing opportunities for participants to enhance their portfolios, the competition aimed to cultivate an integrated marketing communications (IMC) campaign plan geared towards promoting Gangwon Province to the youth demographic in various Asian countries. Each country’s unique characteristics were targeted in the campaign planning process.

The final round of the competition featured participation from UTAR, Malaysia; Hallym University, South Korea; Atma Jaya Catholic University, Indonesia, and Yantai University, China. It also served as a platform for academics and Gangwon Province to collaborate and exchange insights on the prevailing trends of marketing communication.

The competition also included an advisory forum focused on Advertising Education, which gathered international presenters, including Ms Farah, to present ideas on addressing cultural aspects of marketing and advertising.