As Gannon University comes to the end of the spring semester, the Advertising and Promotions Club – A&P – will also be finishing up its first year as a club on campus.
The club officially became recognized last semester and was founded by Alex Bohman, a junior advertising communication major.
Before Bohman came to Gannon, she was in a pre-professional organization at Robert Morris University.
“There was no organization with the advertising communications and I knew how much organizations like A&P helped me in the short time I was at my other school,” Bohman said. “I wanted to bring that to Gannon and help other students receive the same benefits I did.”
The club is a good opportunity for the students from a variety of majors to get experience in learning how to promote an event or another organization, Anne O’Neill, A&P club adviser, said.
“Students get a chance to work with other students, develop creative ideas, help on-and off-campus organizations and really see what the promotions’ industries like advertising and public relations are all about,” O’Neill, director of the advertising communication program, said. “It gives students a chance to develop leadership skills, communication skills and to be a part of a creative and energetic group of students.”
This year, the A&P club hosted the Cupcake Wars event and How A&P Saved Christmas at the Knight Club.
The Cupcake Wars was just a fun, quirky and different fundraiser that the club held, Bohman said.
How A&P Saved Christmas was a philanthropy event where the club worked with other organizations on campus to create gift baskets. The A&P club donated 50 baskets to children at the Martin Luther King Center.
The next event the club will be hosting is an Alumni Luncheon from noon-2 p.m. on April 27 at The Plymouth Tavern. This event is open to all students for an entry fee of $5.
The alumni are professionals working in communications, promotions and marketing industries.
“Creating a network is essential in trying to find a job or internship and this event will help students establish that relationship,” Bohman said. “It’s a great way to establish connections and build a stronger bond between students and alumni.”
O’Neill said that the A&P club has great leadership and an active membership.
“I’m in the fortunate position as their adviser to simply let them do what they know best,” O’Neill said. “They have produced some great work and have represented Gannon and the club well.”
Bohman said that the A&P club wants to work toward being a full-service agency for campus organizations and eventually organizations off campus.
“We will only be accepting a few clients at a time, due to time constraints of being students, but this is a way for students to see where they fit in to the promotions industry,” Bohman said.
“Not many schools around Erie have this sort of opportunity and we have a group of extremely motivated and talented students with ideas they are willing to accomplish.”
COLLEEN LANGHAM
