Student Scores Silver at National Media Case Plan Competition

By Erika Liberati '22, June 24, 2021

Elena Chang ’21 places cecond in Washington Media Scholars Foundation Competition

Elena Chang and her partner on a zoom call with another finalist

Elena Chang ’21 and her partner Yanelis Funez celebrated a second-place finish in the prestigious competition.

(Photo submitted)

Integrated Marketing Communications major Elena Chang ’21 took home second place in the 2021 Washington Media Scholars Foundation Media Case Plan Competition with her partner Yanelis Funez, a student from Pennsylvania State University.

The competition tasks students with creating a comprehensive media plan based on a hypothetical public policy issue using real-world data from leading national research and ratings firms.

Chang entered the qualifying round solo and was paired with Funez during the semi-final round. All participants were tasked with creating a media campaign for the fictional New England Tidal Power Company (NETPC), which was trying to create the first tidal power facility along the coastline, in a town called “Rodgersville.” The real-life data was based on the city of Boston.

The duo was given a $2.5 million budget and asked to choose media placements for a six-month campaign in order to ensure Rodgersville residents had a favorable/neutral opinion of NETPC.

“Working on a media plan and handling the whole process, it all it’s such a leg up before having to enter the profession.”

Elena Chang ‘21

Chang said that the process was difficult, but incredibly rewarding.

“It’s such an amazing opportunity to take part in this competition,” she said. “It was a pleasure to work with my partner Yanelis, because she's a super friendly, amazing person,” Chang said.

As they put together their presentation, Chang said they both found their strengths, which in her case was focused on aspects of the plan such as allocating portions of their budget to various traditional and social media channels.

Colorful pie chart on a teal background with a headline reading Media Mix. The pie chart depicts the spending on different media outlets, such as social media and digital radio.

Chang was responsible for deciding how the team would allocate their budget to achieve the ideal media mix.

(Photo submitted)

While it was challenging, Chang said that the media planning course she took at IC, taught by associate professor of strategic communication Lisa Farman — who also served as her faculty advisor for the competition — prepared her well.

“That course gave me the knowledge I needed to excel,” Chang said. “I enjoyed looking at the data and making decisions based on these numbers.”

Chang credited Farman with being a great asset throughout the entire competition.

“I met with her just to talk through some large logistical issues, because I started to overthink things a little bit,” Chang said. “She was really helpful in reining me in and looking at it as not too complicated.”

“On top of her obvious talent and dedication, Elena is also wonderful to work with. She is a true leader both in and out of the classroom, and she is always kind, professional, collaborative, and thoughtful. She is a great representative of Ithaca College and the IMC program in everything she does.”

Dr. Lisa Farman, associate professor of strategic communication

For her part, Farman was delighted to collaborate with Chang on this competition.

“On top of her obvious talent and dedication, Elena is also wonderful to work with,” Farman said. “She is a true leader both in and out of the classroom, and she is always kind, professional, collaborative, and thoughtful. She is a great representative of Ithaca College and the IMC program in everything she does.”

Chang added that the real-world experience of executing a media plan was invaluable.

“Working on a media plan and handling the whole process, it all it’s such a leg up before having to enter the profession,” she said.