Restaurant Management Class Produces Commercials

A televised commercial is a great way to advertise a business, but to better understand their effectiveness, students in Dr. H.G. Parsa’s Restaurant Management class were recently tasked with producing their own 60-second mock commercial.

“This was a creative project designed to help students appreciate and understand marketing principles and promotion strategies,” said Dr. Parsa. “They conceived the idea, executed it and presented it to the class.”

The class produced more than 30 different commercials and presented them to a panel of faculty judges. Among the judges’ favorite fictitious ads were videos entitled Party in a Bucket and Bar-B-Que Breakup.

Party in a Bucket was produced by Hospitality Management majors Tiffany Kitts and Taylor Leri. The duo’s commercial identified Mike’s Italian Ice as more than just another snack or dessert, but rather a “party in a bucket.” In the ad, a customer takes a single bite of Mike’s Italian Ice and is immediately transported from the store to a vibrant music video-inspired party, hosted by Mike’s penguin mascots.

“The commercial is for Mike’s Italian Ice which is my family’s business,” said Kitts. “We were inspired to do our commercial for Mike’s because we knew that we could use Mike’s Italian Ice’s bright and fun image to create an exciting and memorable commercial.”

Bar-B-Que Breakup, produced by Allison Davitt, Michael O’Connell and Jessica Bannatyne, parodies a breakup to entice its audience to leave an old favorite for something new and exciting. The commercial opens with a couple sitting at a restaurant. The boyfriend tells his female counterpart it’s not working out and mentions that he is leaving her for someone else. As the now ex-girlfriend gets up from the table to storm off, she immediately bumps into the boyfriend’s new love interest – Hearty’s BBQ.

Both commercials displayed a clear message about their business, while simultaneously keeping their audience entertained.

To watch Party in a Bucket, click here and enter the password: tkitts.

To watch Bar-B-Que Breakup, click here.