Students in Dr. Michael Belch’s Marketing 472 class are competing with nine other major universities throughout the U.S. to build a successful integrated marketing communications campaign for Nissan’s new cube, slated to go on sale May 5. The cube is Nissan’s low-priced economy vehicle whose target audience consists primarily of 18-to-24-year-olds.

Nissan has provided each team with a $2500 budget from which they will implement an advertising and marketing campaign that targets the local universities. An additional $100,000 in fictional dollars are provided for a proposed campaign that targets each universities’ surrounding communities.

Apart from providing funding for the campaign budget, Nissan is offering no particular requirements for the student campaigns and is allowing each team to create their own, unique strategies.

The student teams from all 10 universities will submit final projects and present their completed campaigns to Nissan representatives and Nissan’s educational partner, EdVenture Partners, in early May via teleconference. The two top student teams will be flown to Tennessee to present to Nissan executives. The winning university will be awarded $3000 in prize money and the runner-up will receive $2000.

Nissan could parlay one or both of the winning campaigns into a national marketing plan.