Students Reach Semi Finals in Effie Marketing Challenge

SHU’s inaugural Effie team creates a marketing campaign for Amazon

Four Sacred Heart University students teamed up for the Effie Collegiate U.S. x Amazon Brand Challenge and placed in the top six presentations nationwide. Congratulations to marketing majors Aoife Cormican ’26 and Caitlin McGorry ’25, and strategic communication, public relations & advertising majors Emily Butler ’26 and Sage Smith ’26.

Claudio Schapsis, assistant professor of marketing in the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology, mentored the students and guided them through the process of creating the campaign. “When I asked for participants, I made it clear that this project was for professional growth and resume building only,” he said. “There was no grade and no extra credit.” Each member of the team was committed to the project and the process, knowing that the reward was going to be in the experience itself.

The competition required U.S. graduate and undergraduate marketing students to research, develop and present a comprehensive marketing plan that addressed a real-world business challenge. This year’s challenge partnered with Amazon.

This team was Sacred Heart’s first entry in the Effie Collegiate Challenge.