JMU Students Among Winners of 2016 Silverback Strategies AdWords Test Challenge

The second class meeting in Theresa Clarke’s MKTG 477 course is a doozy. It’s final exam day. Before her students even choose their favorite seats, they spend the holiday break preparing for the spring semester course by studying for intense exams covering the intricacies of digital marketing platform Google AdWords.

The early final test schedule ensures that Clarke’s students have the foundational knowledge they need to compete in the Google Online Marketing Challenge (GOMC), the focal project of the digital marketing course. The annual global competition enables students to experience and create real online marketing campaigns using Google AdWords and Google+. More than 100,000 students have participated over the past eight years, and JMU is always a top contender.

Clarke’s students are highly motivated for the exam in part because of a unique partnership she has built with Silverback Strategies, an Alexandria-based digital marketing firm known for its AdWords expertise. For two years, the agency has sponsored the “Silverback Strategies AdWords Test Challenge,” encouraging strong exam preparation by providing great prizes to top scoring students. Prizes this year included bags of Google swag, a Google Chromecast and an iPad Mini.

The following JMU students were winners of the 2016 Silverback Strategies AdWords Test Challenge:

• Jacob Shibley, a senior from New Kent, Va., achieved the highest final exam score.
• Jacob Brown, a senior from Ashburn, Va., earned the second highest final exam score.
• Maianh Phan, a senior from Falls Church, Va., achieved the third highest final score.
• Alexander Adley, a senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., was first in the class to achieve AdWords Certification.

The Silverback team, which includes quite a few JMU alumni, has worked with Clarke and her students since the GOMC began. They join her students every year on campus to share advice, experiences and guidance about digital marketing and working with Google platforms. Several of her College of Business students are recruited by Silverback to join their search team.

“Agency partners like Silverback bring so much value to this course every year – a lot more than just cool prizes,” says Clarke. “They impact my students by providing insights, mentoring and a vital perspective on what it’s like to do marketing for a living.”  

Armed with AdWords expertise, Clarke’s students now face an even bigger test. Her five GOMC teams are currently developing online advertising campaigns that will be run for real-world nonprofits. Global winners of the GOMC will be announced by August. Good luck to our JMU teams!