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THE LARGEST CHAPTER IN THE NATION
We’re a member of the American Advertising Federation, a national trade organization with 40,000 advertising professionals, 100 corporate partners, and 200 student chapters. AAF Illinois is the largest student chapter in the nation with over 500 members. Check out our 15 agencies and committees, our innovative work, and our incredibly passionate members.
Welcome to the American Advertising Federation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign…
Here at the American Advertising Federation at Illinois, we seek to equip all student members with the tools, skillsets, and knowledge to be able to make a difference in the world of advertising.
The American Advertising Federation at Illinois is broken down into eleven agencies and four committees, all of whom specialize in different regions of the advertising space and provide members with the opportunity to work with real clients, tour ad agencies, and gain insider knowledge in the industry. All of our agencies and committees are student-run.
Learn About Our Agencies
Our AAF chapter has 11 distinct agencies, each with a different purpose and unique capabilities. Whether you’re an Account Director, Strategist, Researcher, Creative, or Media Planner, we have a place for you at AAF Illinois.
Not sure which one suits you best? Take this survey!
ADBUZZ
PUBLIC RELATIONS
AdBuzz provides professional public relations services and strategies for an array of local clients with assorted artistic visions, and walks through the inner workings of PR and social media with their members as they create captivating branded content for clients.
BUILD-IT
ENTREPRENEURSHIP/IN-HOUSE
Build-It is a creative catalyst for entrepreneurship and innovative advertising! At the end of the year, our teams bring their brand visions to life through social media advertising as well as constructing 'pop-up shop' brand displays with their respective branded products all from scratch.
MIDNIGHT OIL
FULL SERVICE AGENCY
Midnight Oil is a premier full service advertising agency that mimics the experience of working in the real world. Members are placed into client teams where they work together to develop creative advertising for real clients located in the campus community. Graphic design, social media, video/photo, strategy, account… we have the right role for you.
ON THE HOUSE
FULL SERVICE AGENCY
OTH is a client based ad agency for students who are new to advertising or curious about getting hands on experience working with real clients. We offer a variety of creative services to clients while giving students an opportunity to develop a passion for advertising.
ADVENTURE
COMPETITION SHOWCASE TEAM
Flex your creative muscles in Addy's! Join us to work in teams to develop content for a national competition. Choose from a variety of mediums and work in roles such as strategy, copywriting, art direction, etc.
CTRL+V
VIDEO PRODUCTION
Home to the world of video production, CTRL+V specializes in client work that involves video pre-production, production, and post-production. A variety of creative filmmakers and advertisers tend to make up this committee, and creative ideas are heavily encouraged with each video shoot and edit.
MOSAIC
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION AGENCY
Mosaic is the newest agency in AAF focused on SEO through the Google Ads Nonprofit Marketing Immersion program. After members earn their Google Ad Search and Google Ad Measurement certifications, Mosaic will be paired with a nonprofit and will receive a monthly budget of $10,000 to promote their Google Ad campaign.
ADLAB
CREATIVE GROWTH AND PERSONAL BRANDING
AdLab is an educational based agency that tackles all of the newest evolving softwares and skills that the ever changing industry calls for. Students in AdLab are able to improve their skills while also building their own personal portfolios.
HYPERLINK
INTERNAL BRAND TEAM
Hyperlink is the internal branding agency for AAF! We manage all AAF social media platforms and produce content for anything AAF-related. Hyperlink focuses on growing and applying skills related to photography, videography, graphic design, copywriting, and social media strategy. We accept members of all skills and grade levels!
NSAC
COMPETITION TEAM
The National Student Advertising Competition is an annual competition where college students around the country create a comprehensive campaign for a real corporate client. Each year, NSAC team members travel to present their campaign in front of agency and client representatives.
RSVP
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
RSVP lives for the experience. They provide experiences for clients and for consumers to engage with the product or service. They can do it all, think outside the box, and have a good time doing it too.
who we are
Check out our 2023 Highlight Video
Wondering who we are and what we do? Take a look. You won’t be disappointed.