Meta Challenge: to work as a team, put what we’ve learned into practice, and make a positive impact on the Uruguayan community.
During the Meta Challenge, students planned and executed advertising campaigns on Meta (Facebook and Instagram) to recruit candidates who would make donations or volunteer at ÁNIMA Bachillerato Tecnológico and Liceo Francisco in the city of Paysandú.
The competition was organized by Universidad ORT Uruguay Entravision Cisneros Interactive, Meta's representative in Uruguay.
The awards ceremony took place on Friday, November 25, at the School of Business and Social Sciences at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
The purpose of this initiative was to enable students in the Bachelor’s programs in Management and Administration, Marketing and Business Management, Digital Business, International Studies, and Public Accounting to apply the knowledge they had acquired in the Digital Marketing course by working as a team, putting the concepts they had learned into practice, and making a positive impact on the Uruguayan community.
“In class, we learn how to run ads using Facebook’s Business Manager, as well as how to advertise on Instagram and how to target an audience, but sometimes the theory is very straightforward while the reality isn’t quite the same,” said Sebastián Álvarez, of the digital marketing agency 99° and a digital marketing instructor at ORT.
“The ultimate goal is to work together to reach people who are truly willing to sign up so that we can provide financial assistance to high schools. Personally, I’m very proud of the results,” the teacher added.
The students reached more than 90,000 people through this competition. “Getting a lot of people to see the campaigns is important so that people know the work that NGOs do,” added Álvarez. They also secured 103 potential donors.
There were two winning teams. The team that sought donors for Liceo Francisco was led by teacher Andrés Lapetra, a Digital Marketing and Analytics Analyst at SURA Asset Management. The team consisted of students Martín Poggio, Germán Cabrera, Fabián Malel, Mauro Barbato, Alfonso Martinelli, and Juan De Haedo.
The students said that at first it was a challenge for them to get involved in the activity, create content, and come up with the keywords needed for each post, as well as devise a strategy for publishing them, but they eventually adapted and connected with the most important idea: providing help.
“We are very grateful, happy, and proud to have been chosen once again to run this type of campaign. We were surprised by how many people are willing to donate. The publicity is very helpful for us because we are a high school in a rural area and it’s very difficult for us to get our name out there,” said Martín Scheiner, Fundraiser at Liceo Francisco.
“I think this is very important for students; it’s incredibly helpful to them. For us teachers, it helps us reinforce the theory we cover in class,” said Professor Andrés Lapetra.
The team from ÁNIMA Bachillerato Tecnológico, led by teacher Sebastián Álvarez, consisted of Paolo Balduini, Andrés López, Marcelo Vega Reyes, and Florencia Grasso.
The students said they started out brainstorming many different ideas and strategies. It took some time to settle on just one. They also noted that they didn’t follow the same path as the other team, but they still ended up winning. This showed them that there are various effective ways to run a campaign. They also emphasized that working as a team was an extremely positive experience.
Carolina Mihaly, Communications Director at ÁNIMA Bachillerato Tecnológico, said: “I think it’s very rewarding for various organizations to come together, especially when it comes to education and learning.”
Patricia Miller, Country Manager and Director of Entravision Cisneros Interactive, advised the students: “When it comes to digital marketing, don’t listen to those who tell you, ‘This is exactly how it’s done’; listen to those who say, ‘It depends.’ There are no absolute truths; rather, everything depends on the type of campaign, the budget, and the audience—and the platform is a great place to experiment.”
Gustavo Rubinsztejn, academic coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Sales Management, concluded: “Our goal was for students to learn by doing, but I think the best part was, in a way, improving the quality of life for the teenagers at Liceo Francisco and ÁNIMA. I congratulate you all.”