Lautech Ogbomosho

A Nigerian student team from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho in Oyo State, has won the 2014 Google Online Marketing Challenge.

The team won in the Adwords Business category for The Middle East & Africa region.

The team which comprised Adedoyin Jelili Opeyemi, Akadiri Olawale Olugboyega, Adesina Jamiu Olawale, Olayanju Abiodun Ibraheem, Salami Ismail Tunde, and Adeosun Oluwole Titus worked with Automedics Limited, an automobile maintenance workshop offering free advisory car care tips. They were supervised by Professor Arulogun Oladiran Tayo.

Adedoyin Jelili Opeyemi, Abiodun Ibraheem and Adeosun Olawale Titus are students of Mechanical Engineering Department. Adesina Jamiu Olawale and Akadiri Olawale Olugboyega are of the Urban and Regional Planning Department, while Salami Ismail Tunde comes from the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

There were two joint global winners. One of the teams comes from the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland, under Professor Tymoteusz Doligalski. The team of Mateusz Rydlewski, Przemek Dmochowski, Agnieszka Żdanuk, Marek Janisiewicz, and Paweł Zawadzki worked with Legia Warszawa, one of the oldest and most titled Polish soccer clubs. Reports.

The second global winner comes from the James Madison University in United States, under Professor Theresa Clarke. The team of Ashleigh Rojanavongse, Ashleigh Ajchareya Rojanavongse, Lauren Elizabeth Hale, Rachel Marie Lam and Kaci Ann Lassiter worked with FETCH a Cure, a non-profit organization focused on raising awareness and providing treatment funding for dogs with cancer.

Prof. Adeniyi Gbadegesin, the Vice-Chancellor, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, received the school’s team on Monday , and also commended the founding fathers of the institution for laying a good foundation and worthy legacy.

He said that the curriculum which made it mandatory for all intakes to register and offer same courses at the 100 level had continued to put the university ahead of its peers.

Gbadegesin said the team would soon leave the country for Dublin, Ireland, to visit Google office for workshop.

Google presents the competition as a unique opportunity for students to experience and create online marketing campaigns using Google AdWords and Google+. Over 65,000 students and professors from almost 100 countries have participated in the past 6 years.

With a $250 AdWords advertising budget provided by Google, students develop and run an online advertising campaign for a business or non-profit organization over a three week period.

The teams that develop and communicate the most successful campaigns win awesome prizes, including trips to Google offices. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the optional Google+ Social Media Marketing category by creating and managing a Google+ Page for their clients over a five week period.

The Challenge is open to student teams of three to six members from undergraduate or graduate programs, regardless of their major. All students must register under a verified faculty member, lecturer or instructor currently employed by an accredited higher education institute.

Each student in the three top performing teams will receive a computing device, along with other prizes. Additionally, Global Winners and their Professor will get an exciting opportunity to participate in a Google+ Hangout with Google Grants team members (to be scheduled at Google’s discretion).

Winning teams will also secure the following donations for their partners: 1st place – $15,000 donation to the non-profit partner
2nd place – $10,000 donation to the non-profit partner and 3rd place – $5,000 donation to the non-profit partner

All Winners and their professors across all categories will be provided with personalized certificate of appreciation noting their status as a Winner in the Competition, Google says