Compass Academy students work to implement new ads around Idaho Falls

Sophomore students at Compass Academy in Idaho Falls put their best foot forward Friday.

Representatives from the Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation Department came to them about six weeks ago, proposing that the students create a design to market the city with the goal of bringing more visitors to Idaho Falls.

Conveyor belts, sidewalk designs and car decals were just a few of the proposed ideas presented to the Parks and Recreation Department.

Department director Greg Weitzel asked students to help them better sell the facilities around town.

“We’d love to work with students whenever we can, and teenagers today are so disconnected from nature and from the outdoors, we think it’s really important to connect with them, find ways to get them to come out, enjoy our parks, enjoy the zoo, the ice arena and all those wonderful things we have to offer here in Idaho Falls,” Weitzel said.

This was not just any project. Weitzel and his team were looking for inventive, guerilla marketing advertisements something that would make people do a double-take.

The students took the challenge. About 150 students got into 30 teams got together in groups and each developed detailed marketing plans for a part of the Parks and Recreation Department.

After six weeks of diligently working on their pitches for the city, the students were ready to present.

One group created three projects: one to add as a conveyor belt at grocery stores, one as a sidewalk and another as a car decal.

“We were just trying to think of something that was really out there and people would actually see and something that they couldn’t ignore,” Jocelyn Ford said.

“We wanted really new and interesting ideas that people would think, ‘Oh, that’s new so I want to go and do that,'” Alex Vivian said.

Weitzel said he is excited to get some of the ideas implemented this year.

“We are so impressed by more than 130 Compass Academy students who have spent the last six weeks diligently working and creating ideas for the Department of Parks and Recreation,” Weitzel said. “I think it’s going to be not just for teenagers but for all ages that will get to know more about the wonderful things we have here for the city residents, as well as visitors who come.”

He added that his team plans to implement a few of the projects in the spring.