Two AUT University students have been named New Zealand Post's 2010 Student Marketers of the Year with their take on a Westpac marketing campaign.

Christabel Spong, of Auckland, and Erin Gulyas, from Dallas Texas, took first place with their campaign 'It's a better choice than your last resort', an irreverent approach to the annual launch of Westpac's tertiary package 'Westie Pac'. Westpac's Grant Andrews said: "We've very much enjoyed being part of the 2010 Student Marketer of the Year Awards and have found the experience a real eye-opener to the outstanding talent of New Zealand's young up and comers. "Some of the work entered was on par with the creative work that is out there in the market today and we're excited to see what these young marketers will bring to the industry in the future."

This year's award programme gave students the chance to create a marketing campaign for the 2011 launch of the "Westie Pac" student account, incorporating multiple channels including direct mail, online, PR and experiential activity.

Fiona Woolley, New Zealand Post's Manager Market Engagement and a member of the judging panel said: "Christabel's and Erin's entry was strategically excellent, well executed and introduced a clever idea that incorporated humour and interactivity to engage students. "It was a beautifully presented campaign and a joy to review. We hope to see the campaign brought to life next year."

The New Zealand Post Student Marketer of The Year Award honours excellence in marketing strategy, creativity and innovative thinking in tertiary students. Along with other prizes, the winners get the chance to present their talents to a room of prospective employers. Since graduating together from AUT University, Christabel and Erin are now putting their creative marketing skills into practice as juniors at Creative Bank.

Both were also recent category winners in the 2010 Art of the Envelope Awards. Christabel says she loves the constant challenge of coming up with new and exciting ideas and hopes to continue in the field of art direction, while Erin says she wants to lead advertising into its next stage and to make her mark on the industry.

The 2010 New Zealand Student Marketer of the Year runners up were: Joe Stuart & Lydia Moore, AUT, for Student Rock Star Lilly Beech, University of Auckland, for Keeping life simple for 3 more years Sinead King & Shannon Bell, Massey, for Outrageously good fortune Frances Cooke & Wicky Tafau, AUT, for Make the most of what you've got