Carbliss, one of Wisconsin’s fastest-growing beverage brands, came to the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh expecting to hear a series of student media proposals. What they didn’t expect was to be leaning forward in their seats as senior Kenny Satori and his teammates unveiled a TouchTunes activation idea that immediately grabbed their attention.
The team’s concept, which linked Carbliss to bar-goers through digital jukebox ads and QR-driven song credits, was one of several innovative pitches delivered during a semester-long applied learning project in UW–Oshkosh’s Advertising Media (AMP 353) course.
Carbliss marketing coordinator Jordan Jossie, UW-Oshkosh student Veronyca Frahm and Carbliss public relations and communications coordinator Casey Suttner (front row, left to right) talk with students about their presentation in UW-Oshkosh’s Advertising Media (AMP 353) course. In the back row are students Brianna Wesenberg, Vanessa Xiong and Mia Patterson.
Carbliss, headquartered in Plymouth, has quickly become a major force in the ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail industry and has earned national recognition for its explosive growth. The brand has topped Inc.’s Midwest Regionals list and reported selling 2.8 million cases in 2024, a 100% increase over the previous year that ranks Carbliss among the top five fastest-growing RTD cocktail brands in the U.S.
Five student teams spent the semester working like small agency units — researching audiences, analyzing consumer behavior, comparing media channels, building target profiles and drafting early creative concepts. They learned to evaluate reach, frequency and impressions; calculate cost-per metrics; and use secondary research tools like Nielsen and Comscore. Throughout the semester, teams iterated on their ideas through peer review, instructor feedback and structured checkpoints that mirrored real campaign development. All of this work culminated in the final week of the semester, when they presented their recommendations to a real client with real stakes.
Satori, a radio TV film major from Denmark, Wis., said presenting a real idea to a real company changed everything for him and his teammates.
Class group photo: In the front row center (in white) are Carbliss marketing coordinator Jordan Jossie, left, and public relations and communications coordinator Casey Suttner, who attended the presentations and provided feedback to students.
“It’s really cool to have something to actually work toward instead of a fake scenario,” he said. “Presenting to people who actually work in marketing makes it feel real.”
Carbliss marketing coordinator Jordan Jossie and public relations and communications coordinator Casey Suttner attended every presentation, marking the company’s first-ever collaboration with a university class at this level. Katie Dennis, director of marketing for Carbliss, joined the presentations remotely. All three left impressed.
Dennis said the collaboration offered a meaningful look at emerging talent.
“This project showcased the next generation of talent, bold ideas, thoughtful strategy and a clear understanding of our brand,” Dennis said, adding that many of the student teams demonstrated a sophisticated grasp of how brands connect with consumers. “Several presentations highlighted experiential marketing and social-first thinking in really smart ways, especially around how the brand shows up in real-life moments.”
Jossie said the students were already thinking like professionals.
“They’re talking about topics that we discuss on a daily basis at our job,” Jossie said. “Seeing a fresh mindset approach these topics, and students who are probably our consumers giving us perspective on how to gain more reach and build our brand, is really interesting and insightful.”
Suttner praised the students’ coordination, clarity and depth of research.
“Knowing how difficult it can be to work in a group setting, I thought all of the presentations were very well thought out and thorough from start to finish,” she said.
The TouchTunes idea from Satori’s team—part of the audio and podcast assignment—quickly emerged as one of the most memorable.
“It’s such an interesting concept that we think would work really well, and it’s something we’ve never thought about,” Jossie said.
UWO students Gaiab Vang, Ella Roux, Delaney Ross and Sully Westfall pose for a photo after presenting an event-focused media strategy proposal to Carbliss during final pitches.
Teamwork meets strategy
Each student team was assigned a specific media channel:
• Google and Meta advertising
• Connected TV and video
• Audio and podcasting
• Out-of-home and experiential
• Event sponsorship
This structure mirrored the division of roles within real agencies, allowing students to develop both specialized skills and inter-team collaboration.
For senior Mia Patterson, a public relations and advertising double major from Dodgeville, the experiential aspect was invaluable. Her team focused on out-of-home and experiential marketing, designing a campaign that included billboards, festival activations and targeted messaging.
“This project has made it so much better for me and so many other students,” Patterson said. “A lot of people in my major worry about what they’ll have to show employers. This gave us something real to put in our portfolios.”
Presenting to a company like Carbliss raised the stakes and the motivation.
“When we heard we’d be presenting to actual company higher-ups, it was definitely nerve-racking,” Patterson said. “But it gave us great insight into what the real world will be like after graduation.”
Teaching for the real world
UWO Teaching Assistant Professor Kathy Fredrickson designed the course to mimic the work of professional agencies and marketing departments. This is her second semester teaching AMP 353, but she has incorporated real clients into her courses for more than two decades.
“My customer is the student, and my job is to deliver value to them,” she said. “The greatest way they can get value is to dig in, do the work and feel the stress of deadlines and creative breakthroughs. A case study isn’t going to cut it. You have to have a real client.”
Fredrickson intentionally partners with Wisconsin-based companies so students can observe brand presence firsthand and better understand regional audiences. She connected with Carbliss through LinkedIn and later learned UW-Oshkosh is the first university class the company has ever collaborated with at this level.
She also incorporates AI literacy through a Human-AI-Human framework that requires students to think critically before prompting AI tools and to analyze results after using them.
“We need people who are able to create,” Fredrickson said. “Human interaction comes first. AI is here, but students must understand the dynamics of what they want before they prompt. Creativity still matters.”
Fredrickson said she saw notable growth across all teams, especially in media strategy, teamwork and presentation skills.
A win for students and Carbliss
Although the course is designed for student growth, Carbliss representatives emphasized how valuable the ideas were for them as well.
“This is another way for us to give back,” Suttner said. “And it’s actually probably a little more valuable for us, hearing new ideas from students who may be our consumers.”
Jossie added: “They’ve probably heard of Carbliss, maybe consumed Carbliss. Having a local college community tie-in with a local brand is awesome.”
That feedback energized the students, who had invested months into building research-driven media strategies.
“We worked together all semester,” Satori said, adding, “and to see our idea matter to someone outside the classroom, someone who is in the industry, that felt incredible.”
Written by Grace Lim
Link to original story: https://www.uwosh.edu/today/129707/carbliss-taps-uw-oshkosh-marketing-students-for-fresh-media-strategies/