Raj Srivastava is back in the spotlight after his elimination on Jimmy Fallon’s new show, “On-Brand,” and he brought co-contestant Ryan Winn with him. The two joined forces on Nov. 3 in the Business and Aerospace Building to educate students about their experiences during the show and to inspire them to continue working toward their goals.

Lucy Matthews, another marketing professor, hosted the Q&A session with the two contestants, providing insight into their experiences on the show. The event not only counted toward IGNITE credit, but also provided students with insight into how Srivastava and Winn created their advertising campaigns and what they experienced on the show. 

IGNITE is a program designed for Jones College of Business students to enhance their professional development. The program equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to compete for positions in their chosen career field. 

‘On-Brand’ in the Classroom

Matthews began the session with a class activity she performed alongside two other professors, Natalie Marquart and Kaan Canayaz. The educators had their students create campaigns for Dunkin’, similar to what the contestants did on “On-Brand.”  They were then narrowed down to two teams that presented their ideas at the Q&A and were judged by the two guest speakers. 

“And I told them to be nice or to be real, whichever works,” Joyce Heames, Dean of the Jones College of Business, said, making everyone laugh. 

Ultimately, only one team could win the pitch battle, but it was about much more than that. The marketing classes gained creative and professional hands-on experience through teamwork and a fun project. The students also received feedback from two creators whose experience extended far beyond the campus, reaching national television. 

Filming, Pitching, and Eliminating

Competing in the show, the two brought their own creative techniques to competitions and team activities. With Srivastava, he told students he thought of what “younger people” would want to see. Whatever audience the brand wanted to target was who he kept in mind while creating. 

Winn approached it from a different angle, saying that he looked through the lens of telling a story. He told audiences that he wanted to tell stories while also staying true to the brand’s objective. 

“It’s how do you package that story in a way that’s easy to understand,” Winn said. “It doesn’t feel like they’re necessarily being sold to, but you’re actually driving brand longevity.” 

The show would provide the contestants with brand kits from each company to help them prepare their pitches. This, along with past ads and general research, provided contestants with guidance on how to market their ideas. 

The two reminisced about their time on the show, discussing how the majority of the incubation was done outside of the show and that filming each episode took about two days. During filming, contestants underwent professional makeup, hair, and wardrobe services. There were also 4-5 hours of film that had to be condensed into 40-minute episodes, resulting in numerous cuts in the final product.

“A lot of the stuff is outside of your control,” Wynn said. “So you can control how you show up on set, how you work with other people, and the ideas you bring forward from there.” 

Contestants also didn’t get to see any of the episodes before audiences did, and they stayed in New York after their eliminations to not give away any spoilers for people watching at home. However, they were still able to stay in the city and come together for the final episode. 

Show Surprises 

Both Winn and Srivastava said that they had several new experiences on the show, one of which was makeup. The professor had the entire room giggling when he recalled the second day of filming, when he discovered that you have to take makeup off. Srivastava had never worn makeup, so he learned very quickly about makeup wipes and how to use them. 

“I texted my kids, I don’t think I thought I would ever say that I just bought makeup wipes for myself,” Srivastava said. 

Winn, on the other hand, was surprised by the reality of the work they were doing. He said it was difficult to separate the work his company, Winning Productions, does and the work he was doing on the show with companies like Marshalls and Southwest Airlines.

“There is not much of a separator between what y’all can come up with from an idea standpoint, and it actually being enacted in real life for these companies,” Winn said. “It was cool to say yes, I can handle myself.” 

Where are they now?

Following the show, Winn continues to run his own company, Winning Productions, a creatorspace in Nashville where people and companies can take photos and videos. The young entrepreneur told students to keep doing, whether it’s working at a startup or traveling, take risks, and just do. 

“Fail often, fail beautifully, and take risks,” Winn said. “You have the foundation to go out and do anything you want.” 

Srivastava is currently teaching marketing classes at MTSU and has been invited to speak to students throughout Murfreesboro about marketing and his experience on the show. The professor advised students to keep coming up with ideas and to dream big. 

“Your idea may be just a notch less than somebody who runs Nike,” Srivastava said. “So if you think you have an idea, just keep doing it more.”