FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LSU Students’ Spot to Air During Super Bowl

NEW ORLEANS, FEBRUARY 2, 2010 – When they completed their upper-level marketing class at LSU, seniors Tracy Gagliardi and Sarah Balcerowicz had no idea they would soon be watching a semester’s worth of hard work air during the Super Bowl. Especially a game in which the Saints would be playing!

The spot is the result of a semester-long relationship between local community bank Gulf Coast Bank & Trust and LSU’s E. J. Ourso College of Business. During the Spring 2009 semester, the bank worked with students in Dr. Judith Anne Garretson Folse’s “Marketing Communication: Promotion” class. The assignment was to develop and execute a communication strategy for a real – life business, and the top commercials were posted on the bank’s website to be voted on by customers and employees.

“We enjoyed the interaction with the students and are happy to feature their work in the Super Bowl,” explains Guy Williams, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Bank. “It’s exciting to think that local viewers tuning into this year’s Super Bowl game will be able to see LSU’s talent both on the field and during the commercial breaks.”

Their spot focuses on the importance of “taking time to save” and highlighting different milestones during one’s life, such as early childhood, school, graduation and marriage. A light, cheery soundtrack plays throughout the spot, which the students chose to bring about a feeling of happiness and add to the spot’s emotional appeal. The song is called “Gravel” and was written by Orba Squara, the stage name for singer / songwriter Mitch Davis whose songs have appeared in iPhone commercials and feature films.

It was important to Gulf Coast to keep the spot the way the students created it, and the bank went to great lengths to do so, including working with Orba Squara to license the use of the song, “Gravel,” which is featured on the band’s Sunshyness album. The artist was touched by the students’ choice and cooperated with the bank to allow the use of the song in the broadcast spot.

"I am honored to have been thought of by the creators of the winning spot as having music that is emotive enough to help tell their story,” says Mitch Davis of Orba Squara. “It is especially meaningful to me that people like [the students], who are typically on the receiving end of commercials, see Orba Squara's music as something that adds value to their own commercial. I think they did a great job and I am very happy to have been a part of it!"

Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Co. is one of the five largest Louisiana-based banks. Headquartered in New Orleans, Gulf Coast Bank currently operates 15 full-service banking locations throughout Southeast Louisiana. For more information, visit www.gulfbank.com.