MELT Founder, Chairman, and CEO Vince Thompson will this morning address the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts and their Liberal Arts Preparation Course. Thompson, a 1984 graduate of The Auburn University College of Liberal Arts with a BA in Communications, will speak to about 300 students on his career path, career development and his talk will be entitled, “You had me at hello, what successful job seekers do to land that coveted first job.”
Thompson founded MELT in 2000 and has built MELT into one of the nation’s largest independent sports marketing agencies. This includes MELT’s 19-year representation of The Coca-Cola Company including the activation of 17-straight NCAA Men’s Final 4 Championships, Six straight seasons of ESPN College GameDay and many other sports sponsorship activations. MELT has had an amazing run of industry awards and accolades including:
- 11th Annual Shorty Awards – Finalist, Snapchat Category: 2018 ESPN College GameDay Bitmoii Filter Campaign
- 2019 Drum Marketing Awards USA Finalist- Best Event/Experiential Strategy: MELT & IHG’s Avid Hotels Pop-Up Tour
- 2019 Interactive Marketing Awards – Shortlist
- Best Social Media Campaign: MELT & Coca-Cola College Gameday Snapchat
- Best Influencer/ Outreach Campaign: MELT & Coca-Cola Company Valser Influencer Strategy
- 2019 Atlanta Magazine- Top 500 Business Leaders: Vince Thompson
- 2018 BizBash500 List- Top 500 People in Events: Vince Thompson
- 2018 Event Marketer Top 100 “It List”- Top 100 Agencies
- 2018 Atlanta Business Chronicle Most Admired CEO: Vince Thompson
- 2018 Silver Stevie Award- Brand Experience of the Year- Consumer: Taste of the Tournament for Kroger, Hershey’s. Mondelez & The Coca-Cola Company
- 2018 PR News and Social Media Award- Best Use of Filter (Snapchat): Coca-Cola ESPN College Gameday
- 2018 Social Good Influencers- Honorable Mention: MELT University
- 2018 Cynopsis Sports Media Award- Honorable Mention for Use of Snapchat: Coca-Cola ESPN College Gameday
- 2018 Shopper Marketing Effie Award- Multi-Brand/Manufacturer Shopper Solution: Taste of the Tournament for Kroger, Hershey’s, Mondelez, & The Coca-Cola Company
- 2017 Experience Design and Technology Awards- Best Permanent or Pop-Up Retail Experience: The Coca-Cola Kitchen
- 2017 Stevie (American Business Awards)- Marketing/Advertising Agency of the Year
Thompson, a native of Chatom, ALA., credits his time at Auburn from 1980-1984 with laying the groundwork and foundation of MELT and his professional success. It was there that Thompson worked for then-Sports Information Director David Housel and the Auburn University Sports Information Department during The Pat Dye, Bo Jackson, and Charles Barkley eras. Thompson also served as a sports editor for The Auburn Plainsman, the campus and student newspaper and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Thompson’s experiences at Auburn led to the formation of MELT University, the award-winning intern program which has led to many Auburn graduates gaining full-time employment at MELT. This summer will feature 35 students from 20 college and universities from across the country, including several from Auburn University. Auburn University graduates at MELT include:
- Ellis Baxter, Social Media Coordinator, Class of 2017
- Lauren Jones Jordan, Account Executive, Class of 2016,
- Miss Auburn University in 2015
- Jordan Muschamp, Finance Associate, Class of 2018
- David Pate, Senior Account Executive, Class of 2009
- Julia Simon, Account and Event Coordinator, Class of 2017
- Tristan Watson, Social Media Coordinator, Class of 2018
- Jack Winchester, Collegiate Relations Coordinator, Class of 2018
“It’s a dream come true to be able to come back to my alma mater and address these outstanding students and this outstanding program,” said Thompson. “Auburn certainly helped me lay the foundation for my career and I would not be here without my time spent here. The College of Liberal Arts is graduating some of the best students in the country and I’m proud to be a member of that great group.”