What They Wish They Knew

Today at Translation I was mind blown by how culturally in tune every single person was and how crucial this is to creating great working and developing even better strategy. 

This is what they wish they knew before they started working in Advertising:

1. PUNCH ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT CLASS

2. Find a mentor in your industry.

3. Do the job above the job you are doing and always challenge yourself. 

4. Be less selfless and more selfish. Work on bettering yourself first.

5. Learn how to foster and build quality relationships.

6. Learn how to have a conversation about anything. 

7. READ MORE! Always be plugged in and consume multiple sources simultaneously. 

- Gabi Deckelman

Big vs. small

I’ve spent the past three days exploring 5 agencies and in this time I’ve noticed the wonderful differences between small and big agencies. Both types have their own advantages and disadvantages, and some of my peers and I had the privilege of hearing those from professionals working at the agencies. 

Here’s what’s great about working at a small place, specifically for creative roles:

1. You get more opportunity to wear multiple hats. Writers get to art direct. Designers get to write.

2. The creative director doesn’t always check in on you. You get to take more initiative and aren’t as managed. 

3. You have the capability to collaborate directly with the client. 

4. You can (probably) work on multiple projects at once.

What’s great about working at a large agency:

1. You get to devote yourself (for the most part) to one project or brand at a time. No distractions. 

2. The client almost always goes through the account managers. Again, no distractions.

3. The creative director checks in more frequently. You might get more feedback on your work from him/her.

4. You get to do what you were hired to do, and you can devote yourself to that role completely.

I’m still exploring which type of agency or company I want to work at, but these insights have pushed me a step closer to finding out. 

Emily Foster.

05.10.17

Have Empathy

The key to success in this industry is emotion. 

- Account Managers need to have a goal of having everyone walk into a meeting and leaving the room an hour later a lot happier. 

- Anyone in the industry needs to have a strong emotional and mental health.

- be like bozo the clown: get knocked down and come back with a better idea.

- keep the highs low and the lows high.

Audrey Grimes

The “New York Experience”

I didn’t really think about this title much until I met with my good friend, a local of New York. She laughed a little; at first I was confused, I didn’t think it was funny but as she explained I understood the humor. Calling a class the “New York EXPERIENCE” makes it feel like we are traipsing into this glittery land of dreams and touristy intentions. After listening to my schedule, she pointed out that this is way more of a business trip than a city tour. This isn’t a field-trip, it’s about real life. Experience makes sense in the context of how we are learning: we are doing, we are talking, we are listening. It’s not about the Brooklyn Bridge or Central Park or the Statue of Liberty– that’s just what you see on our Instagram’s. The answers we get here are the kinds you can’t find in text books because they are personal. For every person in this cohort, this trip represents a contribution to better understanding their life direction.

Paige DePaepe

#uonyc2017

Chiat Day owns the world.

My mind is blown.

And I’m still shook 2 hours later.

If TBWA’s work wasn’t great enough, Doug Melville, The Chief Executive for Diverse Talent could sell anyone on why everyone can succeed through these 7 tips:

1. Prove trust + consistency: Make a blog that shows who you are everyday, be consistent and have a point of view.
2. Your reputation is the only thing that precedes you when you walk through the door.
3. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
4. Be ready and you won’t have to get ready.
5. You pay for what you don’t know; read 3 hours a day and inform ya self.
6. Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses; take what you’re good at and be great at it.
7. Know how to tell your story everyday; whether it’s through your book or by the way you talk, memorize and remind yourself how you got here and make your story something you tell somehow every. single. day.

Doug’s line of work went as followed:

Out of college driving Oscar Mayer truck > Tour guide for 17 year old Britney Spears > worked with Tommy Hilfiger and his brother > started his own business AKA The Red Carpets > Project management for Magic Johnson > Strategist for Obama and his launch campaign > TED talks / taking over the world with Chiat.

He also gave us a book about Disruption and wrote a note in mine saying I’ll be a future CEO. Can’t let him down then huh? Let’s get it.

-Macaihah Broussard

Pushing Culture

I walked away from my Translation visit with a new perspective on advertising. Translation is an agency that isn’t in the business of being traditional. Translation is putting out quality work that is always pushing and driving the culture we live in today. They hire diverse minds who put their different cultural backgrounds and experiences into their work. They stressed the importance of starting with a small idea that pulls on natural human emotions and then expand upon that adding layers to the work. Being an African American male, it was inspiring to see an agency with such diversity, in a industry where that’s something you typically don’t see. Leaving the visit I was not only inspired, but genuinely excited to start working in this industry and to bring my cultural background along with me. 

Collaboration

I love R/GA’s office layout. They have a large web development team that is very integrated with most projects. I enjoyed taking the tour and seeing developers collaborating with people of all disciplines. Being on this trip, I’m excited to physically see the blending of coding and advertising and the future of web dev in the industry. 

-Peri Langlois

Generosity

Standing in a beautifully lit conference space, pitching an idea to a room lined with brilliant minds from all departments (including but not limited to the person who wrote the most legendary tweet in the history of branded social content), I was struck by the generosity of people in this industry. These folks undoubtedly had more pressing matters to attend to than hearing student pitches, but there they were, nodding attentively and giving invaluable feedback. I am impressed, overwhelmed and so grateful. Thank you, R/GA.

Hannah Lewman 05.10.17

A metaphor to consider:

Agencies are in the business of brand health. Sometimes, we prescribe painkillers; our advertising seeks to solve serious business problems. Sometimes, however, agencies are tasked with producing brand vitamins. From time to time, we need to create things that enhance or strengthen a brand where a clear problem doesn’t exist. That can be challenging, but it’s extremely important.

A little cheesy? Maybe. But when someone at AKQA articulated their work in this way yesterday, I just had to scribble it down. Just one of many takeaways from an insanely smart shop. 

Rachel Benner. 05.10.2017.