Goodbye to the Big Apple..

Over the last week, I have learned and gained so much. There are so many takeaways from this trip I will cherish forever and things I will carry with me on all of my professional ventures.

Some highlights of this trip:

-befriending so many new people passionate about the same industry as me and all working towards making a career that will impact the world

-having the opportunity to network and connect with alum and advertising professionals with varying backgrounds and stories

-gazing at ads in Times Square with friends discussing the strategy behind them and craziness in people traveling from all over the world to take pictures and look at ads

-99 cent pizza

-the power behind curiosity and asking the right questions

-feeling like a little kid again diving and jumping around in a massive ball pit at The Color Factory

Thank you NYC, until next time.

Alexa Dixon | 5/11/19

Add to the Team

One insight and piece of advice that really stuck with me from the last week was to always ask myself the question, “How do I add to my team?” When pondering that same question it is important to recognize how I can add to whatever team I am on and recognize where I can improve and help out. Often times there are gaps that need to be filled and many professionals over the week touched on how jumping to fill those gaps will help you to stand out and grow in many ways. Many people at different agencies expressed the importance of understanding your worth and what you have to offer. Even when you are still learning and may not know everything, jumping into growth opportunities and being a reliable team member will get you far.

Alexa Dixon | 5/10/19

Quotes & Questions

“To do it wrong takes twice as long,” that is why when going into an agency,
“how do you want this delivered?” is a great question to ask your manager right off the bat. No one expects you to know everything, so take advantage of your questions.

Another great question to ask, “can you help me prioritize?” Sometimes you get handed a bunch of projects to work on, in order to start smart it’s better to ask this asap.

My favorite piece of advise that was given to me this day was, “don’t come with problems comes with solutions!” I love turning something negative into something positive. This is a great way to look at problems and can be kept in mind throughout your entire life.

Taylor Camarena 05/11/19

Agency Tips!

Rokkan: Matt Garcia (Chief Client Officer) could not be there but he wrote down some tips for us. These are some amazing tips that I am going to keep in mind when I start my first real agency job. 

1. Not a 9-5 job (early & late)
2. Love the work
3. Everything is your job (don’t get in the way, but make your coworkers jobs easier)
4. Find a reason to be in the room
5. You’re getting paid for your thoughts!
6. Be militant on the details
7. Treat clients and agency money as your own
8. Don’t let anyone outwork you (work smarter) 

Taylor Camarena 05/11/19

Human ≠ Consumer

At WONGDOODY, we learned that when conducting strategy on a campaign, they always focus on human connection rather than just trying to sell a product to a consumer.

Human ≠ Consumer. WONGDOODY targets the human and not the consumer. This phrase really stuck with me.  

This strategy reflected the culture of the agency. Everyone was very genuine and real. Even though the office was half empty because the New York office only opened in January of this year, I could tell that everyone who was there was a good person. They were all authentic and treated each other that way. They also treated us that way. Authentic culture is valuable.

Rita Herbstman 05.11.19 | #4

Guidance

As someone who is involved in the public relations sequence in the SOJC while slowly falling into the advertising industry, one of my goals for this trip was to find more similarities between the two. Particularly, learn more about how my public relations background will be an advantage in account management. After talking with several account managers, this is what I realized:

1. Account manager = PR representative for both your client and creative team and the relationship between the two
2. Building relationships with journalists = building relationships with clients
3. Framing a pitch to a journalist from a strategic angle = framing a brief to a client from a strategic angle
4. Always questioning where campaigns can go ethically wrong from a PR standpoint
5. Writing is a powerful skill for any position

Rita Herbstman 05.11.19 | #3

What Don’t You Want

Something extremely important I learned this week is that figuring out what you don’t want to do is equally or more important as figuring out what you do want to do. Not only did I hear this on one of my visits this week, but I also experienced this first hand. I found the size of the company I don’t want to work for and the kind of specific work that I’m not wholly interested in. Because of this, I feel like it helped me hone more in on what I am willing to do for work someday. By finding this out, I feel like I learned what to look for in a company someday. It has also been helpful to allow me to know what to put my time and effort into this upcoming year before graduation. I am so grateful for this experience to bring me closer to my dream job someday.

-Elliot Hodgin | 5.11.19

Advice from Ducks at 72andSunny

1. Get out of Allen.

2. Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s.

3. Be patient. 

4. Have a passion outside of work where you have full control over things that live and die. 

5. Learn how to say “no”. 

Hannah Kloft 05.11.2019 #4

Make the Most of Everything

After hearing career advice from people from different agencies, I saw that no career path is the same. Some have the ideal path with a dream job straight out of college. Others had to find their way through some cracks. Either way, everyone who talked to us was in a place they wanted to be. Something I notice from the people who didn’t have a traditional path to advertising was that they got the most from any opportunity they got. They asked questions, followed their passions and took risks. Going into post-grad, I’m taking these thoughts with me. I’m going to make the most out of everything because I will never if an opportunity will take me to where I want to.

- Luis Sevilla | 05/11/19

Wiedenisms

Our first stop of the trip was to one of my personal favorite agencies, Wieden + Kennedy. Besides learning more about their strategic process and getting the inside scoop on some recent campaigns, they shared some company mantras that makes their agency stand out from the rest and contribute to their overall culture. They referred to these as “Wiedenisms,” and I thought I’d share a few that caught my attention:

1.    Don’t act big.

2.    Shut up when someone is talking.

3.    Advertising is a weapon; be careful where you point it.

Essentially, these all help build a foundation of respect, integrity, and modesty that encourages all of their employees to make their best creative work, and this clearly reflects in Wieden’s finished products.

Matty Leech | 5.11.19