Who dat?

Both on the NYC trip and in school, it’s been emphasized that we’re all people and we should embrace that. We should take our opinions and our point of view and bring it to our work. We should cultivate a personal brand. We should know what our voice is, and keep it consistent. This is something I’ve always struggled with. I have lots of strong opinions and interests and ideals, but despite all the best advice, I’ve never really put in the time to think about how they merge together into one person with a consistent identity. Without that clarity, I’ve always had a really hard time describing myself whether in person, or in a bio, etc.
At the Flock panel the topic of self-awareness came up and speaker Valerie Nguyen said, “Take all of that curiosity and ability to understand people and apply it to yourself.” Despite hearing that same message countless times, this one stuck. I spend so much time wondering what makes other people tick and how the different aspects of their lives overlap, but never myself. This became one of my biggest takeaways from the trip as I realized the need to make self-awareness a priority. Now, I’m back in Eugene and it’s time for some self-reflection. But if you’re reading this a few months from now, shoot me an email at leahckennon@gmail.com and see what I’ve learned.

- Leah Kennon // 5.15.2018

NY Virgin.

I have no idea what to expect from New York, as a city or culture. In preparation, I was told not to smile at strangers. This caught me off guard. After being in Eugene, Oregon for three years, I have adapted to acting like strangers are my family. Opening doors for everyone and smiling while walking to class while purposefully making eye contact with people I don’t know is one of my favorite parts of the day.

My main concern about living in New York is feeling lonely. Far away from your family, and far away from all the people you’re surrounded by—even when you’re squeezed on the subway like sardines. I will ask how the alumni are dealing with living in such a big city after coming from University of Oregon and Eugene, which is known for being a friendly and tight community.

Grace Gandolfo 5/3/18

Times Square

The last time I was in New York I was 4 years old. The only memory I have of it, because I’m constantly reminded by my Mother, is throwing a toy Poke-Ball at a cabs driver’s head in Manhattan. So you could say this time around my New York experience was a little different. I certainly didn’t remember the beauty of Times Square.

Times Square isn’t a place you want to spend a lot of time in because it can be over stimulating and a little crowded. But if you’re in the field of advertising, there’s nowhere else you’d want to be. I’m extremely glad I got to spend time there, and experience it for what it truly is.

-Sean Haney

Before getting to NYC, I had no expectations as to what to expect besides good pizza and gross subways. When I initially landed, not to say it was underwhelming, but it wasn’t anything spectacular or different than any other major city I’ve been to before. It wasn’t until my 3rd day in the city (the day of check in) when I noticed what made NYC different than any other big city. I was walking through downtown, and I happened to randomly look up at a crosswalk. The first time I looked up to the sky the entire trip as weird as that sounds. You always see in pictures or hear about NYC and the skyscrapers, but it’s not until you’re at the base of a tower looking up when you realize just how big they are. It just reminded me of always keeping everything in perspective.

Duane Harris 5/6/18

Oh the sights you’ll see

While traveling to New York with the ad program, it’s easy to get caught up in the job search. However, it’s extremely important to go sight seeing and find out what you truly love about New York.

Central Park. The High Line. Taking the ferry to Staten Island. These are all musts when exploring the city. Just walking around, you’ll discover so many hole in the wall restaurants and pizza parlors that will blow you away. Even the food carts on the streets can really impress. 

These are the things about New York that you will fall in love with, the smaller details. I came to New York City interested in what makes it so special, and I think I tasted a little bit of that. 

-Sean Haney

Speaking with Rob DeFlorio

Before I tell you who Rob DeFlorio is, I want to talk a little bit about Radical Media.

Radical Media is a production company that is a hub for anything multimedia. They produce films, documentaries, commercials, music videos, virtual and augmented realities, and other experiential events. If you know me, there really couldn’t be a place I’ve ever wanted to work more.

During my visit to Radical Media, my beliefs were reinforced. Throughout their presentation, I tried my best to keep the little kid inside me from shouting and asking, “Wait!! How’d you do that?” It kept getting better and better. I hadn’t even seen most of their work, each piece more impressive than the next. But that’s not why I want to work at Radical.

I want to work at Radical Media because of how their staff manufactures creativity. They have found a link between respecting their craft and how they can use it to find the meaning of life. They are simply making the world a better place. Bringing smiles, love, and goosebumps to the homes of millions of individuals. This was a hub for innovation.

Rob DeFlorio was high up in the ranks of Nike for a number of years, started the New York creative agency “Mother”, created a successful restaurant called “Sauce”, and now works as the Chief Operating Office of Radical Media. He is a renaissance man.

I asked him, “As a company that stresses forward thinking, how do you stay creative all the time?” He replied by telling me to stay educated and knowledgeable of current events. To read. To soak up all of the knowledge that one possibly can. He also said that by producing more content, you are able to stay creative because you will receive more criticism and feedback than those who are stagnant.

-Sean Haney

What a Strategist is to me after NYC

A strategist is a social listener, a sponge for information, has the art directors view of if something can actually become a reality in the time given and with the technology given, has the leadership to look at a birds eye view of the project and can act as a project-manager thinker, has the design concepts needed in order to see the importance of consistency all the way through, and most importantly - can back up all these ideas and insights with data that authenticate people’s experiences. They seek a diverse line-up of thinkers beside them in collaboration because they know that, when given a brief, a variety of stories, perspective, and experience at the table furthers a collective discovery of truth. Strategists embrace their personal passions and interests in their side projects because pursuing their curiosities refines their unique point of view that they have to offer. Last but not least, strategists welcome opportunities to say “yes.” As constant learners, they are catalysts for the creative process because they embrace the possibility of failing with the confidence that any knowledge gained in the process makes them 10x better of an asset to the teams they work with. 

-Emily Pearson 

Take Aways & Take Out

Top 3 Take Aways:

- “Find a hole and fill it… Be indispensable” - overheard at Wieden + Kennedy

- Culture is the most important homework

- Make ads that don’t feel like ads 

Top 3 Take Out: 

-  Dim Sum Palace 

- Mr. Bing Beijing Street Foods

- Delaney Chicken

Emily Ost

Trends - Experience* is Attention

I believe culturally we are moving into an evolution of the internet and social media where audiences pay more attention and engage with brands that provide them with opportunities to have lived experiences via the content they see on their screens.

Mobile social apps have grown as our culture’s dominant form of consuming brand communications, thus brands do not disregard that any opportunity to reach one viewer is an opportunity to grow their business. As online presence across these technologies became a necessity in order to reach their audiences, brands and agencies shifted to producing larger qualities of content in order to catch more of our limited attention on our mobile screens.

Their goal being, be seen more often to increase engagement and position their brands as more relevant in the cultural spheres of their audiences. Yet, at our visit with Special Guest, their team shared that only 5% of all branded content on Facebook has over 1,000 views. The speed at which content is being pumped out has resulted in an oversaturation of content available than any person could possibly engage. More and more, the trend of people spending less of their attention engaging with content will lead the industry to question the significance of analytical KPIs as worthwhile metrics for audience engagement.

Audiences on these platforms are already motivated to engage with brands that inspire authentic human experiences they can relate to or hope to associate and emulate. This human truth as to why we give our attention to certain brands offers a pathway for future brand communications.

Ultimately, we are now in need of digital content that expands our collective opportunity to mobilize our desires for lived experiences that connect us deeper to who we are inspired to be.  

Moving forward, brands and agencies will have to have to leverage networks of connected digital content to create opportunities for their target audiences to share lived experiences in the world around them through their mobile devices. These are opportunities for analog experiences that engage our immediate attention beyond our screens. These are experiences that use intuitively integrated content across platforms in order to enhance experiences with other people in the spaces brands inspire us to be.

@benkitoko
05.15.18