where we’re going
I think the most wonderful insight from this trip is that these successful people that we spoke with were once where we were. They were confused and afraid, just like we were, but hungry to use advertising as a platform to make change. I think that’s the thing that brought me the most comfort, is that this is where we’re going. I’m extremely grateful to have had this experience: learning from successful professionals, seeing cultures that create amazing work, observing different types of thinking; but, nothing inspires me more than the students that are around me. Nothing else motivates me more than the people that helped me get here because I know success is where we’re going.
- Rachelle Roldan
Beyond Thankful
WOW! This trip has been such an out of this world experience. When I was telling family and friends what I was going to be doing for 10 days they were shocked that I got to have such an amazing experience like I did. I learned more about myself and the agencies that I want to work at. If I were to describe how I felt about this trip in one word it would be grateful. Grateful to the people that took time out of their own busy lives to tell us students what their agency was all about, and grateful to the professors for all they did to make this trip happen!
5 ways #UONYC2018 made me love advertising
1) I found out that if there us a brand that you really feel passionate about, depending on where you work, you have a serious chance of working on it. I saw agencies working on some of my favorite brands and it is interesting that my favorite agencies were typically doing great work for brands I love.
2) The fact that the advertising hub is New York City, and now I know what that means. I loved New York, which makes me love that so much advertising is done there!
3) Times Square. Although I didn’t feel a big urge to go back after my second trip there, there is something to be said about the awe caused by all the advertisements there. It brings people from all over the world for its scale and recognition.
4) Flock. @heyflock taught us how to love being a woman, love the opportunities of advertising, and love being a woman in advertising.
5) The 72 and Sunny alumni event. You can’t walk into just any room and feel the creativity in the air. All of these brilliant Ducks, however, showed that it is possible..
Maddie Landers (Final Post #5)
5.14.18
maddielanders.com
#5 Scaring Yourself
On Friday I had the pleasure of visiting Joan, a fairly new advertising agency. Joan was the agency I was most excited to see, and anticipated Friday afternoon from the moment I knew I would have the opportunity to visit. The work, environment, and positivity were everything I had hoped for and more, and I absorbed everything they shared with us. One of the most valuable phrases I took home with me came from Lisa Clunie, founder and CEO, when she said, “Nothing is worse than scaring yourself from starting.” I quickly scribbled the phrase down in my notes the moment the words left her mouth, feeling an immediate understanding and connection to this sentence. I knew this phrase would stick with me for a while, and here I am, days later, writing a blog post about it. Those eight words are so important to take into account in all aspects of our lives. I feel like so many people, myself included, don’t start things— whether it is a project, job, or experience, because we are afraid of the outcome or afraid of failure. We scare ourselves out of opportunities before we even give ourselves the chance to experience them. From now on, I am going to take this phrase with me wherever I go. If I doubt my ability to create a project, to build a relationship, to begin a new job or start a new experience, I’ll stop and ask myself— is this worth scaring yourself from starting? Imagine the things we could accomplish if we just tried and let ourselves figure out if failure was an option instead of letting the fear of failure stop us. Visiting Joan was an opportunity I am so thankful for, and Lisa Clunie’s wise words will stay with me forever. Hopefully, they’ll stick with you, too.
Jamie Rolston - 05/14/2018
#4 Network
Networking can de daunting and awkward. Going into this week, one of my biggest fears was leaving a bad impression on those I spoke to or not knowing how to make the most of the opportunities presented to me. It often takes me a while to open up to people, though I knew this was a trait I was going to have to overcome in order to build relationships with those around me. At the beginning of the week, I had a wonderful conversation with Kim Uong, who is a strategist at AKQA as well as a member of the Flock. She kindly sat down with me for 15 minutes and gave me advice about how to network and make it feel natural, and gave me contacts at some of the agencies I would be visiting throughout the week. Though I am still getting the hang of this whole “networking” thing, the advice she gave me on Sunday night stuck with me throughout the entire week. Networking doesn’t have to be serious and awkward— I learned that oftentimes, it can start with a common interest or recommendations for what to do in a new city. I learned the most when I asked people what their path from school to career has looked like, or even by just asking what their favorite aspect of New York was. Additionally, I learned how large our network is. There are University of Oregon alum at each agency in the city, and this reaches beyond to the rest of the country and globe. I also realized that one of our greatest networks is each other. I met so many incredible, talented students while on this trip, so many of which I had never spoken to or even seen before this week. Everyone was so kind and open, and I was constantly in awe of everyone capabilities and talents. I am so excited to see where we take each other, and can’t wait for our network of ducks to grow.
Jamie Rolston - 05/13/2018
#3 Realization
Before the New York trip, I started to question my future in advertising. I think this uncertainty and doubt is natural for any student, regardless of what they are studying, as they approach graduation and prepare to enter the work force. However, our week in New York completely restored my excitement and passion for advertising and gave me so much insight about what I want to do and where I want to go from here. I visited eight agencies throughout the week, and each was vastly different from the last. From Wieden + Kennedy to Translation to Joan, each agency offered different work, cultures and environments. Regardless of whether or not I liked an agency or felt like I fit in, I learned so much about the kind of work I want to create, the kind of environment I want to work in, and the size and type of agencies that best suit me. I feel like these insights are invaluable and completely changed my perspective on advertising. I am so thankful for the generosity and openness each agency greeted us with, and the hours we spent at each individual company are priceless.
Jamie Rolston - 05/12/2018
Driving Culture
I talk about advertising a lot. We all do right? I even talk about it to people who aren’t a part of this crazy world. Most of the time, they just don’t get it. When I told my parents I was going to study advertising, they seemed a little bit confused. No one really gets it when I go “wow, that was a great ad!” Before NYC, I struggled to explain to people just WHY I was so enthralled with it all. This last week though, I finally figured out the words I always knew inherently but just didn’t have. At W+K, they mentioned they weren’t competing against other ads, they were competing against the content and the culture. This started my thinking and really struck a chord with me, but it was at AKQA that I really had my “Aha!” moment. One of the panel members said “Advertising drives culture.” What an exciting job to have! This is the reason why I am so drawn to the industry and I will always use this phrase in order to explain my passion for the work to people who just don’t get it.
-Alli Brown
#2 Women Empowering Women
It is only (but, also already) the third day of our trip and I am filled with so much inspiration. On Sunday evening, Flock, “A community of NYC women from University of Oregon” held an event for the women attending the trip. On Monday night, we also had an opportunity to attend a panel held by Flock. I went in with excitement and curiosity, and left feeling so much comfort and inspiration. Back at UO I am a member of Women and Film, an organization to empower and support women and non-binary students in film. Being part of this organization and feeling the support these women have makes me yearn for something for women in advertising— something that is much needed at the moment. While Flock focuses on a very specific area, women in advertising located in New York City, I felt like I had finally found something that I had been searching for. Supporting, mentoring and working with other women is so vital to our success, and the work Flock has already done supports these ideas.The women who founded Flock and spoke to us made me feel inspired and optimistic about the future of advertising and the efforts made to increase diversity in the field. I am also excited to see Flock grow to other cities as alum spread across the country and globe, and think this community is a vital organization that will uplift and support women graduating from the SOJC’s advertising program. The events also made me reflect on what efforts still need to be made to change the advertising industry for the better, and I hope spaces for empowering LGBTQ women and women of color in the field begin to exist soon. I feel extremely grateful for the women of Flock and what they have created— I can’t wait to see where it grows from here.
Jamie Rolston - 05/08/2018
Don’t Forget Your Worth
I was lucky enough to hear from and speak to an insane amount of inspiring people during my week in the city, but Doug Melville, Chief Diversity Officer of TBWA Chiat/Day, was by far at the top of the list. Not only had Doug done the craziest things, he gave some extremely solid advice. A lot of people tell us to remember that we don’t know what we don’t know, which is a very important reminder, but Doug told us not to forget to present people with our strengths and to remember that what we DO know, we are good at. Success will come more easily if we focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses. This was a super important piece of advice for me, because I tend to focus on what I can do to fix my weaknesses rather than projecting my strengths. Don’t undersell yourself.
- Alli Brown
Ask and You Shall Receive
How wonderful was it to have the continued support and guidance from the Flock women this past week and as we go forward with our careers? Immeasurably wonderful. One of the most important conversations that arose during the Flock panel was that of how to talk about money. I always wondered about this, how do you negotiate? How do you really get what your worth? How do you even know what you are worth in the first place? These women made it clear that first, even though it might feel taboo, it’s ok to talk to people about salary and get their advice. The most impactful thing I learned though, is that if you don’t ask for what you want, you won’t get it. They also made it clear that asking for more money won’t make any employer want to work with you any less. While this topic is still big and scary, it feels a little bit more manageable, especially knowing that we female Ducks have such an amazing network to fall back on!
- Alli Brown