Million Dollar Idea… Literally
What would you do if you were given one million dollars to spend in four days? Would you pay off student loans? Buy a house? Take a vacation? Be the responsible adult and invest it in a 401K to enjoy a lavish life later?
That was the question my team and I had to answer five weeks ago when given a creative brief from Kevin Tuerff in New York City.
To the average American, one million dollars seems like a lot of money to spend. When you’re in advertising, one million dollars can seem pretty small for a national campaign when you’re accustomed to working with major brands like Nike or McDonald’s.
Thankfully, I am not used to “Super Sized” budgets.
I’m a girl from middle-class Bend, Oregon. Among the many talents I have inherited from my beautiful mother, I am most thankful to have gained her thriftiness—especially over these last four weeks.
Within 48 hours of receiving the brief, I knew that our campaign had to rely heavily on good strategy and less on flashy technology.
This prompt was exposing my raw skills as a strategist. Whether or not we got to pitch to Kevin Tuerff in New York relied on my ability to find the human truth that brought the pieces of this prompt together, and find the means to make it happen.
Small budgets aren’t intimidating. They’re just little men in green suits challenging you to be more creative with your thinking.
Four weeks of researching, eight hours of number-crunching, and one day of creating later, I am proud to say that our team not only developed a pitch that excited our professors, we were over $25,000 under budget—that’s including an insurance amount within the budget to cover any unexpected costs.
We get to pitch to Kevin Tuerff in New York City and I couldn’t be more excited.
I have never been more energized about an idea in my (albeit, short) career. And to top it all off, I owe most of it to being raised by a strong, frugal woman.
Thanks, Mom.
-Emily Garcia, Strategist
5.4.2017
Ready.
Birds may fly South for winter, but it’s about to become quite clear that Ducks are a unique breed. Ducks, unlike other birds, actually fly East for spring. Well, at least 100 or so do. It is an honor to be one of the Ducks that gets a chance to go to New York next week. It is an honor to be a part of a program with the vast reach that the UO SOJC has.
I believe I can safely speak on behalf of my fellow students and say that we are feeling excited and a little nervous, but most of all, ready. Ready for big opportunities. Ready for new avenues. Ready to flock to the far reaches of the world and make an impact. No matter one’s nerves, there’s no denying that what this next week will bring is excitement. We are ready for any challenges. We are ready for all the networking, handshakes, and rapid-absorption of information about to take place.
Don’t underestimate our passion and energy. Or do, and just be prepared to be amazed. We are ready. We are Ducks.
Andrew Greenblatt. 5.2.17
Making a couple lists, Checking ‘em twice.
When I was little, I was really good at two things: making lists and asking lots of questions. Now I am 22. I am better at a few more things, but I still make lists and ask a lot of questions. That’s why I’m a strategist in advertising. Ever since I found out I was going to New York in March, I have been making lists upon lists, double checking to make sure I have everything covered. While I have completed my lists of agencies to visit, coffee dates to attend, and addresses and emergency contacts to remember, there were two lists I had a hard time finishing this last week: places to see and foods to taste. As a strategist, everything I do in my free time is just as important as the opportunities I experience in the agencies I visit. My job is to understand people who are different than me and reach a human truth. That means I have to go see the sights, taste the food, and talk to a stranger or two along the way. The catch is I only have a couple hours each day for six days to cram in as many experiences as I can. So I’ve done my research, asked some of my New York connections, and put them through the budget filter to reach these final two lists. Will I make them all in this trip? Probably not. But am I excited to try? Definitely. Emily Garcia, Strategist5.2.2017Perspectives from a Small Town Girl
I don’t often consider myself to be a small town girl, but compared to many of my classmates at UO, I guess I am. I was born in England and spent 5 years in the Bay Area but the place I call home is a small town in Southern Oregon. Next week will be my first time visiting NYC. Growing up, I dreamt of living in NYC without knowing much about it, besides what the media and friends/family tell me. Here’s how I imagine it:
1. The food is hard to beat. Not only is NYC packed with restaurant choices, but every dish is worthy of an Instagram post.
2. People are kind of rude. New Yorkers live fast-paced lives and don’t often have time to chit chat like us Pacific Northwesters.
3. Everything is expensive. Food, rent, drinks, transportation, you name it.
4. It’s the creative hub of the world. Creatives flock to the city to work long hours and hopefully hit it big. It’s a place for inspiration, collaboration, perseverance, and passion.
In the words of Jay Z, if you can make it here you can make it anywhere. I can’t wait.
Emily Foster
4.30.17