Account Take-Aways
Before I landed in New York City last week, I had never thoroughly heard from an actual account manager about what this job description entitles. Of course I had advisors and peers helping me find my way inside Allen Hall Advertising, but a lot of what I learned came simply from trial and error. Although there’s a lot to be said for experiential learning, one of my biggest take aways from this New York Experience trip was the opportunity to hear from successful account managers what it is like to be them, especially in a fast-paced city like Manhattan.
One of the biggest things that I heard from nearly every account manager at all seven agencies that I visited was the importance of having ownership in the work my team produces. I have already experienced the interesting dynamic that unfolds for account managers in terms of lacking passion for developing creative work because it is often hard to feel included in something you weren’t necessarily hired to do. Before this trip, I believed creatives were hired to create and account managers are hired to make sure it all runs smoothly. Thus, it was easy for me to feel disconnected from the creatives and their work because I didn’t insert myself in their creative process, I simply made sure they were doing it. Therefore, my loyalty became skewed when things often began to get messy. However, I now see the importance of having an opinion in each campaign and finding a sense of my own personal ownership in what is being created. I’ve realized, through my recent NYC experience, that this will aid in my ability to convince the client of the true value of my team’s work. I heard time and time again at these New York agencies that a client won’t believe in a campaign if the account manager doesn’t, which seems so obvious I almost feel silly for not already knowing that. Regardless, I feel so thankful to walk away from this amazing opportunity with this new perspective. Although I learned an endless amount about whether I want to live in NYC or not, whether I want to work at a big agency or a smaller agency and so much more, this piece of knowledge seems to trump them all. I feel like this sense of voice, power and ownership will make my life, my future team’s lives and our client’s lives so much easier as their will be confidence in the work.
Meg Meagher
Advice
The million dollar question nowadays is “what’s your plan after graduation?” and my response to that is “what’s your advice for me to do after graduation?” I have gathered some inspiring advice over the past week since I have began asking this question.
1) Don’t stop applying.
2) Take your time, don’t jump at your first opportunity. You’re valuable!
3) Travel and meet new people.
4) Craft your story.
5) Experiment with different jobs.
6) Set goals and chase bigger dreams.
7) Find a mentor.
8) Take time to reflect.
Emily Sarale 5.12.17
Connect Four
At the digital marketing agency 360i we learned how to connect four key components to derive a strategic insight and identify the tension. The 4-box method transforms the research beyond and pushes strategies further. The categories include culture, consumer, category and company. After brainstorming and identifying specifics in each category, it is important to find the provocative, surprising truths and beliefs in each one. From there, the insight and strategy can come to life what the mindset shift is (to/from) and figuring out what role the brand can play to move forward, creating momentum. During our visit at 360i we received a brief and had the chance to practice this strategic way of thinking. I have appreciated the learning by doing moments - where connections are made.
-Meg Winters 05.12.17
Space - Double-edged Sword
Manhattan is packed. Over 1.6 million people call New York’s most populous borough their home. Buildings squeeze together like sardines craning their necks to get a whiff of fresh air, a commodity that runs scarce when New Yorkers run to and from work twice a day. Signs - ads, art, information - protrude from every facade.
On one hand, the stimuli erases the possibility of boredom. If you’re not swept by the flood of human diversity that washes the streets, lured by bakeries and hole-in-the-wall burger joints, or pulled like a puppet on strings by car horns and rare voices that cut through the buzz, you’re either a seasoned New Yorker or taking sensory deprivation drugs. The endless stream of stuff warps time perception on hour-long walks, making them feel like five-minute excursions.
But when a finite space is as full and as busy as this little island, it can be hard to clear the space inside your own head. Overwhelmed, antsy, frustrated, cramped - all feelings that descend on me as I dip and dodge through sidewalk traffic in midtown, yearning for the relative countryside within Central Park.
My recipe for next-level thinking calls for equal parts peace and pandemonium. I can’t crack into the safe of thoughts worth saving without space. Lucky for me, SS+K lives down south by the water, where the wind blows and I can see straight to Williamsburg.
- Cameron Kokes
Work Hard + Work Harder
Every agency’s culture is made out of different threads intricately intertwined together to make different tapestries of who they are and what they stand for. Within those agencies, every inspirational person that I’ve talked to this week has a different spark in their eye and a different rhythm to their soul. Although each individual is truly individual, I’ve heard one message again so much almost as much as I heard the cars in Manhattan honk at each other: work hard and work harder. From Boxed to R/GA to Chiat, I hear this message. Everyone there has talent, charm, and potential but what will make you stand out among all of these gems? Long nights, early mornings, and great work. Stand up, stand out, and you got this.
Amelia Inouye // 5/11/17
This morning I had the pleasure of visiting / photographing / admiring “The Fearless Girl,” a statue that stares down the iconic Wall Street Charging Bull as a statement about women in leadership. What’s especially incredible about this guerrilla art piece is that it was a project by New York agency McCann. The statue is a symbol of powerful women, but it is also a reminder of how advertising can contribute to culture.
Though bad, branded tweets about memes and the tone-deaf Pepsi commercial can make it feel like advertising just steals from culture, it’s nice to see reminders that good advertising can also add to the conversation. We wouldn’t have “whassup?” “got milk?” or even “I Love New York” without advertising shaping culture. Great work seeks to give back.
Hannah Lewman 05.11.17
Representation
Before coming on the trip, I honestly didn’t know what my role as an Asian American was in the advertising agency that is predominantly white males. Going into JWT and to find a Korean chief creative officer was assuring. Seeing how someone of similar identity working in the industry and doing well was awesome. He said a conversation regarding gender equality has been made in the industry but not really about race. I agree, there needs to be better representation of what America looks like in the ad industry. When I went to speak to him he asked how my parents think of me going into the industry and I told him they are supportive of me. When he asked me that, it was nice. Someone could relate with me. Often times there are pressures coming from the Asian American community regarding a stable job. Those jobs are usually professions in law, medical, or the science. Advertising is usually not in that mix. JWT really helped me to breathe and to see how an Asian Americans are just as capable as any other in the field.
David Choe. 05.11.17
sparks&honey is everything I love about academia and everything I love about the agency world all crammed into one colorful office on Madison Avenue.
On our visit yesterday, I was blown away by smart, thorough research methods and culturally relevant communications strategy all in one place. To see trend spotting without guesswork and good research without bureaucracy was inspiring, to say the least.
As I embark on my own independent academic research over the next year (yikes), I hope to translate the colorful, curious energy of sparks&honey to my own work. For my thesis on cultural movements in advertising, I’ll build a relevant structure to organize my thoughts, then analyze signals from culture in a way that will actually be useful for people working in the field.
It’s a daunting task, but I’m ready to explore.
Rachel Benner. 05.10.2017
Disrupt: An Ode to TBWA/Chiat and what I learned from Doug Melville
When everyone goes left, go right. When everyone is in black and white, let colors flood through your bloodstream. Shriek in dead silence.
Disrupt, disturb, and distract.
Be strange and stand out. Cut through the white noise and cut through expectation. Start small, land big. Be trusting and consistent yet forever be ready for the unexpected. Throw that curveball in the dark and hope it lands somewhere.
Because why be like everyone else when you can be you?
(Thanks Doug and TBWA/Chiat for the inspiration and invigoration you gave me today. You are the reason why I love advertising).
Amelia Inouye // 5/10/17