Three Ad professors teach First-Year Odyssey seminars

As part of the new First-year Odyssey Seminar Program, Drs. Reichert, Hamilton and Kreshel are teaching seminars focusing on different topics in Advertising. The new program, designed to introduce first-years to academic life at the University of Georgia, gives students the opportunity to engage with faculty and other freshmen in a small class environment.

Dr. Reichert is teaching a seminar entitled, "Sex in Advertising: History, Content, and Controversy." In this class students will learn anything and everything about sex in Advertising: What is it? Does it work? and Why is it used to appeal to young people? The class will also discuss some of the most controversial advertisements of all time from Calvin Klein to Victoria's Secret to Abercrombie & Fitch.

Dr. Hamilton's seminar, called "New Devices, Old Needs: The Cultural History of Communications Technologies," explores how essentially new communications technologies satisfy basic human needs that are quite old in comparison. The class will discuss many communications technologies, from the crop of Internet applications and social media back to radio, telegraph, photography, and further. Students will investigate these technologies and what people at the time had to say about them in order to explore relationships between communications and society.

Dr. Kreshel's seminar is called "Advertising and the Commercialization of Everyday Life." Students will learn some of the "basics" like what advertising is, advertising in the context of a "chaotic" media culture in which technological innovation accelerates the development of new media platforms, and how the concept of an "audience" is changing. They will also look at some of the controversies that arise in looking at advertising as a vehicle of social communication, focusing mostly upon how the logic of the marketplace has found its way into institutions and ideas never intended to be traded as marketing commodities.

"Pound on Opportunity's Door 'til the Cops Come!"

Grady Ad Alums Ron Huey (Sr VP, Executive Creative Director at Career Sports and Entertainment--1983 grad) and Mike Martin (Founder/Creative Director Skylab-B and Co-owner/Founder of Martin+Owen--1995 grad) spoke at the first Ad Lecture Series meeting on August 25th.

Martin and Huey showed their work and discussed the development of the new PSA developed for UGA. This project was a labor of love led by Martin and Huey as well as Grady grad Jason Hatfield (1995 grad) and UGA film grad Glen Owen (1993 grad). The new PSA received rave reviews from the over 140 attendees.

Martin and Huey also shared their advice for getting a job in advertising as well as how to have a successful advertising career.

AdPR professor leads Grady@Oxford in Summer 2011

Advertising professor Dr. Jay Hamilton guided 16 students through a course and two excursions as part of the Grady@Oxford study abroad program this summer. The semester ran from July 5 to August 12.

As part of teaching JRLC5080, "International Mass Communication," Dr. Hamilton's students addressed recent developments in Advertising and Public Relations. They explored how both are becoming less international and more global.

They ventured into London twice so see how global media work is being done. After a first trip to the BBC Television Centre to learn about its news and television-production facilities, they traveled to Sloan Square to hear from major advertising agency M&C Saatchi and major media hub The National Magazine Company. Their host at The National Magazine Company was long-time media visionary Terry Mansfield.

As you can see from the picture above, there is nothing like a party on the lawn to finish off the term in a 'tailgate', Oxford Style.

Learn more about the Grady@Oxford study abroad program by clicking here.

Ad students get local for client Farm 255

Advertising students in Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson's Creative Message Strategy Class (ADPR3110) literally rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty this summer while tackling an IMC plan and real-time marketing challenges for local client, Farm 255.

The restaurant's concept is part of the farm-to-table sustainability movement, with a philosophy that "seeks to reconnect food to its roots and people to their food." They serve local, seasonal, and sustainable food sourced from their own farms, Full Moon Farms, and Moonshine Meats.

Students volunteered to work the farms as "primary research" in putting together their situation analysis. "We wanted to get the full experience," said the teams. Farm 255 wait staff and employees work the farm themselves at least once a month.

Students were divided into three teams and spent the summer assessing the client's business needs, developing message strategies, creating executions and making tactical recommendations for the brand. The efforts culminated in a successful 'new business pitch' to the client on August 5th.

AdPR Internship Spotlight: Hannah Thomas

Hannah Thomas is a Public Relations major who interned at Dolce & Gabbana Headquarters in New York City this past summer.

What were your responsibilities at Dolce & Gabbana?

I was responsible for office support including the tracking of all editorial credits as well as corresponding with high-profile editors and directors to put together sample send-outs and receive returns. I also monitored daily brand publicity via national and local sources which I compiled into reports to be sent to Milan daily. My other responsibilities included managing a showroom, allocating and organizing regional press samples, and various other tasks within the realm of promoting the brand and supporting the press office.

What valuable information or skills did you learn at your internship?

This summer at Dolce, I learned the importance of self-presence. I went into the internship with a basic knowledge of working in a fashion PR office and was able to exceed the expectations of my employers. You want to be sure to complete tasks exactly how they are to be done which sometimes takes special instruction, but taking initiative and putting your knowledge an experience to work will be much more appreciated in the long run.

Did anything you have learned in your Public Relations classes aid you in your internship this summer?

What prepared me most for this particular internships was what I learned in previous internships. The knowledge you learn in the classroom is so different from first-hand experience. I found the guest speakers from the workforce most helpful. Hearing about their typical days at the office and the hiring/promotion process with each company helped me to get a better idea of what I do and do not want to do in a career. I am also thankful for the encouragement from Grady to search for and find an internship, or several. I think it is extremely important to have internship experiences because sometimes you can think a job is one thing, but in reality it is totally different than expected. You need to work in the field and experience what we learn and are told in class for yourself before you really know if a particular job is right for you.

What was the best part of your internship experience?

I loved the amount of responsibility I had during this internship. I was working alongside the assistants; carrying out the same tasks as them, working with the same top editors as them and answering questions from younger and less-experienced interns. Everyone at Dolce really welcomed me to their team and trusted me as their own which made me feel like I was needed in order to keep things working. Everyone wants to know they are needed and making a difference, and I personally thrive off that feeling. It makes me want to work even harder and really prove my capabilities which is beneficial for everyone.

Fain and Phan Represent Grady at Career Fair

Phillip Fain (MA student) and Tien Phan (advertising major) represented Grady at the TORCH (www.thetorchprogram.org) —sponsored college career fair for minority students from New York City public high schools in July. The college fair was designed to give high school students exposure to career training opportunities in communication and the arts.

Phillip and Tien reported that the college fair was a success. Most of the students had never considered UGA, but were excited by what they learned about what Grady and UGA had to offer. The attendees were serious about their education. Phillip and Tien provided advice on getting into college, what to expect from college life, and answered questions or concerns that the students had.

Phillip and Tien were two of the four Grady students involved this summer in the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP) sponsored by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Phillip was an intern at Euro RSCG Worldwide and Tien was an intern at the Martin Agency. We look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return to campus.

New AdPR professor Sun Joo Ahn publishes virtual reality study in Journal of Advertising

Congratulations to new Grady Advertising professor, Dr. Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn, who just published a peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Advertising. She coauthored the study with Stanford University professor, Dr. Jeremy Bailenson. The article is titled, "Self-endorsing versus other-endorsing in virtual environments: The effect on brand attitude and purchase intention."

Dr. Ahn used virtual reality and avatars to study the effects of self-endorsement: "The incorporation of the consumer within an advertisement by depicting the self endorsing a brand or a product."

The researchers conducted three related studies to explore the effect of self-endorsement (individual's avatars using an unfamiliar brand) on brand attitudes and purchase intention.

According to Dr. Ahn, the results of these studies, "revealed that seeing the self's avatar endorse a brand by using it in a virtual space triggers individuals to develop a greater affinity for an unfamiliar brand compared to seeing another avatar use an unfamiliar brand."

She explains that, "overall, these studies implied that merely seeing digital self-representations arbitrarily linked with a brand is persuasive enough to elicit favorable brand attitude and purchasing intention. Furthermore, they suggest that the link between the self and brands may not be as elaborate as was once thought."

Dr. Ahn will be conducting additional virtual reality research in Grady's new virtual reality lab. This year she'll be teaching an advertising research course, as well as the advertising and society course.

Read the full article here.

AdPR Alumni Spotlight: Kaitlyn Darr

Kaitlyn Darr (ABJ 2009)

Kaitlyn Darr graduated from Grady College in 2009 with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in English. She is currently living in New York City.

What are you doing and how did you get there?

I am an Account Executive in the healthcare practice for Weber Shandwick in New York City. I support one of the top cancer medicines in the world and absolutely love the work I get to do: media relations, work with patients on a day-to-day basis, brainstorm new and exciting ways for people to learn about the brand, support medical meetings and help with big, regulatory milestones (e.g. FDA meetings and approvals).

On the surface, I got here because I answered a PRSSA listserv email from my current supervisor about the position. She's also a UGA grad and loves to have the the Bulldogs make their way to New York. However, I tried my best to prepare myself to stand out if and when an opportunity like this presented itself. During my time in Grady, I served as Director of Creative Consultants for a year and a half, which gave me a lot of great experience in public relations and management. Also, I had a variety of internships, including agency, non-profit and corporate. I always knew I wanted to be in healthcare, so two of my favorite internships were at Athens Regional Medical Center and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Being able to show my current employers my history in internships, as well as my love of healthcare, helped me get where I am now.

What is your favorite Grady memory?

As cliche as it sounds, I could list a thousand great Grady memories. The faculty and my fellow classmates gave me something I really had been looking for at UGA: a place to call home and figure out what I really wanted to do with my life. Prior to finding PR, I had a four majors in a variety of schools across campus. When I figured out that PR was the place for me, with the help of Creative Consultants and Dr. Betty Jones, the only road one could really see was one that pointed up. However, I think one of my favorite memories is traveling with PRSSA members to Washington D.C. my last semester to go on Agency tours. The excitement of the city life and the opportunities available for Grady graduates in the world of Public Relations was never more apparent than when we took that trip. I think that was what sealed the deal for me and provided me with the confidence that I needed to go to a big city, try my hand at a big agency and hopefully make Grady proud.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students?

My advice for AdPR students is to figure out what you're really passionate about, where you want to live that passion and create a path to get there. It will take a lot: internships, writing courses (take extra if you can), network events (go to all of them), blind emails to contacts of contacts. But in the end, you'll figure out where you fit and you'll be extremely happy for putting in all the effort to make it happen.

Also, identify Grady alumni who are in the place you'd like to be and reach out. I have never once been turned away by a fellow Bulldog, and by the same token, I would never turn another away. We're a network that is strong and anxious to help each other--all alumni need is an email or a phone call to be an advocate for a talented Grady grad looking for a start.