10.31.2016

Brian Wong Presents Tips on Success from "The Cheat Code" to AdPR

Brian Wong, Founder and CEO of Kiip
On Friday, Sept. 14, the AdPR Department hosted guest speaker Brian Wong to discuss his new book The Cheat Code: Going Off Script to Get More, Go Faster, and Shortcut Your Way to Success. Wong is the founder and CEO of Kiip, an innovative approach to mobile marketing that helps connect brands to consumers through a rewards platform in mobile games and apps. Named by Forbes as one of the 4 Hot Online Ad Companies to Put on Your Watch List, Kiip has raised over $32 million in funding to date.

Before launching his own company, Wong played an instrumental role at the social news website Digg.com by forming relationships with key publishers and tech partnerships. Wong received his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia by the age of 18 before he jump-started his career.  

Wong recently wrote and published a book titled The Cheat Code: Going Off Script to Get More, Go Faster, and Shortcut Your Way to Success to provide tips for success. While at UGA, Wong explained to students a few of his favorite tips from the book.

"Know your super power...put all your energy into your strengths to get noticed and get ahead, said Wong.


The students gained valuable knowledge for future success through this presentation. A huge thank you to Accelerate Athens for co-promoting this popular event.

10.26.2016

AdPR's Executive Advisory Council welcomes new members

AdPR is honored to welcome the following new members to our Executive Advisory Council. The Council is a diverse group of leading communications professionals committed to supporting the vision of the Department of Advertising & Public Relations, and assist the department with activities that align with the most current industry drivers in both the commercial and public sectors worldwide. 


Chowning Johnson, Senior Vice President at Dodge Communications, is a leading strategic advisor to companies that range from new market entrants to early IPOs as well as multinational companies building out healthcare verticals.  Her passion in communications, positioning and business growth has spurred the department she oversees to break into new healthcare categories, carving out additional areas of expertise for Dodge, as well as elevating Dodge clients to the national and business media stage. 

During her career, Johnson has successfully ushered numerous companies to their ultimate goal of acquisition through thoughtful, fine-tuned strategic communications programs, branding and messaging initiatives, and lead generation campaigns that align with overarching business goals.



Natali Johnson works as a Marketing Director, supporting TNT and TBS networks, at Turner.  Natali joined the company in 2007 as a research analyst for TNT, TBS and TCM marketing initiatives. Natali has played an integral role in the development and direction of marketing campaigns for some of the networks' most successful series, including The Last Ship, Rizzoli & Isles, Wrecked and Conan.  The campaigns included traditional advertising tactics, as well as social, mobile and digital strategies.  Natali has also forged multi-tiered partnerships with various events/festivals that helped build audience engagement within tastemaker communities.

Natali is a proud alumni of the University of Georgia, where she graduated with dual degrees in Telecommunication Arts and Political Science.  She was highly active within the Honors program and participated as a student judge in the George Foster Peabody Awards program.  Upon graduating,, Natali held account and marketing positions at Cox Media and Lloyds of London.

10.21.2016

The success of AdPR Week 2016

Bryan Reber moderated the "Rio 2016: Sports PR and media on the world stage" panel. 
The Grady College's Department of Advertising and Public Relations hosted AdPR Week from Sept. 26 through Sept. 30. The week incorporated speakers and visitors including those from Wieden + Kennedy and Gary McCormick, from GMc Communications, hosted by faculty and student organizations. Each AdPR event exposed students to industry related information and helpful advice from professionals. The week culminated with an exciting panel discussion about the Olympic games entitled, "Rio 2016: Sports PR and media on the world stage". UGA's Olympic silver medalist Chase Kalisz and journalists and public relations professionals, Nicole Chrzanowski, Mike Mobley, Vicki Michaelis and Mark Johnson shared their experiences and lessons learned from the recent Olympics and Paralympics. Hosted by AdPR and Grady Sports Media, AdPR's Bryan Reber moderated this event.

The AdPR Department developed the High Five Donor Recognition Program. This program was designed to provide AdPR students with a fun and easy way to demonstrate their AdPRide. In return for a $5 donation, students and alumni entered to win a three prizes. The first place prize winner, Madison French, received a personal University of Georgia Yeti Cooler. The second winner, Katie Shivers, was awarded a lunch an The National, a restaurant located in downtown Athens, with her favorite AdPR professor. Sophie Ryland, the third place winner, earned a basket filled with "AdPR Swag" including an AdPR cup and notebook.
1st Place - Madison French
2nd Place - Katie Shivers
Third Place - Sophie Ryland



This year's AdPR Week surpassed all goals and expectations by reaching record giving levels. With generous donations throughout the week from students, alumni, faculty and friends of the department, AdPR received over $8,500 in gifts towards the Excellence Fund. This fund will help department initiatives such as providing students with travel grants for study abroad programs, helping with the implementation of the SEE Suite social media monitoring lab and supporting leading research by AdPR's nationally recognized faculty.

AdPR Week 2016 was very successful and the department hopes for continued success in the future. Thank you to all of the generous donors for contributing to the Excellence Fund.



10.06.2016

Moxie leads Fall content strategy workshop for AdPR students

The winning team of AdPR students with Moxie representatives. 

On Sept. 30, 2016, Grady College's Department of Advertising and Public Relations hosted Moxie, a digital marketing agency, for an N>GEN content strategy workshop.

AdPR seniors were selected to participate in the workshop that is held once a semester. The seniors broke out in instructional sessions and then worked in groups to present campaigns to the Moxie representatives.

Through this program, students are able to expand their creative interests and digital knowledge.

To view the full article, click here.
Written by Stephanie Moreno

AdPR Alumni Spotlight: Jasmine Clayton


Jasmine Clayton, Communication Specialist at Aon Hewitt
One of our newest alumni, Jasmine Clayton, is a May 2016 Grady College graduate with a bachelor’s degree in public relations, minor in Spanish and certificate in New Media. She currently works as a communication specialist at Aon Hewitt, a human resources consulting firm. Through her role at Aon, she provides collaborative strategic consulting on client teams to help engage readers and drive behavior for employees. Before joining Aon, Jasmine had five communication-based internships during her undergraduate career and studied abroad with “UGA en Buenos Aires.” She interned with the Grady College Department of Experiential Learning, Southern Company, Goodwill of North Georgia and completed two internships with Open Hand Atlanta.



AdPR Department: How did you secure your job at Aon Hewitt?

Jasmine Clayton: My current position was posted in the Grady Jobs & Internships Newsletter at the time, so I applied through the exclusive job posting. I had been interested in human resources (HR) communication for about a year, and when I read the job description was a communication role within an HR consulting firm, I couldn’t help but think it was tailored just for me. So, I applied and made sure my cover letter and resume were tailored just for the job. To prepare for my on-site interview, I compiled some of my best writing and design work into a tangible portfolio and printed out a copy for each interviewer. I also practiced behavioral interview responses, made sure I was familiar with the role and how my past experiences could contribute, and researched the company. Afterward, I sent my follow-up thank you messages and received the great news a few weeks later.

AdPR: What are some of your everyday duties?

Clayton: As a content creator on health and benefits enrollment projects for our clients, this often means that I either write or edit content for benefits enrollment materials (guides, newsletters, etc.) to ensure that the language used will engage the reader and influence behavior among employees. I also provide and compile feedback from my team’s rounds of review to relay to the designers or other content creators.

AdPR: What are some concepts or skills you would consider essentials for for AdPR students to grasp before they graduate?

Clayton: My top three would be interviewing, editing and networking skills. A lot of students may know about behavioral interviewing questions, but it is essential to look up the STAR approach, practice these out loud and tie in past experiences that relate to the specific internship or job. Also, it is one thing to know how to write, but for me it’s been important to be able to provide solid feedback through editing a lot of my colleague’s materials. As you critique other people’s work, you start to learn how to enhance your own. Lastly, networking is more than just meeting new people at busy networking fairs, it’s maintaining the professional relationships you already have. You don’t want to only contact people when you need something. Don’t forget to thank the people that are helping you get where you want to go, and maintain that gratitude and relationship once you get there. This could be as simple as sharing an article that you think they would appreciate, sending a hand written thank you note with a life update, or catching up over lunch.

AdPR: How did Grady help you prepare for entering the job field, specifically at your current job?

Clayton: Grady helped to heighten my natural curiosity by teaching me that there is always more than meets the eye – you just have to be curious enough to explore. In my case, this innovative thinking cultivated in new media and journalism classes inspired me to explore the nooks and crannies of Grady, and is now playing into my experience at Aon. Within Grady, my experiences ranged from shadowing and conducting research with some of the top professors, interning with amazing career mentors and travelling to top companies in Atlanta. Every organization has outreach and experiential learning opportunities that can take you outside of your comfort zone and introduce you to people you can learn from, and this is crucial to find when you enter full-time work. At Aon, so far I have joined committees outside of my department, attended professional development conferences and scheduled lunches to get to know people in different business units – and I’m not finished yet. There is always a way to get involved past your daily responsibilities and you never want to remain stagnant, so I’m making my work experience work for me.

AdPR: What is one of the biggest things you've learned so far in the professional world?

Clayton: I’ve learned how to make a big company feel small. During my first few weeks on the job, my manager set up lunches for me with the colleagues on my team. From her example, I started setting up my own lunches with people in different business functions. By reaching out to people outside of my division, not only am I learning more about the company, but I’m building relationships and making this big company feel a little smaller. It’s a ripple effect: The more people you know, the more comfortable you are and the more comfortable you are the more you feel like you belong. It’s important to feel like you have a place in a company (especially one with tens of thousands of employees) and not like you can be easily replaced. Put your face out there to build your brand and relationships, and people will not only see the value of your work but they’ll also see the value of your presence.
SaveSaveSaveSave

10.04.2016

A glimpse into the UGA AdPR Study Abroad Program in China

Grace Zeitlin, UGA student on Grady China Study Abroad Program
The University of Georgia Grady College AdPR Study Abroad Program in China offers students tremendous experience and the chance to gain advanced skills in the fields of advertising and public relations. With the rapid growth within China, students experience first-hand the expansion of major marketing including brand communication, advertising and public relations. While the program provides valuable insights into the advertising and public relations sectors, students also receive a three-hour, upper-level course credit. Over the course of the three-week program, students visit historic sights, gain valuable business knowledge and obtain course credit.

In order to gain insight into this program, AdPR interviewed Grady student, Grace Zeitlin, who experienced this study abroad program in China.

Grady College AdPR Department: Why did you choose the Grady China program?

Grace Zeitlin: I chose this program because it allowed me to experience one of the largest growing advertising markets first hand through meeting top professionals. The small size of the program and one professor was attractive to me because it allowed students to become very close with each other and our professor in a foreign country where it was easy to get culture shock and home sick.

AdPR: What is your favorite memory from the trip?

Zeitlin: My favorite memory was climbing the Great Wall. It was an incredible view and definitely a workout hiking watchtower to watchtower. One of the best parts was when we all tobogganed down from the Wall through the trees and tried not to hit the person in front of us. Some of us even wanted to climb back to the top just to slide back down.

AdPR: What educational experience or insight did you gain during this trip?

Zeitlin: Every agency visit we learned something new, but overall what stood out to me was how the lines between public relations and advertising are starting to blur. We we are also lucky enough to get invaluable advice regarding interviews, resumés, and our future careers.

AdPR: How did Grady College impact your overall experience on this trip?

Zeitlin: Without Grady, I would have never been able to visit China. Dr. Meng and Grady College made my whole experience an amazing learning opportunity I could not experience anywhere else.

AdPR: What advice would you give to students looking to study abroad?

Zeitlin: I would tell those students to put themselves out there and they will not regret it. Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I made in my college career and helped solidify my career path. Studying abroad is an opportunity more students should take while they have the chance in college.

AdPR: Would you sign up for this program again?

Zeitlin: If I could sign up for this program every year, I would in a heart beat. Every day I learned and experienced something new. I made great friends and memories I will have for the rest of my life and wouldn't trade for anything.

The Grady College AdPR China Study Abroad Program application is due January 20, 2017. The 2017 program dates are May 9, 2017 - May 29, 2017.