AdPR campaigns team places first in AT&T Campus Brand Challenge

An AdPR team, led by Dr. Strausbaugh, won first place in the AT&T Campus Brand Challenge. The competition provides students a $3,000 budget to promote AT&T’s U-verse service and to gain subscriptions to the ESPN SEC Network.

The UGA team pitched a comprehensive advertising campaign to AT&T’s top executives. Their plan covered social media, guerrilla marketing, event planning, and more.

ROI
The campaign resulted in a 16% increase in awareness and a 31% increase in purchase intentions.The prize for the competition winners includes $3,500 for the AdPR Department and the ad for ESPN SEC will be featured on the back cover of Athlon Sports Magazine.

For more information about the event, click here.  

Advertising students develop campaign for Build-A-Bear Workshop

Team of advertising students of
Spring 2013 ADPR 5740 

AdPR students experienced a great opportunity to put into practice what they learn in classes. 

During Spring ’13 term, the ADPR 5740 Advertising Campaign class, taught by Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, advertising students developed a campaign for Build-A-Bear Workshop. They worked with Grady alumna and Founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Maxine Clark and her the internal marketing team. The project was to develop and create demand for the upcoming 2013 holiday product line. Furthermore, the group worked directly on the project with Marketing Admin-Bear-Strator and also Grady alumna, Lauren Hoffman.

According to Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh:

“Lauren and her team provided a briefing, and three Grady student teams tackled the real time marketing challenge, each doing a fabulous job and ultimately impressing the client with their product recommendations and the extensiveness of their communication plans and multi-touchpoint tactics.”

AdPR students visit NYC advertising agencies to meet and learn from professionals

AdPR students visiting Arnold Worldwide

What better way to learn about New York agencies than to visit them. This May, AdPR students again accompanied Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh to the Big Apple as part of her maymester seminar course. The AdPR 5990 class, which took place from May 14 to June 5, gave students the opportunity to learn about the communications industry, develop case studies, and do a one-week tour of New York advertising agencies to meet and learn from professionals.

“It was truly a BANNER year for us, with a total of 19 advertising agencies, public relations firms and internal communications departments visited! An unbelievable pace, but an invaluable takeaway for all of us!” said Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, a senior lecturer in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations.

Some of the agencies that the class visited included Social@Ogilvy, DiMassimo Goldstein (DIGO), A&E Networks, Strawberry Frog,  360i, Arnold Worldwide, BBDO, Porter Novelli, and Yelp! among others. In addition, students participated in UGA-related events, including a reception with the Peabody Award winners and a networking mixer with New York-based UGA/Grady alumni.

“I loved the trip!! I learned so much about the industry that I could not have learned just by being in the classroom. I was able to see what I have learned in my classes being applied in a real corporate setting,” said Nicole Tate, a rising junior and public relations major. “Because we went to so many different types of agencies I now have an idea of what kind of agency I could see myself working in in my future. I also am thankful for all the connections I have made.”

"It was incredible to experience the world of advertising in New York,  especially due to the pace of the city and the immense amount of competition among the agencies," said Madison Skeens, a junior and advertising major. "I  became increasingly more impressed with the smaller agencies, like Strawberry Frog and Concept Farm. The way in which they collaborated was considerably more intimate;  giving each person the opportunity to contribute to an idea or piece of work, despite their strength or  position."

Once they returned to classroom, students selected their favorite agency, examined the agency's current client roster, identified a potential category or piece of new business that the agency could/should pursue, and then and applied its approach in creating a full blown new business pitch, including creative concept, and multi-touchpoint outlets.

This is the second year students traveled to New York as part of a course. "It represents our commitment to the students and the profession to be there every year," said Tom Reichert, AdPR Department Head. "We've had many students find their way to New York over the years but this trip helps current students see that they can make a go of it in the city. If you want a career in brand communication, New York should be on your list."

AdPR students visiting Erwin Penland advertising agency 

Breanna Price chosen for AAF's Most Promising Minority Student Program

Breanna Price

Breanna Price, a senior advertising major from Cuthbert, was recently chosen for the American Advertising Federation's Most Promising Minority Student Program. 

The program, now in its 15th year, promises to "provide opportunities to recruit fresh talent, to further prepare advertising’s best young prospects and to help the industry's workforce better reflect the multiculturalism of today's society." The AAF is the oldest national trade organization for advertising.
  
Price was nominated by her professor, Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson. While at UGA, Price has been the advertising director for InfUSion Magazine, a social media assistant for the Education Abroad Office in the Office of International Education.

During this semester, the AAF had the students visit media organizations such as DraftFCB, CNN, Deustch and McCann Worldgroup. In addition, students attended workshops, discussions and a career fair attended by agencies such as BBDO, OMD, DDB, Leo Burnett, Digitas, and Saatchi & Saatchi, among others.


"It was the most amazing experience in my life thus far," Price said. I was in New York City for the first time and I met some amazing people. I was able to secure multiple interviews and was able to communicate with representatives from top, sought-after advertising agencies face-to-face. I made sure they learned my name and I learned theirs. We were very busy, but I wouldn't change anything about those three days. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone who is eligible to apply for this program." 

Drs. Jones and Strausbaugh-Hutchinson chosen as AdPR top teachers

Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson and Betty Jones, senior lecturers in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, were recently chosen as the AdPR Top Teachers of the Year. The award is given annually to recognize exceptional AdPR faculty. 

Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson

In addition to teaching, Dr. Strausbaugh-Hutchinson is the advisor to UGA AdClub, and teaches the advertising strategy and campaigns courses."I'm so honored to receive this award. I thank my colleagues for their support and my students for all of their hard work and commitment to the learning mission," she said. "It's amazing what they're able to create when they apply all of their combined classroom knowledge. And for that, I'm very proud of them."

Betty Jones

Dr. Betty Jones serves as the advisor to UGA PRSSA, and teaches graphic communication, PR communication and oversees the advertising/public relations graphic laboratory.
"I am honored to be chosen once again as the PR Teacher of the Year," Jones said. " I have amazing students and wonderfully supportive colleagues, all of whom contribute to my success as a teacher."

Grady AdPR partners with Creative Circus for course program

Grady AdPR and the Creative Circus are partnering to offer "Summer at the Circus," an innovative academic summer program that offers creative-track classes emphasizing creative strategy, writing, art direction, advanced web design, game development and more. Creative Circus, a top-level, two-year creativity school in Atlanta, offers portfolio development in areas such as advertising, interactive development, photography and design.

"This program is a creativity boot camp," said Dr. Tom Reichert, AdPR Department Head. "We are very excited to partner with one of the best portfolio schools in the country to offer students a better creative understanding and skill set."

Courses will be taught and administered by UGA faculty. Creative Circus professionals-in-residence will offer several specialized modules during the courses, so that students get hands-on mentoring and feedback from front-line professionals.

"I can't tell you how excited we in the department are about this opportunity. It will put the creative experience that Grady undergraduate advertising majors get on par with the few schools in the nation (such as Texas at Austin) who have a specified creative track," said Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, senior lecturer in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations. "It will give our students an absolutely immersive summer experience that should provide a taste of the portfolio school environment, mindset and work ethic. And they'll bring their learning back to the classroom at Grady and to their peers. It's a win-win situation all around."

Grady students who take Summer Circus classes can earn up to six credit hours of upper-level UGA academic credit. Financial aid and HOPE may apply for qualified students. Students will take classes in Atlanta, and will have access to housing at Emory University or Georgia Tech.

The deadline to apply for the Summer at the Circus program is March 31. More details can be found here.

UGA AdPR students gain valuable experiences in NYC Maymester

Students from AdPR 5170 take in the view at Central Park during their NYC visit.
(photo courtesy of Kandace Sweat)

Twenty-one AdPR students gained class credit and firsthand agency knowledge when they participated in a New York City Maymester class. The AdPR 5170 class, which took place from May 15 to June 6, gave students the opportunity to learn about the communications industry, develop case studies, and do a one-week tour of New York advertising agencies to meet and learn from professionals.

“It was truly one of the best [Maymester classes] I've been on in the entire twelve years I've been doing this,” said Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, a senior lecturer in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, and Maymester instructor. “It was an excellent mix of agencies, from large to small, godfather to boutique, and spanned so many relevant areas — from advertising, public relations, culture creation, the spurring of humanitarian movements. You name it, we did it.”

“The ADPR Maymester in NYC provided a unique opportunity to see firsthand the diverse landscape of agencies the city can offer,” said Bree Riley, a graduating senior majoring in advertising who took the course and blogged about the experience. “I had no idea that the skill set that I've gained at the Grady College could be lent to so many job descriptions.  We learned about everything from ‘solutionists’ to community managers to positions without official titles.”

Some of the agencies that the class got to visit include Grey Group, McCann-Erickson, Strawberry Frog, 360i, LaForce + Stevens, and Momentum, among others. In addition, students got to participate in UGA-related events, including a reception with the Peabody Award winners and a networking mixer with New York-based Grady alumni.

As advertising continues to evolve and expand with new technology and practices, students in the class said it was important to learn more about the industry.

“This type of exposure is not something most people get to experience,” wrote Alexandra Walker, another student who blogged about the trip. “I enjoyed getting to visit the vast group of agencies that we did. It opened my eyes to the wide variety of agencies out there.” 

Students visit with Taxi, a creative boutique agency,
(photo courtesy of Kandace Sweat)

 On one such visit, a student found career advice with Taxi’s executive creative director Dave Clemans, who told the students to chase new work opportunities. 


“Taxi was founded with the mantra, ‘Doubt the conventional. Create the exceptional,’ an agency slogan that truly embodies the mentality and creative process at the agency,” wrote Channing Jones, a sophomore advertising and marketing student who blogged about the Maymester class. “Mr. Clemans emphasized that if there is no doubt in the creative process—that the work is not yet extraordinary—then you’re doing something wrong and you haven’t yet figured out the solution and the right creative message.”

“This class was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” said Kandace Sweat, another AdPR student who took the course. “I just did not know the level of creativity and hard work of these agencies. It was quite inspiring.”

“It was an incredibly informative week,” said Dr. Strausbaugh-Hutchinson. “And I think the takeaway for the students was that there are a myriad of career paths that are open to them and that the New York market really is accessible to UGA grads.”

UGA AdPR students strategize new campaign for a local business

A print piece from the winning campaign.

Students in the AdPR 3110 Advertising Message Strategy class had the opportunity to revamp an advertising campaign this spring semester for a local business, Pints and Paints, Athens’ first art bar and studio.

“There is great value — for both the students and the community — in having a real client for the semester-long project for the Message Strategy class. Students are able to tackle real time, real world marketing challenges,” said Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, senior lecturer in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, and instructor for the course.

The students were divided into teams, or advertising agencies, for the entire semester to build a creative campaign to pitch to Abby Denham, the owner of Pints and Paints. The three teams focused on several themes, such as the company's locally-owned roots and Athens-based paintings. Denham ultimately chose a student campaign that embodied these concepts called “Outside the Lines, Inside Athens.”

“Our campaign capitalizes on the unique and local flavor of the culture of Athens that Pints and Paints has come to embody through its innovative take on nighttime entertainment,” said Channing Jones, a sophomore marketing and advertising major who was part of the winning campaign. “Ultimately, we wanted all of our communications pieces to exude the same rustic, earthy, artsy vibe customers feel upon visiting Pints and Paints.”

Some students found the semester-long project a challenging but rewarding process.
“The creative process was more challenging than I expected it to be. It was difficult for myself and my group to reject our initial ideas and to dig for something deeper and more meaningful,” said Alyson Shields, another student who was on the winning campaign team.  “But ultimately, we created a campaign that we were proud of and that we were certain would stand out and be memorable.”

One student said she felt so inspired by the company’s history, she pursued a follow-up internship after the class was over. “As soon as I walked into Pints and Paints for our first meeting with Abby, the owner, I instantly knew that I'd made the right decision when I decided to become an advertising major, and I knew that I had to work for her,” said Brittney Johnson, another student who took the course.

Overall, the class helps students gain hands-on experience, said Dr. Strausbaugh-Hutchinson. “They learn to interact with clients and to assess their business needs, as well as gain presentation experience, learning to be confident in pitching their recommendations. And from a community standpoint, we're able to help local Athens-based businesses grow and thrive.”

“Message Strategy has been one of the most exciting classes I have ever taken,” said Shields. “Having a real-life client motivated me to really push myself, more than any letter-grade has ever motivated me. Given the opportunity, I would take the class again in a heartbeat.”

Ad students conduct taste research for Bob Evans

Meat and potato lovers in the Grady College were in heaven January 26. Dr. Strausbaugh-Hutchinson's capstone campaigns course took time out to 'discover farm-fresh goodness'.

This semester, the ADPR 5740 students are tackling an integrated marketing plan for Bob Evans Food Products, and will be developing communications geared toward consumers of the brand's frozen and refrigerated offerings. The products are a nationally distributed line extension of the popular mid west Bob Evans restaurant.

The capstone students, along with faculty, staff, and many other Grady College students, were able to sample everything from savory sage sausage links, to the brand's original roll sausage, to thick-cut bacon, to garlic mashed potatoes. "Yum," said Department Head Tom Reichert. "Bob Evans can be apart of my diet any day of the week. A big thanks to Matt Wilson at SBC Advertising for making this possible."

It was a delicious way to truly get to know their client's products and to get a taste of what they'll be selling this semester!

AdPR Recent Alum Spotlight: Kaley Meier

Kaley Meier graduated from UGA May 2010, with a degree in Advertising and a Comparative Literature minor. She currently resides in Chicago and works at Leo Burnett's Arc Worldwide.

What are you doing now and how did you get there?

I am an Assistant Account Executive on the Procter & Gamble account at Arc Worldwide in Chicago. Arc is the shopper marketing agency within Leo Burnett. I was well into my job search when I graduated in May and I managed to keep in touch with a contact I had in the HR department at Leo Burnett. Although nothing was available at the time, I sent him emails of interesting ad articles/campaigns every other week for a few months and mailed him a new marketing book I was reading so I would stay on the top of his mind.

When a position opened up for an entry level account person at Arc, I had a few phone interviews and was hired shortly afterwards. I stepped into the office on August 15th and have been learning, developing, and loving my position here ever since.

What are your responsibilities as Assistant Account Executive at Arc Worldwide?

A position on the account side is a great opportunity to work with every dimension of the business from creative and strategy to brand management and production. I help coordinate a number of in-store executions including product trays, displays, coupons, and online e-commerce.

My team is founded in shopper behavior and a constant drive to grab the attention of the shopper while he/she is in the store or shopping online. Shopper marketing is one of the fastest growing specialties in advertising because it relates directly to the point of purchase. Each day is different than the one before and I can honestly say I look forward to coming in every morning and contributing to great work.

What is your favorite Grady memory?

Grady has an amazing program, but the faculty is by far the program's greatest asset. My favorite Grady memory definitely involves Dr. Peggy Kreshel and Dr. Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson's campaigns class. The campaign assignment was challenging, time-consuming, and intense, but having that experience as an undergraduate was invaluable.

During that semester, most of my dinners can from a vending machine. I think I single-handedly supported Jittery Joes' business and I had a long-term relationship with the media wing in the MLC, but I made great work and that's what this business is all about. My team's finished product might not be Effie-worthy, but the guidance and feedback from Drs. Kreshel and Strausbaugh that we received along the way is so applicable to the industry. I can not thank them enough for preparing me for this career.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students?

The best advice I can give to any student involved in Grady's program is to stay curious. The main point of difference that set me apart in the interview process was the way I sold my sense of curiosity and passion for the ad industry rather than just pitching myself as a potential employee.

Grady provides a great platform for you to excel in the industry, but its your sense of curiosity to learn more about what makes a campaign great that is going to give you an edge in this industry. Going above and beyond a basic cover letter and resume will make you a more desirable candidate in the job market and, when you actually get a job, will lead to great, insightful work that positively impacts the brand and its consumers. Best of luck!