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.

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.

Deadlines approaching for 2016 Grady College Study Abroad and Field Study programs

Students at the Cannes Film Festival Study Abroad Program

Grady College prides itself in offering one-of-a-kind opportunities that not only enrich students’ lives but also set them apart in their fields.  Global study programs in China, Croatia, France and Prague and domestic field studies in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C., strengthen students’ portfolios and provide them with a critical understanding of the global scope of Journalism and Mass Communication.

“Study abroad gives students the opportunity to stretch outside the boundaries of what feels comfortable to them… they do things that they didn’t even know were possible,” said Kelly Meyer, Distance Learning Coordinator at Grady College.  “It sets the tone for them to keep taking big steps all the way through [their careers].”

Completed applications for the following international Grady programs are due by Friday, Jan. 15, 2016:

•   Cannes Film Festival Study Abroad Program

•   Cannes Lions Advertising Study Abroad Program

•   Choose China Advertising and Public Relations Program

•   Travel Writing Journalism in Prague or Croatia

Meyer will be on hand at the UGA Spring Education Abroad Fair on Jan. 20, 2016, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tate Student Center, where she will accept applications for wait lists.

Interviews with applicants for international programs will begin Jan. 19, and selected students will be notified by the first week of February.

In addition to the Grady global programs, students can earn Grady course credit through Grady@Oxford (apply by Friday, Jan. 22, 2016) and Environmental Journalism at UGA Costa Rica (apply by Saturday, March 20, 2016).

Students interested in applying for one of the following Grady domestic field study opportunities need to submit their applications by Friday, Feb. 5, 2016:

•   Grady@DC

•   Grady@LA

•   Grady@NYC

•   Summer at the Circus

Interviews with applicants for domestic field study programs will start Feb. 8 and students will be notified about decisions by late February.

At this time, Grady@DC and Grady@LA are only open to Grady students.  All other programs will consider applicants who are non-Grady majors, as well.

Students selected to participate in a Grady study abroad or field study program must attend a group welcome and orientation March 2 at 3:30 p.m. in Studio 100, as well as several individual program breakout meetings in preparation for travel.

For additional information or questions, email Kelly Meyer, kellym22@uga.edu.

Author: Stephanie Moreno, s.moreno@uga.edu

Contact: Kelly Meyer, kellym22@uga.edu

Intern Spotlight: Carrie Clemens

With the endless impressive accolades of Grady’s Advertising and Public Relations students, we don’t often get the chance to recognize those working behind the scenes. Carrie Clemens is a senior public relations major from McDonough, Georgia, and is one of the interns for the Advertising and Public Relations department of the Grady College.

Carrie Clemens, Senior PR Major and AdPR Intern

Carrie will graduate in May of 2016 with a degree in public relations and a New Media certificate. With these accomplishments under her belt, she plans on working in entertainment public relations. She got a taste of this industry when she visited France for a study abroad experience at the Cannes Film Festival. Clemens says, “I applied on a whim, with a passion for film and public relations and a desire to travel. That trip introduced me to wonderful and talented friends, and a growing love for storytelling that has redirected my career goals toward the film and entertainment industries.”

Clemens dreams of traveling to Luxembourg with her dad where he has traced back family ancestry and is currently pursuing citizenship. Including the desire to venture to Luxembourg, Carrie would like to go back to Australia where she visited following her high school graduation. She says, “I heard about an amazing story of a man who lived there. Since then, I’ve wanted to go back to learn more about him and ultimately write a screenplay about his life.”

This ambitious traveler wasn’t alone when she came into the world she would later crave to discover. Carrie has a twin sister who attends the University of South Carolina. The duo recently found out through their parents that they don’t know if Carrie and Katie are actually identical or fraternal. It turns out; they never had the formal tests performed. “We can’t read each other’s minds,” Carrie says.

The Advertising and Public Relations department is proud to have students like Carrie Clemens on the AdPR team. Thank you for your hard work, Carrie! 

University of Georgia Students Share Bond with Hong Kong Baptist University

AdPR students visiting the School of
Communication at Hong Kong Baptist University

HONG KONG (May 13, 2014) – Six students from UGA participating in the AdPR China study abroad program visited the School of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) to exchange and discuss information about public relations and advertising curriculum.

The students discovered several similarities between their majors at HKBU compared to those at UGA. For example, HKBU has a student agency that participates in work similar to AdPR’s Creative Consultants or participation in the Bateman student case-study competition.

The “To Fuse the Separation” campaign was especially interesting to UGA students. The project was a logo design featuring three Chinese characters meaning ‘separation’ and ‘harmony’ fused together to signify unity to the Chinese population.  The goal of the project was to encourage strangers to treat each other like they are close friends and family.

Additionally, students toured the Academy of Film and its studios, and enjoyed an authentic Chinese dinner with Dr. Juan Meng and Dr. Flora Hung-Baesecke.

Over 40 students attend Cannes Lions through UGA study abroad

Students with Conan O'Brien

June 2013 marks the fourth consecutive year of the University of Georgia Cannes Lions study abroad program. This year 41 students mixed with over 12,000 delegates from over 92 countries.

This was a special year with the festival celebrating its 60th anniversary. Major themes of the festival included storytelling, mobile and social media, authenticity and transparency. Students attended sessions during the seven-day festival that included over 60 seminars, and a range of master classes, forums, and tech talks.

Exclusive Guest Speakers
This year’s special guests included a star-studded set of exclusive speakers who shared their insights with the students. They included:

• Conan O’Brien, TBS talk show host
• Ellen Mardiks, Golin Harris
• Suzy Deering, Moxie Interactive
• Jack Klues, Vivaki
• David Gallagher, Ketchum Europe
• Kerry Gaffney, MOFILM
• Katherine Ryan, Canadian comedienne/actor

For the fourth year students attended a VIP tour of Microsoft Advertising’s Experience Center, a showcase of the company’s latest consumer technology.

Students talk with Ellen Mardiks

Students in the program mixed and mingled with some of the leaders in the brand, media and agency business. At least four students were offered internships or positions while attending the festival.

Highlights
Other highlights included yacht parties, an event with P. Diddy, scuba excursions, and day trips to Nice, Antibes, Eze and Monaco. Two student groups won "Canned" lions for their campaigns developed during the program.

Professors Karen King and Bryan Reber also participated in this year’s program. They taught sessions about the advertising and public relations professions, and helped preview the festival for students. UGA Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Dr. Jeff Springston also was on hand for a guest lecture.

Cannes Lions Study Abroad Program
Although most of the students enrolled in the program were from UGA, this year students from University of Arkansas, Colgate and American University also were enrolled. Students earn six hours of academic credit during the three-week program.

On the infamous red carpet at Cannes

The program is co-directed by Drs. Tom Reichert and Nate Kohn, professors in UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Students interested in next year’s program are encouraged to visit the website for more information about the application process.

Grady students heading to Brazil to study and intern

Tom Reichert, ADPR Department Head, Ze Schiavoni, CEO of S2Publicom, Bryan Reber, ADPR Assistant Department Head

   Grady College students will participate in a new UGA Language Flagship program with Universidade Estadual Paulista, or UNESP, the State University of São Paulo. AdPR Department Head and Professor Tom Reichert and Assistant Department Head and Associate Professor Bryan Reber visited São Paulo in October to help set up internship opportunities for flagship AdPR sudents, raise awareness of Grady College/AdPR in Brazil, as well as explore study abroad, research and professional opportunities for Grady students and faculty. 
   The Language Flagship program is an initiative of the U.S. National Security Education Program, which has the goal of increasing the number U.S. students in reaching language proficiency at a professional level by the time of graduation. Dr. Robert Moser is the director of UGA's Portuguese program and was instrumental in securing the renewable federal grant exceeding $1 million. The UGA delegation to Brazil include Moser as well as representatives from UGA's Franklin College, International Education, Alumni Relations and the Office of Special Events to help foster relationships with UNESP. 
   As the largest country in South America with one of the world's fastest-growing economies, Brazil has become a place of interest for its energy and momentum. With more than 200 million citizens, and its hosting responsibilities for the World Cup and Summer Olympics in the next few years, there are many opportunities in the AdPR industry for travel, study and research.

I love that the program focuses on immersing the students in Brazilian culture, language and way of life throughout the year.  - Emily Escoe

    One of the goals of the trip was to help establish internship opportunities for students interested in the program. Emily Escoe, a senior from Toccoa studying public relations and Portuguese, will be the first Grady student to study abroad this spring in Brazil, after having passed the rigorous Portuguese proficiency exam. Her year abroad will include a semester of coursework followed with another semester spent working at a major-relevant internship. Currently five Grady students are on track to take the proficiency exam and apply for the program.
"Public relations is a major and growing field in the country, so I am excited to learn about the profession from a different perspective," Escoe said.
  As mentioned, Dr. Reichert and Dr. Reber developed contacts with leading advertising and public relations agencies, such as Corporate Image, Almap BBDO, Studio2publiccom, Ogilvy & Mather, Rapp, as well as the Museum of Portuguese Language. 
   As for Escoe, she says she is excited about the benefits of the program's immersion into a new country. "I love that the program focuses on immersing the students in Brazilian culture, language and way of life throughout the year. We will be taking courses taught be UNESP professors, rather than UGA professors. We will be living with other Brazilian students as opposed to living together as a large group. The second semester, we will be spread out across the country learning in a real Brazilian workplace setting," Escoe said.  "Will I be thrown out of my comfort zone and accidentally say or do ridiculous things? Sure. But I know that I will learn so much more Portuguese and about Brazilian culture in this way as opposed to going on a traditional study abroad program."

UGA students attend Cannes Lions festival for third straight year

Students meet with Advertising Age's
Associate Publisher Jackie Ghedine

June 2012 marks the third consecutive year UGA students studied abroad at the infamous Cannes Lions festival. The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the largest international advertising and marketing communication event with 9,000 delegates, and over 34,000 entries from 87 countries.

With 31 students participating in this year’s program, UGA has the largest presence of any university during the week of the festival. Students hear about state-of-the-art theory and practice in the areas of global communication, media, and entertainment from CEOs and CMOs, to directors of holding companies and agencies, to copywriters and art directors.

Lineup in 2012

This year, students had the opportunity to sit in on sessions with Facebook’s Paul Adams, Time Warner’s Jeff Bewkes, Viacom’s Phillipe Dauman, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, and former President Bill Clinton, among many others. Students also listened to advertising icons such as Martin Sorrell, John Hegarty, Maurice Levy, and Jeff Goodby. The festival offers a full week of seminars, workshops and master classes.

UGA students also get special opportunities to meet exclusively with leading professionals. This year's lineup included:

• Susan Lilley, MediaLink
• Ellen Mardiks, Vice Chair, Golin Harris
• Jackie Ghedine, Associate Publisher, Advertising Age
• Noel Cottrell, Creative Director, Fitzgerald & Co
• Perry Fair, President & CCO, JWT-ATL
• Sung Woo, Global Media Director, Cheil Worldwide (UGA alum)
• Gilad Kat, Media Director, MediaCom, Israel (UGA alum)
• Steve Mykolyn, Chief Creative Officer, TAXI
• Andy Baker, President, MOFILM

For the third consecutive year, students attended a VIP tour of Microsoft Advertising's Experience Center, a showcase of the company's latest consumer technology.

This year’s highlights include: a yacht party, student Taylor Tokarz playing on the USA soccer team, three scuba trips, pilates/yoga, UGA students winning 360i's workshop competition, and meetings with two UGA Grady alums who've won and judged awards.

Students learn about the latest thinking regarding social media, digital, research, cause-related marketing, innovation, and the future of media... and collect as many business cards as possible. The program is co-directed by Drs. Nate Kohn and Tom Reichert, professors in UGA’s Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication.