Momentum, Vayner Media, Taxi

On the fourth day of agency tours, our group visited Momentum, Vayner Media, and Taxi.  I felt really comfortable at each of these agencies and enjoyed learning about their different approaches to advertising campaigns.  I was so fascinated by the employees who spoke with us at the first agency of the day, Momentum.  They were all young, motivated, passionate people who really encouraged us to take risks and move to NYC.  Momentum is an experimental marketing agency under the McCann Worldgroup and adopts a “phygital” philosophy.  They are known for sports and event marketing, but they really do everything that a typical advertising agency executes.  I was particularly interested in one of Momentum’s subgroups, Momentum powered by Shopper Sciences, and hope to learn more about this department when I follow up with some of the agency’s members.  The second agency of the day, Vayner Media, really opened my eyes to mindset of startup business entrepreneurs.  Vayner Media is co-owned by Gary Vaynerchuck, a prominent figure in the media world.   He is the author of several books including “The Thank You Economy,” which the agency bases many of its principles off of.  Vayner Media focuses heavily on social media, which was evident by the employees tweeting and facebooking away during our meeting.  It was really exciting to see individuals at work, enjoying what they do, and sharing their viewpoints with us.  Some of our hosts, Sami, Evan, and Mitch, offered a list of qualities that they look for in potential employees.  I will definitely take their suggestions (including passion for social media, creativity, teamwork, grammar skills, and organization) into consideration when entering the advertising industry.  The last agency of the day, Taxi, is a holistic brand creative boutique that operates out of Canada, Amsterdam, and New York.  Our host, Dave Clemans, has a lot of experience in the industry and spoke with us about some of the campaigns that he has worked on, including Mio and Truth.  Dave explained that Taxi uses an unconventional approach and attempts to please their target audience even if they displease others.  I admire this agency’s ability to take risks and go against the norm.  Dave sent us off with some valuable advice: “Don’t chase the money, chase the work.”  This was particularly useful because, as I have learned, New York City is an exciting, active, beautiful place but it will definitely leave your wallet empty. 

The Moderns, Translation, McCann Erickson

The third day of tours consisted of visits to three very different agencies: The Moderns, Translation, and McCann-Erickson.  At The Moderns, Jenine James gave our group an intriguing lecture on her unique approach to brand strategy and marketing.  The Moderns employs a multidisciplinary approach and emphasizes environmental sustainability in all projects that they pursue.  Jenine talked to us about a variety of trending social ideas like permaculture, free universities, and edible gardens in schools (just to name a few).   She was a very fascinating woman and, although The Moderns does not operate with a traditional agency approach, taught me many things that I can utilize in my future endeavors in the industry.  I was so captivated by the next agency of the day, Translation.  Translation makes brands relevant to young adults by connecting them with pop culture.  It was encouraging to me that many UGA grads work at the agency, and they even gave us some pointers on how to get our foot in the door.  One thing that the employees at Translation really stressed was that they each have passions outside of advertising.  Throughout our weeklong tours, it seemed that many of the agencies look to employ people with a variety of interests and personality traits.  At Translation, “social experts” work to develop consumer research and insights.  This realm of advertising is something that particularly interests me, and I hope to acquire more information about this division of Translation by following up with our hosts.  I also didn’t mind the free Bud Light Platinum that Translation provided for us… The last agency that we visited on the third day was McCann Erickson, the world’s largest agency network.  This business has been around for over a century, and it was so cool to see how it has developed over time while still maintaining its core values.  Although I wish that we could have been able to see more of the McCann Erickson building, our host, Keisha Kellman, did a great job in explaining the agency’s philosophy: Truth Well Told.  McCann Erickson is a very global agency and has recently broken off into many sub-companies.  We had the opportunity to visit one of the agency’s smaller sister companies, Momentum, the next day, and it was really interesting to see how the two differ.  

360i, POKE, LaForce & Stevens

Our second day of tours in New York City really opened my eyes to what expertise I want to pursue in the advertising industry.  We started our day at 360i, a digital agency between Soho and Tribeca.  Although I was initially hesitant about the digital realm of advertising, the speakers at 360i made it sound so exciting.  When Danielle, a member of the Insights department, spoke with us, I knew that I wanted to do something related to her position.  As both an Advertising and Anthropology major, I would love to pursue a career that involves discovering and interpreting consumers’ mindsets. After many employees of the agency spoke with our group, I was able to tour a little more of the building with my cousin, Adam, who works as a media buyer for 360i.  Our next agency of the day was POKE, a digital and social brand innovation agency.  POKE was a very small business, with only 25 people operating out of New York, but they worked with some important clients including American Express and Johnson & Johnson.  POKE generated a really interesting campaign with MoMA in which visitors of the museum would fill out a card entitled “I went to MoMA and…” and the cards were then projected on to the wall. I thought it was really cool how POKE and MoMA worked together to create such an effective advertising execution.  After POKE, our group visited LaForce & Stevens, an agency geared toward PR for luxury brands.   Although it was a little out of my comfort zone, I enjoyed learning about the glamorous parties and communications strategies that the workers employ at LaForce & Stevens.  We ended the second day with an alumni mixer at McGee’s pub, where I met many UGA grads that live in New York City.   I was able to ask questions about city and agency life and obtain business cards so I could follow up with the alumnae. 

Grey Group, Mcgarry Bowen, & Strawberry Frog

During our stay in New York City, our group had the opportunity to tour fourteen agencies that operate in the advertising world.  Each business employs a different, creative approach, and I learned a lot from all of them.  On the first day, we visited Grey Group, McGarry Bowen, and Strawberry Frog.  Katie Thomas, an account executive at Grey, explained how the agency specializes in long lasting customer relationships and represents some very famous clients including Covergirl, Pantene, and Proctor & Gamble.  They even created the E*Trade baby!  McGarry Bowen was located on the Hudson Riverbank and offered a beautiful view of the city.  Two members of the creative team at the agency talked to us about the importance of collaboration and teamwork in the advertising industry.  They also gave us some very useful tips on how to build a memorable resume and cover letter.  I was particularly intrigued to see the final agency of the day, Strawberry Frog, because they utilize a very small business approach.  Strawberry Frog emphasizes cultural movement in all of their campaigns.  It was a very young, creative atmosphere and I really enjoyed learning about their Jim Beam campaign.  We ended the first day at the Peabody Awards reception at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.  It was a great networking opportunity and we were even among a few well known celebrities!  

Preparing for the Big Apple

In class today, we discussed the agencies that we will be touring in NYC this week.  I think that I will learn a lot from all of them and I could not be more excited!  I leave tomorrow morning to spend some time with my sister in Manhattan before I begin a busy week of agency tours, sightseeing, and hopefully a lot of networking!  Strawberry Frog, a cultural movement agency, particularly interests me because of my background in Anthropology.  This agency employs cultural research to create a purpose and philosophy that emotionally engages with the consumer.  They utilize cultural anthropology to understand the unconscious attitudes among the target audience, a method that I hope to practice once I am in the industry.  TAXI’s edgy campaigns, including the “Oops Pill” Campaign for Plan B pills, also caught my attention.  My cousin works at 360i, a digital agency that we will be touring on Tuesday.  I hope that I have the chance to learn more about the digital realm of advertising at this agency, and possibly have time to see my cousin! Other agencies that we will have the chance to tour include Grey Group, McGarry Bowen, POKE, LaForce & Stevens, The Moderns, Translation, McCann-Erickson, Momentum, Vayner Media, HUGE, and Inc. and Fast Company Magazine.  I think that this week will be a great learning experience and really help me decide what I want to do when I enter the advertising world after college.

Up, Up, and Away

According to The Cool Hunter, hot air balloons are the latest trend in the advertising and entertainment worlds.   I have a slightly weird obsession with hot air balloons, and was intrigued by the funky and creative balloons presented in the article.  Because balloons are often used to decorate birthday parties and school dances, they are associated with fun and happy times from childhood.  Advertisers are now benefiting from this association by using hot air balloons in their campaigns to create an upbeat, creative feel.  The article even shows a picture of a hot air balloon in the shape of a Nike swoosh, demonstrating their ability to increase brand awareness in a dramatic way.  Like many other important inventions, hot air balloons originated in the military more than 2000 years ago.  Today, large festivals and races take place around the world, ranking the balloons on speed, creativity, etc.  I need to investigate where I can find a hot air balloon festival because that would be awesome to see…