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Advancing Advertising Strategies: Professors Unveil Research Findings at AAA National Conference

Written By: Amber Bormann (Graduate Student)

In the ever-evolving world of advertising, staying up-to-date with the latest research and insights is crucial for professionals seeking to create impactful campaigns.

Recently, two esteemed professors, Dr. Carrie La Ferle and Dr. Sid Muralidharan, from the Temerlin Advertising Institute (TAI), alongside Dr. Roth-Cohen, presented their groundbreaking research at the American Academy of Advertising’s annual National Conference in Clearwater, Florida.

Collaborating with Israeli Professor Dr. Roth-Cohen from Ariel University, their study explored the impact of religiosity and spirituality on subjective well-being (SWB) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the distance and time differences they produced a successful study titled, “Exploring the Differential Effects of Religious and Spiritual Advertising Cues on Religious Jews and the Non-Religious: A Replication Study in Israel.”

Research Importance: Exploring Religiosity, Spirituality, and SWB

The study conducted by Drs. La Ferle, Muralidharan, and Roth-Cohen aimed to understand the role of religiosity and spirituality in enhancing SWB during the challenging times of the pandemic. While previous studies have emphasized the significance of religiosity in promoting well-being, the impact of spirituality remains underexplored. The researchers sought to fill this gap by examining the mediating role of spirituality in the relationship between religiosity and SWB.

By focusing on Israel, a country where Jewish spirituality is on the rise, the study explored the unique dynamics within this specific context. The findings not only shed light on the importance of religiosity in enhancing SWB but also highlighted the critical role of spirituality, particularly among low religious Jews.

There were challenges however. Dr. La Ferle noted that, “working with religious and spiritual ideas can be difficult due to the sensitive nature of these constructs, so you need to be extra careful in your writing. This is even more true when bringing religion and spirituality together with advertising.” There were also difficulties in translating the English survey to Hebrew and gathering funding. They are grateful to Ariel University, Meadows School of the Arts, TAI, and the Marriott Family Endowment for there generosity towards this project.

Key Findings and Implications for Health Messaging

The results of the study demonstrated that religiosity played a significant role in enhancing SWB, providing individuals with a sense of certainty and happiness, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, spirituality was found to mediate the effect of religiosity on SWB, suggesting that it holds particular importance for low religious Jews.

These findings have crucial implications for health messaging in advertising, especially during global crises like the pandemic. Advertisers can leverage religious goals in their campaigns to effectively communicate with highly religious Jews, acknowledging the role of faith in providing comfort and coping mechanisms. Conversely, for individuals with low religious affiliations, focusing on spiritual goals in advertising can facilitate more effective health messaging.

Value for TAI Students and the Advertising Industry

The published research by Drs. La Ferle, Muralidharan, and Roth-Cohen holds significant value for students studying advertising at TAI. It demonstrates how theoretical knowledge is put into ‘academic’ practice and how advertising research can inform both academia and the industry while benefiting society and the marketplace. By understanding the practical applications of research findings, students can enhance their understanding of consumer behavior and develop more effective advertising strategies.

Moreover, this research keeps professors at the cutting edge of the advertising field, allowing them to bring fresh insights and excitement to their courses and students.

Additional Studies

In addition to this study, Drs. La Ferle, Muralidharan, and Roth-Cohen collaborated on a research paper on green advertising in the International Journal of Advertising that can be found here: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the greenest of them all?” the impact of green advertising cues on generational cohorts

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2023 ExxonMobil Lecture Series on Sustainability: Insights from Global Leader Maddy Kulkarni of PepsiCo

The 2023 ExxonMobil Lecture Series on Sustainability, hosted by the Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU, is highly anticipated event each year. On Thursday, March 30th, students and industry professionals gathered at the Angelika Theater in Dallas, Texas to hear from a global leader in sustainability, Maddy Kulkarni, Global Marketing Director of Sustainability & Social Impact at PepsiCo.

Maddy Kulkarni - Sustainable Brands

During the lecture, Maddy discussed how she drives successful and socially responsible brands at PepsiCo, sharing insights from her book, “Social Impact Marketing: The Essential Guide for Changemakers.” She also highlighted the importance of marketing in driving both business and social impact and shared her experiences serving on the Advisory Board of Sustainable Brands and as PepsiCo’s liaison to the World Federation of Advertisers.

Maddy’s impressive background and expertise in sustainability and social impact made her a valuable speaker for this year’s ExxonMobil Lecture Series. Attendees left with a deeper understanding of how businesses can use marketing to drive sustainability and how individuals can make a positive impact in their communities.

In addition to being a thought-provoking lecture, the ExxonMobil Lecture Series provided attendees with a valuable networking opportunity. Before and after the lecture, guests had the chance to mingle and connect with fellow sustainability enthusiasts, students, and industry professionals. Food and drinks were also available, creating a social and welcoming atmosphere for attendees to exchange ideas and build relationships.

This aspect of the event was particularly exciting for students, as it allowed them to connect with potential mentors and industry leaders in a more informal setting. For Dallas area professionals, it was an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and stay up-to-date on the latest trends and ideas in sustainability.

The Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU continues to provide invaluable opportunities for students and professionals to learn about and engage with sustainability. Overall, the ExxonMobil Lecture Series on Sustainability with Maddy Kulkarni was a great success, not just as a lecture but also as a networking opportunity. We look forward to future events that bring together the sustainability community to continue driving positive change in our world.

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An Retrospective Look at SXSW 2023

By Lo Moss and Sarah Jane Eckelkamp

Priming, Rhyming, Timing, and Other Marketing BS (*Behavioral Science)

Nancy Harhut, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer HBT Marketing

The first talk we attended during the week was with filled with valuable insights about consumer behavior and it’s impact on marketing, specifically in a digital space. This session focused on BS…Behavioral Science… and how the study of how people make decisions often comes down to default because our perceptions create our reality. Interestingly enough, sometimes, as marketers, we can shape perceptions using techniques like priming.

Priming, has to do with how the brain associates concepts, and it influences behavior. Priming can drive preference and spending. When it comes to using this technique, priming in terms of time has been found to be more valuable and personal. Focusing on time and experience seems to make consumers more willing to spend and less likely to experience the “pain of spending.” Choosing words and phrases that prime behavior takes consideration, research, and insights into how consumers make their decisions. She stated it’s been found that priming in terms of time is more valuable and personal and thus by focusing on these things in initial copy, the typical consumer will me more willing to spend money, and again, less willing to experience that cognitive dissonance and pain of spending…especially if it’s a product or service that doesn’t provide immediate gratification. Prime in introduction copy is also important in terms of pricing because the words and phrases we use shape expectations and perceptions.

Another key tool, with priming, is rhyming, because rhyming, according to Nancy’s research, makes thing seems more truthful, accurate, and credible because it’s easier for the human brain to process and thus “feels right.” For example, we all know a memorable and credible subject and headline can draw people in. Jingles are just rhymes set to music more often than not — think of Folger and Haribo.

We found several concepts within this talk that related and were extremely relevant to Dr. Alice Kendrick’s classes at the Temerlin Advertising Institute. She even has students to rhyming / song writing as an assignment to show how such acts can effect memory of concepts.

We learned that priming and rhyming effect cognitive fluency and that things like alliterations and similes can make this more credible, more memorable, and overall easier to understand. Word play can also help with creating a mental image, helping consumers envisions themselves with the product, especially when it’s not one that provides instant gratification.

Timing was the last major point of this sessions. Priming and rhyming won’t work if the timing is wrong. There are times when consumers are more open to marketing messaging and things like cusps can help prompt people, and salience can make a prompt more prominent. Temporal landmarks are also very important as they are periods that are transitional times or fresh starts. However, Nancy discussed that our future selves can often be strangers and therefore temporal discounting is also to be accounted for. If pay off in the future, for example: education, we have to overcome the need for instant gratification. Getting consumers to see themselves in a future scenario.

This was one of our favorite sessions of the entire weekend and a great way to kick off the week.

Key Takeaways:

  • People are more likely to do what you want them to if you use the right priming
  • Words with similar sound are more easily found because the brain like rhyming
  • New days and fresh starts are key. Though futures are hard to see. It’s all about the timing.

Ephemeral Trend Culture is Transforming Business

Lorry Destainville, Head of Global Partnerships – TikTok
Jamie Gilpin, Chief Marketing Officer- Sprout Social

Change is constant, and in the age of TikTok, trends are moving faster than we’ve ever seen. Now, it’s hard to look at the past for success measurement because of how fast things are changing, but these fast micro trends are a result of larger macro ones: emerging technology, increased consumer expectations, shift of power and control to the consumer. Social media, TikTok, is at the center of this, and marketers are challenged to keep up. We learned to understand that the goal is not the jump on trends, but rather to affluenly align your brand with them. With the speed of trends on TikTok, “anyone is invited” says Lorry, and true moments are able to be shown in a way that captures viewers attention…with the help of the heir sound on feature which hinders multitasking.

Despite the fast pace, there are sustainable ways to leverage trends. Simply leaving comments and knowing when to pass where two suggestions for how to leverage trends without investing big dollars. The power of comments is underutilized and a sustainable way to utilize quick moving trends.

Several grad students even had the opportunity to speak with Sprout CMO, Jamie Gilpin (pictured below). They asked her about her referring to TikTok videos as art and the future of search on social platforms.

Teaching Truth In The Era of Book Bans + Banned Books Library

Sumi Cho, Director- African American Policy Forum
Cierra Kaler-Jones, Executive Director- Rethinking Schools
Nelva Williamson, High School Teacher- Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy
Carleen Pickard, Advocacy & Activism Manager- Lush Cosmetics

This session was sponsored by Lush Cosmetics and was led by Carleen Pickard, the Advocacy and Activism Manager from Lush Cosmetics. The panel featured three speakers: Sumi Cho, Cierra Kaler-Jones, and Nelva Williamson.

The speakers emphasized the importance of freedom of choice in a democracy, and how book bans are antithetical to the way a democracy is supposed to function. The most impactful quote that stuck with us from this session was “not all books are for all kids”. This hits home to a core truth- it is imperative for kids to have access to a wide variety of reading material, and it is up to parents to discuss their own boundaries that they want to implement for their family. As a former teacher, I knew I wanted to go to this session and planned part of our day around it. Sarah Jane was not as familiar with this controversial topic as I was, with my background as a middle school teacher prior to starting the grad program at SMU. Sarah Jane learned a lot and was baffled by some of the arguments that parents and politicians put forward regarding books. We also visited the Banned Books Library, which is an art installation at the Austin Hilton designed by artist Karyn Holyk. The installation was truly beautiful and featured books wrapped in white paper, with some titles written on them and others remaining nameless. It highlighted the emphasis that we place on books and the importance of allowing access to materials. Sarah Jane and I both grew up as readers, as we were fortunate enough to have parents that encouraged us to explore the world around us and expand our horizons. We agreed that parents have a right to limit what their own child has access to, but they do not have the right to limit what other children have access to.

This session reminded us of the subject material taught in Dr. La Ferle’s class, Advertising As A Cultural Force. The ethics that come into play when dealing with book bans tie directly to the material we learn in the course. Additionally, the idea of regulation and governmental guidelines are a difficult topic to handle in general, much more so when it comes to education as a whole. For the most part, advertising is a self-regulatory field and requires involvement and “buy-in” from all of the players in the industry. We think that this could be a potential solution to the issues we see in the education field. Politicians and policymakers need to take direction from teachers, not the other way around. If the education system could regulate themselves while partnering with the communities around them, it would increase awareness as to the real issues that teachers face and facilitate real solutions.

Lush Future Shock; Handmade is Our Middle Name

Louise French, Strategy Director- The Future Laboratory
Anthony, Compounder- Lush Cosmetics

The Lush House was one of our favorite stops during SXSW. Each day, they had multiple sessions about a range of topics, including: Web3, ethical digital engagement, climate change, digital divestment, and civic participation. Our favorite session was “Future Shock: Handmade is our Middle Name”, where Anthony and Louise from Lush spoke on the value of handmade products in the face of an autonomous future. Anthony, one of the compounders at Lush, did a live demonstration of the process behind making a best-seller: “Angels on Bare Skin”, a face and body cleanser. Louise answered questions from the crowd regarding the future of Lush and her vision for the co-existence of handmade, artisanal products and the tech world. Everyone at the event got to take home a jar of the Angles on Bare Skin cleanser, and we even got to label and package the items ourselves. Sarah Jane and Lo were in the front row (of course) and answered a few questions from the hosts. The event was filmed, so who knows- you might see us on some Lush Cosmetics social channels very soon!

Porsche House


Porsche Collaborations Unseen offered several opportunities for speaking sessions and events this weekend, and we took advantage of several of them: Porsche x Finder, Porsche UX to DX, Porsche x Daniel Arsham. The Porsche UX to DX session was intriguing because they discussed how they use user feedback and consumer involvement to build their product. Not just social listening, but personal user listening that enables them to focus on driver experience, not user.

The Porsche x Daniel Arsham event was something Sarah Jane was extremely motivated to attend because Daniel Arsham has been one of her favorite artists for some time now. His work is inspired by decay, fossilization, and post-apocalyptic visions that have been modernized. His work with Porsche is extensive, but this event debuted his car, the Nebula, which was done in collaboration with Porsche and is Daniel’s take on how the car could have continued through the decades and evolved into a Y2K aesthetic era.

Other Activations and Exhibitions We Loved…

  • Patagonia
  • Dolby House
  • Audible Sound Studio
  • Plant Music Lounge by PlantWave
  • Slack
  • Have A Good Trip
  • Wonder House
  • Why a Great User Experience is Key to Advertising
  • LEGO Play Lounge
  • Future Collectibles: A Collective Effort to Bringing Luxury Goods to Web3
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TAI TAKES HOME 26 AWARDS AT THE 2023 DALLAS ADDY’S

Written By: Amber Bormann

 

 

 

 

 

 

On March 1st, SMU students took home 26 awards: 9 Gold, 16 Silver, and the Student Best of Show.

This is the fourth year in a row that SMU has won Best of Show at the American Advertising Federation Dallas ADDY awards (and the fifth out of the last six years). Pictured here are this year’s Best of Show Winners Roshan Gupta & Kayla Hanrahan accepting their award at the show.

“We’ve had an incredible run over the past few years. In 2021 and 2022 we broke records (that we set) for the overall number of ADDY wins in this competition (30). But this year we took home more Gold ADDYs than ever (9),” advertising professor, Mark Allen, noted. “And I think this is telling because, not only are we producing a lot of great work from year to year, but the amount of truly exceptional work coming out of our program seems to be increasing.”

The work presented ranged from designs of students’ personal business cards to ad campaign projects for existing companies with creative projects across different forms of media.

Since all of the awards received were Silver and above, every entry will move forward to compete in the District 10 competition, which is one of the most competitive districts in the country. There they will compete against Gold and Silver winners from other schools in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

The Dallas Addys is a highly competitive competition, which means that a lot of other impressive work from students didn’t get in. Allen noted that “several campaigns that didn’t get into the ADDYs won in other prominent competitions like the Graphis International New Talent Annual and the DSVC National Student Show.” Keep an eye on our social media pages to see more of the winning work. The Temerlin School is very proud of the work of all their students and congratulations to all the ADDY winners listed below:

WINNING WORK

BEST OF SHOW / Smart Sweets / Roshan Gupta & Kayla Hanrahan

GOLD / Light Phone / Television / Tessa Conti & Natalie Castillo

GOLD / Band-Aid / Social Media / Tessa Conti & Avery LeVoyer

GOLD / Letterboxd / Magazine / Alexa May & Anika Crouser

GOLD / Grammarly / Cross-Platform / Hernandez & Meriel Upton

GOLD / Smart Sweets / Cross-Platform / Roshan Gupta & Kayla Hanrahan

GOLD / Pretty Litter / Out Of Home Poster / Brooke Betik & Megan Ferm

GOLD / Smart Sweets / Copywriting / Roshan Gupta & Kayla Hanrahan

GOLD / Future of Sex Ed / Out-Of-Home / Natalie Castillo & Olivia Porsch

GOLD / Heidenreich Business Card / Stationery / Sophie Heidenreich

SILVER / Marek Business Card / Stationery / Siena Marek

SILVER / Neuro / Social Media / Avery LeVoyer & Olivia Porsch

SILVER / Neuro / Online/Interactive / Avery LeVoyer & Olivia Porsch

SILVER / Sriracha / Cross-Platform / Daniela Villegas & Timmy Chae

SILVER / Uptown Cheapskate / Cross-Platform / Juan Silva & Blake Lyster

SILVER / IcyHot PRO / Cross-Platform / Tessa Conti & Anika Crouser

SILVER / Light Phone / Cinematography / Tessa Conti & Natalie Castillo

SILVER / Tile / Magazine / Sophie Heidenreich & Natalie Castillo

SILVER / Tile / Art Direction / Sophie Heidenreich & Natalie Castillo

SILVER / Tile / Cross-Platform / Sophie Heidenreich & Natalie Castillo

SILVER / Peko / Integrated Brand Identity Campaign / Siena Marek

SILVER / Hawkers / Logo Design / Delaney Gendron

SILVER / Miralax / Cross-Platform / Sophie Heidenreich & Emily Elhilow

SILVER / Lumē / Cross-Platform / Alexa May & Megan Ferm

SILVER / Dramamine / Outdoor & Transit / Olivia Hernandez & Meriel Upton

SILVER / Miralax / Outdoor & Transit / Sophie Heidenreich & Emily Elhilow

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Brand Integration at SXSW

SMU Advertising Seniors: Alan Sarieddine and  Alex Daly-Hill

Throughout our experience at SXSW we attended multiple activations, conferences, and events highlighting not only brands products and services, but the movements they are working on curating. The most prominent examples during SXSW involved brands integrating themselves with their communities based on their mission and story. Increasingly, consumers are more conscious than ever about the brands they choose to support. They want to know more than just what a company is selling; rather what they stand for, their values, personality, and how they are making a positive impact on the world. Brands that can effectively communicate their mission and story have a better chance of building a loyal following and gaining market share.

RokuCity embodied the chaos of SXSW with a 3 floor funhouse, where the visitor is transported into a physical representation of the TV software. Entering in groups, you follow a circuit of rooms, with numerous branded photo opportunities, merchandise, food and accessories including temporary tattoos, face jewels, and purple hair extensions. Throughout this experience there is no mention of the product, until the final room where you land at a living room, followed by an open top garden for a chance to socialize and relax. The event conveyed the personality of Roku, and made a lasting impression on visitors regarding their values, and identity. At no point was the product, price, or details mentioned, however recall for the product, product placement inside, and opportunities for earned media is bountiful.

Porsche, as expected , presented a showcase of car displays; an electric 911, concept future card, SXSW livery model, and an inflatable duck-embedded white 911. However, that ultimately was not the primary focus of Porsche’s house. The car brand used these models as excellent props to gather people at their convention, encourage photo taking, and direct ears to their rolling schedule of  presenters who detailed the projects Porsche are working with outside of automobiles, and the other brands and products they’re utilizing and learning from. While select visitors may be encouraged to purchase the car, this was not the sole purpose of the convention so they didn’t focus the car specifics but instead shared the ideas, and knowledge valuable to them. Speakers and shows highlighted the roles Porsche plays in the Arts, Tech and Corporate spheres, and what the brand does besides producing cars.

At the heart of Rainey Street, a University of Texas cookout featuring live music, free barbecue, photo booths, and alumni centers took center stage. Utilizing the prominent attributes of the university and state, visitors were temporarily welcomed into the school’s family, mixing with alumni, staff, and enjoying student driven entertainment through exhibits and music. Like Porsche and Roku, no mentions of the schools cost, reputation, ranking or life is displayed or explicit, rather the atmosphere and intangible qualities of the event are the star of the show. As SXSW is a 21+ event, it is unlikely that prospective students visited this location, however the earned media distributed worldwide post event from family members, friends, & scholarly connections to young academics is invaluable. It also offers an open ‘university’ style event for individuals who haven’t experienced an american, or southern campus, creating a unique touchpoint for potential future consumers.

One of the key benefits of integrating a brand’s mission and story into its marketing efforts is that it allows the company to connect with consumers on a deeper level. By sharing their values and beliefs it can build a sense of community with their customers and create a more emotional connection. This, in turn, can lead to increased loyalty and advocacy. By doing so it help it can also help to differentiate the brand from its competitors. In many industries, products and services can be commoditized, making it difficult for companies to stand out. Focusing on values and beliefs can create a unique identity that sets them apart from the competition. For those willing to make the effort, the rewards can be significant.

In conclusion, the trend of promoting a brand’s mission and story over its products at events like SXSW is a reflection of the changing expectations of consumers, and the recall an experience evokes over a traditional presentation, or advertisement. Ideas and movements, over pieces and products took center stage at SXSW in a world where identity is no longer cache, but the main attribute. Brands that can effectively communicate their mission and story have a better chance of building a loyal following and gaining market share. While it can be challenging to integrate a brand’s mission and story into its marketing efforts, the rewards can be significant for those that are willing to make the effort.

 

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Brand Activations and User Experience at SXSW

SMU Advertising Seniors: Hallie Noland and Bella Pinera

Event marketing is valuable for creating buzz, gaining brand awareness, and building relationships between brands and consumers. This past weekend, various brands took the initiative to capitalize on this at SXSW by hosting brand activations. At many of these activations, brands gave away merchandise, provided photo opportunities, drinks, food, samples and more. These events are uniquely valuable as consumers get to see the brand come to life by experiencing all their interactive offerings, fostering a true connection with the brand. Because attendees can easily connect with the brand on a personal level, they find it easy and almost organic to post their experiences on social media promoting the brand maximizing their reach to not just SXSW but to all attendees’ followers as well.

Throughout the weekend, we attended events hosted by Lush, Paramount +, Dolby, Roku, UT Austin, and more. The most exciting event that we attended was Roku. The purple logo up and coming TV brand rented a multi-story building and turned the space into “Roku City.” Each room had a different theme, making us feel like we were experiencing Roku City in a modern, magical version of real time. The actors in each room were highly animated and unbelievably engaging, never breaking character. Overall, the event was incredibly captivating and has even remained a topic of conversation throughout the weekend because of how unexpected and whimsical the experience was.


Although the Roku event was exciting and unique, the user experience before the event could have been better. The bouncers outside the venue were aggressive, creating negative energy while waiting to attend the event. Additionally, the event only allowed four people in at once to make the experience feel personal. While the intimate numbered group received lots of one one attention inside, it created a long waiting time for people outside in the middle of the street causing traffic, ultimately taking away from the user experience.

This weekend we saw first-hand that in advertising sometimes wait times are unavoidable due to the personable connection we are trying to build with the consumer, however failing to provide an enjoyable captivating experience from start to finish is avoidable. The sound software system Dolby also struggled with this issue of extreme wait times however by the second day the brand had developed a quicker line system showing the importance of editing and being flexible with events in order to satisfy the consumer. Apart from making real time event changes, the Dolby event allowed attendees to sit inside a luxury car inviting them to sit back, relax, and imagine themselves driving with the surreal surround sound. Representatives from the Dolby team were in the vehicle to explain the engineering and technology behind the system to groups of threes. This was a very unique, personal, and exciting experience for both the brand and the consumer. Despite the wait times, Dolby welcomed consumers into various other rooms and even had a chicken and waffle car while consumers were waiting. Dolby provided a seamless, engaging experience start to finish as they interacted with the consumer before, during, and even after the event completing the entire consumer journey positively. The way to truly captivate the consumer is to establish a level of connection from the very first minute you reach them to the very end.

Finally, Paramount + hosted a fantastic event throughout the weekend. Paramount + rented a large venue with multiple floors and various activities. This event was the best because there were many options of things to do, thus creating a more manageable flow throughout the experience. Each section of the event promoted a different show or movie on Paramount +. There were many photo opportunities, and fabulous specialty cocktails that matched the themes of the promoted films. Also, the Paramount experience was outstanding as they had fun activities that were not strictly related to any movie or show in specific as well. These activities included basketball, painting vinyl records, henna tattoos, and more. This created a fun and uplifting atmosphere and encouraged attendees to stay at the Paramount event for a long time.

Overall, this weekend was filled with fun and exciting brand activations. It was great to participate in these activations and see how event marketing can be utilized. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about these brands, bonding with one another, and learning more about the world of advertising and brand activations.

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From Passion to Profit: Secrets of the Creator Economy

Advertising Seniors: Phillips Wood and Ryan Parry

The rise of the creator economy has been one of the most significant changes to the world of entrepreneurship in recent years. It’s a transformation that has seen entrepreneurs and creators shift their focus from building products and services for consumers to building a company with the consumer, not for them. The creator economy is all about storytelling, community building, and social media, and it’s changing the way we think about entrepreneurship.

At the Next Gen Entrepreneur: Rise of the Creator Economy seminar at South by Southwest, experts in the field provided insights into how entrepreneurs can tap into the creator economy and turn their passion into profit. Colin and Samir, two of the experts who are both co-founders of shopify, emphasized that the key to success in the creator economy is building a brand that reflects who you are and what you care about. Your content should be authentic and engaging, and it should resonate with your audience. When you build a community around your brand, you create a loyal following that will support you and advocate for you.


Social media is one of the driving forces behind the creator economy. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube allow creators to share their content with a massive audience and build relationships with their followers. In this new economy, social media is the digital word of mouth. It’s a way for creators to get their message out there and to connect with people who share their values. Social media also allows creators to be authentic and transparent, which is essential in building trust with their audience.

Building a community is another critical aspect of the creator economy. When people identify with a particular brand or product, they are joining a tribe. They’re aligning themselves with a belief system and associating themselves with a group of like-minded people. This sense of community is incredibly powerful, and it’s something that traditional businesses can’t replicate. The creator economy allows entrepreneurs to create products and services that align with their passions and values and attract a community of like-minded individuals.

To tap into the creator economy, entrepreneurs need to focus on their passion. They need to identify what they are passionate about and build a brand around that passion. This means creating content that reflects who they are and what they care about. When entrepreneurs focus on their passion, they can create authentic content that resonates with their audience and builds a community of loyal followers.

Creatives and operators are another essential aspect of the creator economy. Creatives use YouTube, social media, and other platforms to gain a following by creating content. However, they may lack the skills to monetize their brands themselves. To solve this problem, they lean on operators to manufacture and sell their products, building profit for both parties involved. This is similar to creatives and brand managers within the advertising world, where they both lean on each other for help to produce outstanding work.

The creator economy is not just about making money. It’s also about making a difference in people’s lives. Entrepreneurs in the creator economy have the opportunity to create products and services that align with their values and have a positive impact on their communities. By building a community around their brand, they can create a loyal following that will support them and advocate for them.

In conclusion, building a brand in the creator economy is not easy. It takes hard work, dedication, and a willingness to take risks. However, the rewards can be enormous. Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to build a business that reflects their values and interests by focusing on passion, building a community, and leveraging social media, they can turn their ideas into a successful business. They can create products and services that have a positive impact on their communities and make a difference in people’s lives.

 

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A Run-Down of Interesting Things at SXSW – Porsche x Transformers x Live Music Event

Written by SMU Graduate Advertising Students:
Gabriela Vascimini and Shelby Steur

The Porsche Activation was an incredible combination of innovation and entertainment. The perception of the Porsche brand is sleek yet transformative, this reinforces the well thought out partnership with Transformers for this event.


Sprout Social x TikTok

The session Ephemeral trend culture is transforming business allowed me to think about more unique ways to implement tiktok into every industry. Allowing relevance and social communication to take a front seat approach. Jamie Gilpin CMO of sprout social said “The only constant is absolute change”, this comment brought to mind how little we know about the direction social media will take and to use this to our advantage when completing a campaign.

Agency and Creators Mixer

The Agency and Creators mixer gave professionals a chance to meet each other and connect with others in the same industries. I was able to meet several people in both the nonprofit and purpose driven marketing categories. This gave me the opportunity to discuss what to look for throughout a job search and tips for success. It was amazing to talk to someone who was doing the work I look forward to in the future.

Keynote: Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Conversation with Jennifer Salke

This inspiring conversation between acclaimed actress, activist, and philanthropist Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Head of Amazon + MGM Studios  (and former head of NBC studios) Jennifer Salke was surprisingly enlightening and relevant to the world of advertising and branding. While positioned as a film event, both women offered great insight as to the importance of storytelling when trying to communicate any message––including an advertising message. Those in attendance were first treated to a sneak peek to their latest project, a spy thriller series starring Chopra entitled Citadel. Citadel, premiering April 28th, is a new kind of show––a global program. Other than the “mothership” series, two additional foreign series will also be released, one taking place in Italy and one in India, existing with the same universe as Citadel. This has never been attempted before, and is truly a groundbreaking moment for TV shows worldwide.

Salke emphasized the importance of globalization in today’s entertainment world, a sentiment deeply echoed by Chopra, who began her career starring in Bollywood and Hindi language films prior to becoming an actress in Hollywood. She noted how, during the pandemic, many people began to watch foreign shows with subtitles and the practice has become far more mainstream. Chopra then shared a sweet anecdote about her mother’s love for Korean dramas, and mentioned how that was when she realized television and acting could truly transport audiences to anywhere in the world. The most notable point that Chopra and Salke left the audience with was a call for greater diversity in television––not just in regard to how actors look, but how they sound and the languages they share their stories in.

Content Creator Meet-Up & Panel

This exciting event began with a conversation and information question and answer session featuring Netflix star and social media sensation Harry Jowsey and his manager Jeff Duncan, CEO of Ingenuity Live, and talent and influencer management company. Both offered insights into the content creation world from the wildly varied perspectives of talent and business manager, making for an incredibly well-rounded presentation. Following their discussion, they opened up the floor to questions and then encouraged all of the content creators in attendance to mix and mingle with each other, launching the conversation with some icebreaker questions. As a content creator both for a fashion brand as well as for my own personal brand, I found it  interesting to meet content creators on both the business side and on the lifestyle/personal brand side. After the event, I caught up with Harry and we talked a bit more about what it is really like being a content creator, from dealing with negative comments to landing your dream brand deals. He emphasized the importance of creating content that brings out your personality, and this is true whether you are creating content to bolster your personal brand or as marketing content for an established company. One thing is clear––short form video content is the new frontier in advertising, and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

VW & Lucasfilm Join Forces with special guest Doug Chiang, Executive Creative Director at Lucasfilm

While it’s clear that the Disney and VW execs didn’t have to force anything when it came to joining together their two iconic brands, countless hours of strategy, research, and an impeccable attention to detail were all necessary to pull off this epic partnership––something that audiences got a special behind-the-scenes look at during this panel. The panel, featuring Ty Ervin (Vice President of Marketing Partnerships at Disney), Gilbert Heise (Chief Strategist of Volkswagen Brand), Kevin Lane Keller (E.B. Osborn Professor of Marketing and Senior Associate Dean for Marketing & Communications at Dartmouth College), and none other than Doug Chiang, Executive Creative Director for Lucasfilm, was moderated by Co-Editor in Chief of Variety Magazine, Cynthia Littleton.  The panelists discussed how storytelling intersects with marketing messages, and how brands can connect with audiences authentically by using both nostalgia and excitement for tomorrow to make marketing messages resonate with them more deeply.  They also stressed the importance of maintaining audience trust, especially with dealing with beloved IP such as Star Wars, and how to keep character integrity while balancing it with creative freedom and new ideas. Chiang quipped that successful brands all share three inherent qualities: Artfulness, character, and humanity.

Those in attendance even got to see a special preview of a still-under-production forthcoming TV spot that will continue this epic collaboration: it features none other than Star Wars icon Grogu, those infamously curious Jawas, and more familiar faces to promote the latest season of Disney+ hit The Mandalorian. Still, Star Wars is only the beginning for the partnership between Disney and Volkswagn––Heise seemed to be constantly hinting at upcoming projects involving the two powerhouse brands featuring different Disney-owned franchises, while Ervin seemed sworn to secrecy. We can only wait to find out as to what’s next.

After the event, I was able to chat with Chiang for a few minutes and thank him for the insights he’d shared with us. We talked about the intersection between branding and storytelling, and he emphasized how he truly believes that storytelling is the backbone of a solid brand. He mentioned that George Lucas always stresses this as well during the creative process, saying that every component––whether in regard to a film, a book, or a TV spot––must have a story to tell. Even products, in order to become iconic, must have personality. And, when it comes down to it, that’s exactly what VW and Disney joined forces to do. They showed audiences that their vehicle was more than just a mode of transportation, but a living, breathing character full of personality––just like R2D2 and C3PO as they ooh and awe at the in the TV spot.

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SXSW: brAIn gAIn

Temerlin Advertising Institute graduate students:
Jackson Ferris and Christiana Savo

The SXSW conference is an exciting opportunity to learn about the latest trends, innovations, and ideas that are shaping the future of technology. Our focus this year will be on a recently trending topic that is sure to affect future generations, Artificial Intelligence. The future of AI is somewhat intimidating! We’re unsure of the scope of changes to come. Nonetheless, we’re looking forward to hearing from industry professionals speaking about how it’s going to change the functionality of the industry- and by that we mean any and every industry. We’ve already been exposed to the controversy of ChatGPT in the educational space but if we’re being honest, this is only the beginning of navigating conflict around AI. We’re looking forward to SXSW because hopefully, it will settle some of our concerns about the future. Maybe by the end of this weekend, we’ll feel in control of AI.

There are many events that offer unique insight from industry leading experts on this topic but we decided to focus on these two:

Can There Be AI Art Without Artists?

How to Think—and Lead—in Ways AI Can’t

These two sessions will provide us with unique insight into the philosophical, applicable, and realistic future of artificial intelligence in our society. The first event “Can There Be AI Art Without Artists?” promises to be an exciting thought-provoking discussion about the ever-increasing threat of AI art in modern artists’ life. While I’m sure this event is going to question future creatives’ roles in all industries, it is also important to consider the benefits of how the technologies can impact the art world. Among the questions that are going to be discussed, one is sure to revolve around the topic of the owner of any work of AI art. The key issue of authorship has been a topic of discussion in the art world in the past, but the traditional mindset of, the artist being the sole creator of the artwork, will no longer be the status quo. Is the algorithm, the artist that trained the algorithm, or the creator who prompted it, the real owner of what is produced? The legal and ethical ramifications of this generation’s decision will determine the intellectual property and ownership of many beautiful and horrifying works in the future.

Another issue that this event will explore is the question of creativity. Can AI be truly creative, or is it just replicating existing patterns and styles? While AI can generate impressive artwork, some argue that it lacks the true creativity and imagination of human artists. However, others argue that AI can be a creative tool that inspires artists to push the boundaries of their own creativity. Finally, this event should also explore the economic implications of AI-generated art. With the rise of generative models, it’s essential to consider how this technology can impact the livelihoods of human artists. Will AI-generated art replace human-created art, or will it become a new modality that can coexist alongside traditional art? Can AI-generated art be profitable, and if so, who should benefit financially? This is just one of many events that promise to be a fascinating exploration of the intersection between technology and creativity. This is sure to be the genesis of many future discussions both legally and morally that will plague the art world for the coming months if not years.

Industry leaders are concerned that AI is a threat to the current model of which they work, and how they manage their work force– will there even be a workforce to manage? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We as humans will evolve to work in congruence with AI; it will become a tool to increase knowledge, and productivity, and push the boundaries of innovation more than ever before. I’m not sure how yet, but I hope to find out more at the How to Think—and Lead—in Ways AI Can’t session. This event promises to provide an intriguing perspective on how to utilize AI in roles pertaining to leadership and decision-making. We expect the event’s central theme to be that although AI can be a powerful tool for processing vast amounts of data, but the opposition is that it’s fundamentally incapable of replicating the full breadth and depth of human experience. The speaker, Nick Chatrath, argues that human experience and judgment are essential for effective leadership, and that the ability to think more like a human will become increasingly critical as AI continues to advance. I am excited to learn more about how Chatrath believes human leaders can use their unique skills to stay ahead of the curve and make informed decisions that reflect the full spectrum of human values. I hope this event will be able to provide the audience with practical advice in ways they can utilize AI to lead in ways they cannot and vice versa. Speaking of the philosophical implications of AI’s effect is fine but I would really look forward to seeing what we can do with AI currently to impact our professional lives and as a result the work we produce. Understanding how AI and humans can work together to achieve better outcomes is crucial, and I am excited to explore these topics at “How to Think—and Lead—in Ways AI Can’t.”

Overall, we’re looking to forward to productive discussions and collaborative workshops around AI this weekend in Austin. Our minds will remain open, and we’ll be challenged to wrap our brains around a future that is not fully ready for us yet as humans. We’re fortunate to experience this evolution that will change humanity and we’re excited to hear from the leaders aspiring to get us there.

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A UNITED FORCE FOR GROWTH AND GOOD: THE ANA GLOBAL CMO GROWTH SUMMIT RECAP

The week of October 24, 2022, over 150 CMOs and business leaders joined together in Orlando, Florida, as a force for growth and good. This is the first time the entire council has met in person in three years.

Dr. Carrie La Ferle of the Temerlin Advertising Institute (sitting first row 2nd from right) and an expert in Culture & Ethics was in attendance helping to shape initiatives for the year ahead.

Below are the actions agreed to be taken in 2023 by the ANA’s Global CMO Growth Council.

SUSTAINABILITY: When we focus on driving growth in ways that are good for the environment, consumers will reward us, which will drive the economy.

TALENT: Our goal is to affect 50,000 marketers and 50,000 students in 2023.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB): Multicultural market growth represents the single most significant opportunity for business growth today.

Humanized Brand Growth: A shift from referencing B2C or B2B with a preference for B4H (Brands for Humans). Growth comes from brands acting in a human-centric way – creating real value to address human needs in innovative ways for the people they serve.

These initiatives will help the industry work together to change habits and systems that limit market growth, including those damaging our planet. As many on the council believe, advertisers and marketers have the power to reach a lot of people, but with power comes responsibility. As La Ferle sums it up “we have a responsibility to use our tools over the people we serve and the environment we live in for growth and good, resulting in a win for all.”