TAI student Tien Dang Presents her Engaged Learning Research titled “Balinese Perceptions of Women in Advertising”

by Carrie La Ferle

CarrieLaFerleDuring Engaged Learning Week many students at SMU presented their work across a variety of topic areas. The projects were wide ranging from titles such as Spanish Language Policy in Mexico and Synaptogyrin is a Novel Longevity Gene to Overcoming the Identity Struggle.

Tien Dang (’16) spoke about advertising and feminism related issues. Her advisor for the research was Dr. Carrie La Ferle of the Temerlin Advertising Institute. After spending time researching about the culture and customs of the Balinese, Tien traveled to Bali in 2015. She was interested in experiencing the culture first hand and wanted to better understand the perceptions women had about how women are portrayed in advertising.

Tien-EL-2Tien learned much about the culture and how it greatly influences perceptions of women in advertising as well as ideas about feminism. In a comparison made later with Balinese women living in the USA, Tien was able to learn that “feminism comes in all shapes and sizes and exists through different lenses based on an individual’s experiences.”

Tien-Engaged Learning

 

TAI Students Participate in the 2016 Most Promising Multicultural Students Program

TAI students Marissa Lopez (’16) and Tien Dang (’16) were selected for the AAF’s Most Promising Multicultural Student(MPMS) Class of 2016. The program, held from February 15th to February 18th at The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, selected only 50 students from across the country to participate. Read about Marissa’s experience:

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“Being a part of the Most Promising Multicultural Student Class of 2016 was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. It was truly an honor to be selected by the AAF as one of 50 students from across the country. I left the weeklong networking immersion program, with a whole new perspective and respect for the industry. MPMS opened my eyes to understanding what a truly incredible and passionate industry advertising is. The individuals I met over the week, from professionals to other students were all extremely inspiring. From learning how to embrace diversity in advertising to the best ways to go about starting your career in the ad world, everything I learned from speaking with and listening to these individuals are things that will help me in my career for the rest of my life.

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Overall this program was extremely helpful for someone approaching graduation and looking to start his or her career in advertising. Some of the best takeaways from the program were to never stop learning, take risks, and to stay true to oneself. I believe that with this knowledge in mind the possibilities are endless. This program has allowed me to connect with agencies I had never thought about interacting with until I was standing in front of their table during a recruiters expo or standing in their very own office during our daily agency visits. Wonderful professional connections were made over the course of the week and so much knowledge was gained. However, most importantly I formed life long connections with my fellow MPMS Class. We are the future, and I can’t wait to see where each of us ends up. ”

 

TAI Students Win Big at the 54th Annual AAF American Advertising Awards local competition

Written by: Willie Baronet BaronetWillie

TAI students Mackenzie Cimala, Tien Dang, Samantha Butz and Mallory Massa won the majority of honors in the Student category of the 54th annual American Advertising Federation (AAF) American Advertising Awards (formerly the ADDYs) local competition, hosted by AAF-Dallas on February 18 at Gas Monkey Live in Dallas.

Of the 15 awards presented to college students at this year’s competition, SMU won a total of seven in four categories, including three gold, one silver and three bronze awards. Senior Mackenzie Cimala won five awards, the most of any university student in the contest, including three gold and two bronze awards; gold-winning submissions automatically advance to the district level competition in Lubbock, Texas, April 14-16. Tien Dang was co-winner for two of Mackenzie’s entries, Sam Butz won a silver, and Mallory Massa won a bronze. Images of their winning work is pictured below.

“It is wonderful to see the students showcase their talents to the DFW advertising industry, as well as their parents, Temerlin alumni and their professors,” said Dr. Steve Edwards, director of the Temerlin Advertising Institute. “Awards are just one indicator of the quality of not only the students, but the dedicated agency executives and academic experts teaching in the program. We are so proud of Mackenzie Cimala for a truly outstanding performance! She, Samantha Butz, Mallory Massa and Tien Dang all have bright futures in the industry.”

Edwards noted that the students’ work follows that of many prominent TAI alumni, “including David Drown and Megan Lee, who each won multiple awards in the professional categories. We are especially proud of work by former TAI master’s student Arturo Lee and his team at Dieste, a Hispanic marketing agency. Their campaign, titled ‘Adoptable Trends,’ received a gold award in the Online/Interactive category and was named Best of Show.”

Willie Baronet, the Stan Richards Professor in Creative Advertising, said, “I am so proud of the achievements of Mackenzie, Sam, Mallory and Tien! I’ve watched them develop from wide-eyed newbies in Intro to Creativity into creative forces to be reckoned with. I’m confident this is only the first of many shows that will feature their work, and the work of many of their classmates! I’m honored to be a part of the Temerlin team here at SMU.”

“I was so honored to be one of the winners,” said Cimala, who took home five awards. “As a double major in both creative advertising and studio art and minor in graphic design at Meadows, I’ve been able to gain the skills and artistic perspective that enabled me to develop portfolio pieces worthy of ADDY awards. The feedback in our portfolio classes from fellow students, TAI professors and Dallas advertising creatives has been invaluable and allowed me to improve my work. TAI has given me a great academic experience that has also prepared me for the real world ahead.”

Over 950 entries were submitted this year from more than 70 Dallas advertising agencies and universities. Judges were Stephen Cargile, principal creative designer at Walt Disney Imagineering; Eunie Kwon, interactive design director at Mirum Agency; and Marcelo Padoca, creative director and copywriter at The Community (formerly La Communidad)

 

addysgroupFaculty, friends and family were there to cheer on the winners!

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Left to right: Mallory Massa, Mackenzie Cimala, Sam Butz

GOLD AWARD

CLIENT:                    Bowen House

CATEGORY:             Elements of Advertising – Logo Design

CREDITS:                 Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Designer

Screen Shot 2016-02-28 at 12.25.39 PMCLIENT:                    Fig & Olive – Logo design

CATEGORY:             Elements of Advertising – Logo Design

CREDITS:                 Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Designer

Screen Shot 2016-02-28 at 12.25.12 PMCLIENT:                    Fig & Olive – Olive oil bottle

CATEGORY:             Product or Service Sales Promotion – Packaging

CREDITS:                  Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Designer

Screen Shot 2016-02-28 at 12.25.20 PMSILVER AWARD

CLIENT:                  Dr. Frommholtz’s Candy (fictional line of novelty jelly beans)

CATEGORY:            Product or Service Sales Promotion – Packaging

CREDITS               Samantha Butz ’17

Butz_Dr. Frommholtz's Candy_2BRONZE AWARD

CLIENT:                     MiraLax – “This Too Shall Pass”

CATEGORY:             Print Campaign – Magazine

CREDITS:                 Mallory Massa ’16

Screen Shot 2016-02-28 at 12.26.39 PM243CLIENT:                     BarkBox

CATEGORY:              Print Campaign – Magazine

CREDITS:                 Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Art Director  ;  Tien Dang ’16, Copywriter

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The Alien in a Foreign Land – My Story of Integrating at TAI

My parents didn’t understand it. My sisters supported it. A lot of my friends just gave me blank stares. Those were the initial reactions I got when I told them I was going to be pursuing a Masters in Advertising at Southern Methodist University. Students from my region, that is, the Indian subcontinent, do NOT study something from the School of Arts. It’s either STEM or an MBA. My mind was pretty set though. And my conversation with Dr. La Ferle, and the sheer transparency that she provided in respect to the program, gave me ample confidence that this made sense.

AHM Mustafizur Rahman is a first year graduate student in the MA in Advertising program.
AHM Mustafizur Rahman is a first year graduate student in the MA in Advertising program. 

My undergrads were in economics, but it never really struck a chord with me. I always liked human behavior, psychology, and I always liked watching ads. After working in the marketing department of a local company, I knew I wanted a better understanding of consumers and the world of advertising. But where I come from, advertising programs are rare, and given my economic background, difficult for me to entertain the possibility of pursuing it elsewhere. That’s where TAI came in. Besides offering a program that piqued my interest from the very moment I visited the website (the landing page is an excellent attention grabber), TAI offers what most international students crave – financial aid. The small and intimate class size is also a benefit, especially for somebody with no prior experience in advertising. I am allowed the luxury of meeting and speaking to all the professors, and gaining valuable insight beyond classroom readings.

As crazy as some might think my decisions to be, I believe they’re not looking at the bigger picture. Dallas is a city filled with many opportunities in my field. I am in a program and school that is extremely well known and respected, surrounded by professors with vast industry experience. Sure, it’s not common for a person from Bangladesh to be where I am. However, I see myself growing into the program, gaining the tools and wisdom required, and hopefully carrying over my learning to a professional experience here in Dallas. I also have the opportunity to delve into further research and pursue a PhD, or indeed go back to Bangladesh, which as a developing country is undergoing exciting changes where advertising and media expertise will only gain further prominence. Therefore, despite appearing to be crazy, I believe I’ve got my bases covered. And over time, I’m looking forward to proving my doubters wrong—and hopefully inspiring others to go for what they believe in.

Three TAI Faculty Receive Sam Taylor Fellowships

Three TAI faculty members are among the 11 SMU professors who have been awarded Sam Taylor Fellowships from the Sam Taylor Fellowship Fund of the Division of Higher Education, United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

The Sam Taylor Fellowships, funded by income from a portion of Taylor’s estate, award up to $2,000 for full-time faculty members at United Methodist-related colleges and universities in Texas. Any full-time faculty member is eligible to apply for the Fellowships, which support research “advancing the intellectual, social or religious life of Texas and the nation.”

Read about the research that won below!

Dr. Sidharth Muralidharan, assistant professor of advertising: “Recent literature has indicated that members of major U.S. political parties, i.e., Democrats and Republicans, have different perceptions regarding environmental issues. Democrats are assumed to be more environmentally friendly than their Republican counterparts. However, little research has delved into understanding the cognitive and psychological processes that take place behind a party member’s stance on an environmental issue. The objective of the current study is to see how green advertisements can generate favorable attitudes and encourage American shoppers to bring reusable carryout bags (vs. plastic) by taking their political affiliation into account. Since caring for the natural environment depends on a person’s self-concept, another factor that will be integrated into the design is an individual’s values for the welfare of others, specifically, self-transcendence. The findings will help city, state, and federal policy makers to effectively communicate environmental policies and ordinances. The grant money will be used to secure a participant pool for the study.”

Dr. Anna Kim, assistant professor of advertising: “My research investigates within-narrative ad variations. As not all stories are equally interesting and effective, some narrative ads are more effective than other narrative ads. Thus, my research tests and proposes a theoretical framework that explains why some narrative ads are more effective than others. With Sam Taylor Fellowship, I will be able to collect data on this study and provide a path forward for future research in this area by identifying the specific process variables that lead to more narrative persuasion. Thus, this research will not only enhance our theoretical understanding of the persuasive power of narrative advertising, but also provide specific guidance for advertising practitioners on how to create good narrative ads. Further, the findings of this research can be applied to many different areas such as health communication, public relations, and education in terms of developing more effective narrative messages.”

Dr. Hye Jin Yoon, assistant professor of advertising: “Childhood and adolescent obesity have been rising at an alarming rate in the United States. Policy changes and various school and clinic programs have been set in place over the years to help curb obesity and continuous efforts are needed on that front. Many public service advertisement (PSA) campaigns have ran in the past, but not many have been successful in catching the public’s eye and motivating a change in behavior. This study will set out to test the effectiveness of using a combination of guilt and humor appeals in health public-service advertising. Theoretical contributions will include observing the applicability of interaction of guilt and humor appeals in social marketing campaigns. Practical implications will include using guilt and humor information in effective ways to motivate the public to stay active, eat healthy, and take care of their health. This study would add knowledge to our understanding of effective PSAs that would help us in our fight against obesity in the United States.”

Applications are evaluated on the significance of the project, clarity of the proposal, professional development of the applicant, value of the project to the community or nation, and the project’s sensitivity to value questions confronting higher education and society.

TAI Senior Ashley Eschert Shares How Internships Have Prepared Her for a Career in Advertising

AshleyEschert
Ashley Eschert (BA Advertising ’16)

Temerlin Advertising Institute (TAI) senior Ashley Eschert shares how internships with two top Dallas-based agencies–The Richards Group and Canonball Creative–have prepared her for a career as an advertising search planner. Read about her experiences here.

Ashley is one of twenty students that has been selected to participate in Praxis, SMU’s award winning and highly selective Ad Team. Ad Team participates in the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). Each year, 200 universities around the country complete in this competition by producing and presenting a comprehensive integrated marketing communications plan for a national client. This year the client is Snapple. Ashley and her Praxis teammates will first present their plan at the district competition in Lubbock in April 2016, and hope to later present at the national competition at Disneyland in June.

Read about last year’s Praxis success here.

Dr. Nicolas Sternsdorff-Cisterna Presents “Is this safe to eat? Food Safety after Fukushima”

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Photo Credit: www.telegraph.co.uk

Dr. Nicolas Sternsdorff-Cisterna, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, presented his work “Is this safe to eat? Food safety and risk after Fukushima” on Friday at the TAI Research Brown Bag. The participants were taken through the tragedy that struck Japan after a devastating earthquake, nuclear explosion and tsunami put people, food, soil and water at risk of radiation. Professor Sternsdorff-Cisterna discussed  consumers’ reactions to food purchases and eating habits along with government messaging working to alleviate consumer and citizen concerns.

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Bags of Soil / Photo Credit: Toru Hanai/Reuters

The intent of the brown bag luncheon is to bring together faculty members to present work they are doing in an effort to engage collaboration as well as offer ideas in moving the research area forward.

japan_earthquake_map_Sendai_Fukushima_nuclear_power_plantAttendees included Visiting Professor Yuting Li, Head of the Advertising Department, Guangdong University of Finance & Economics, China as well as colleagues from across campus. Often the work is related to research, but can also involved creative works and industry endeavors.  Our next brown bag will be in December. Keep your eye out for highlights from December’s presenter!

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TAI Professor is Keynote Speaker: 2015 Breakfast for the Bridge

The Bridge’s purpose is to end adult long-term homelessness in Dallas and the surrounding region by developing, coordinating, and/or delivering: Outreach/intake services, Jail diversion/reentry services, Emergency shelter/transitional shelter services, Primary health care/behavioral health care services, Recreational/educational services, Employment income/supported employment income/disability income services, and Affordable housing/supportive housing services.

By doing so, The Bridge benefits the broader community by: Increasing public safety, Increasing public health, Increasing public quality of life.

SMU’s own Willie Baronet will provide the keynote on November 20, 2015 at Breakfast for the Bridge fundraiser.

Willie_BridgeWillie is a noted artist, author, TedXSMU talker and creative soul. He is the Stan Richards Professor in Creative Advertising at the Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU. Since 1993, Willie has been buying and collecting signs from the homeless for the purpose of using them in art exhibits and documentaries. These signs and this practice have become a catalyst for conversations about the nature of home, homelessness, compassion and how we see and treat each other as humans.

 

If you are an adult experiencing homelessness in Dallas, please contact 214.670.1101 for help.

To support the Bridge please click here.
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Justa vs. Whata: The Importance of Enterprise in Advertising

By: Alice Kendrick

KendrickAlice When I first moved to Texas, a friend introduced me to the iconic institution Whataburger. First, I learned I had to make a basic choice: theJustaburger or the Whataburger. 

Really? “Justa”?????? I thought why settle for Justa when you could have WHATA???

The Justa mentality won’t get you very far in the field of advertising. The notion of merely finishing a task or producing acceptable work is at odds with the ‘always on,’ iterative and optimization-seeking nature of the business. Advertising’s ever-changing, highly competitive and creative environment rewards the Whata’s — the enterprising — those who don’t consider completion of assignments as the end goal but rather strive to make the work better and best by repeatedly (iteratively) going above and beyond the proverbial call of duty.

My favorite definition of enterprising comes from the Oxford Dictionary:

“Having or showing initiative and resourcefulness”. Whata combination, right?

The example they give is “Some enterprising teachers have started their own recycling programs.” So, the teachers were not asked to initiate recycling programs; they did it on their own.

Initiative and resourcefulness – going above and beyond (and often in the face of shrinking budgets) – are traits that are highly valued in advertising, for it is the new, great, integrated, efficient, clever, impactful idea or way of doing something better that wins the day, the account, the prize. If you are satisfied with simply doing something per instructions, being a professional marketing communicator might not be the place for you. I was an ‘A’ student in college, but my first internship employer gave me a wake-up call about initiative when in his evaluation he wrote that although my work was of high quality, I was not enterprising. I actually had to look it up in the dictionary, as I thought the word involved making money. It means a lot more than that. That’s all I needed to hear, and I am forever grateful that he offered that candid assessment. I have never looked back.

empphoto_40815_1334870481I draw an enormous amount of inspiration as a teacher and researcher from our fantastic TAI alumni, many of whom are incredibly enterprising. A recent example is the award-winning advertising campaign for the movie The Book Thief, masterminded by our own
alumna Julie Rieger (’91), EVP-Media of 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles. Never one to be satisfied with a Justa-campaign, Julie flexed her enterprise as a student when she led SMU’s 1991 AAF National Student Advertising Competition team to its first national ranking. poster-large

In an effort to optimize the media budget for The Book Thief, Julie made history by negotiating the purchase of two consecutive blank pages in the New York Times, the second of which simply offered the movie’s URL www.wordsarelife.com. Arresting. Innovative. Shareworthy. On strategy given the movie’s message. Resourceful. Enterprising. You can learn more about how this Whata-promotion and our Whata-alum here.

So, how can students be more enterprising? Before class, not only read the chapter but also find your own examples of what’s being discussed. And share. If you really want to shock your prof, send an unsolicited (enterprising) email with a link to an article you think she might find interesting. This semester, two of my 57 students did that. Yes, I noticed. Don’t just fulfill the expectations for an assignment. Blow. It. Out. Of. The. Water. We will notice. So will your internship supervisors when you use your down time to create an annotated bibliography of current research and thinking on a subject related to an agency account. Knock their proverbial socks off. They will notice. And they will later write you a Whata-recommendation.

Just by writing this I’m getting my enterprise on. We may need to start a movement here. #upforwhata? #beyondwhata? #bethewhata? #taiwhata?

Dr. Alice Kendrick is a professor in the Temerlin Advertising Institute, SMU. The best way to reach her is akendric@smu.edu.

Design from the Heart 

MendenhallCherylBy Cheryl Mendenhall, Senior Lecturer

Here at the Temerlin Advertising Institute we stress the importance of responsibility in advertising, whether that is professional responsibility, social responsibility, or the everyday choices we make in our field. My focus is in graphic design, and I wanted to share with you some of the many ways design can be used for the greater good. It can be small things like using recycled paper or soy ink in a project or something big like designing a way for people to communicate in health care situations where there may be a language barrier.

Many non-profits struggle to get their message heard; we as designers can help develop strategies and create materials to accomplish their unique goals.

HRMYou may know immediately what cause speaks to you, but if not, there are many resources available to help you find a connection. American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) has a program called Design for Good described as “a movement to ignite, accelerate and amplify design-driven social change.” On their website they showcase inspiring projects and provide a wide variety of resources including ways for connecting designers and non-profits, groups that provide learning opportunities, and sources for funding and support grants for your self-initiated projects.

Or how about this? What do you get when you combine creatives, non-profits and a super quick deadline? A fantastic idea for helping out non-profits – a 24-hour createathon. Now that’s a GOOD reason to pull an all-nighter.

Here are some projects I find interesting:KZoo

I began working with non-profits early in my career as a way to give back when I didn’t have the money to donate. I continue to do it now because it brings me joy.

How we use our skills is up to us. I encourage you to find something that speaks to your heart and share your skills.