Graduate Students – Page 3

May 16, 2016May 16, 2016

MA in Advertising Class of 2016 at Graduation

CONGRATULATIONS INSTITUTE GRADUATE STUDENTS!!

We want to wish success to our graduating students as the class of 2016 move forward into their professional careers. Each one has grown and excelled over the past two years in the program.

2016 MA Graduation Photo — From left: Preston Barrett, Erica Chiarello, Colleen O’Brien, Yiyang April Yu, Diana Herrera, Jingxue Snow Wang, and Jing Jin. Marin Berardi (not pictured). Faculty: Steven Edwards, Sid Muralidharan, Cheryl Mendenhall, Amy Dahmann, Carrie La Ferle, Anna Kim, and Hye Jin Yoon.

New knowledge has been acquired from persuasion theories and research to strategic brand management and ROI metrics. Portfolios have been developed and perfected as well as understanding the importance of responsibility in advertising and the positive impact this can have on a brand’s bottom line.

Cultural sensitives and personal growth have been gained during a month of learning in Hong Kong. Students visited several advertising agencies and cultural sites enriching their understanding of international advertising and particularly that occurring in the Asian region.

As these exceptional graduating MA in Advertising students head out from their semester long Executive Internships, many are continuing to work for the same companies from The Richards Group and TM Advertising to Mary Kay, Commerce House to Swimming Duck.

We are super proud of all of you and are excited to see you continue to excel as you enter into the next chapter of your story.

While you move on from the campus and the TAI physical location, you are always a part of the TAI family and we know you will go out and make us all proud.

Best wishes and congratulations to all!

The Temerlin Advertising Institute!
Better Advertising. Better World.

Interested in graduate classes? Check out our new 1 year program and part-time certificate program.

May 5, 2016May 5, 2016

TAI MA in Advertising Student Defends Advanced Research Project

Congratulations to Marin Berardi, MA in Advertising student!

Marin Berardi, a second year MA student in the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s Strategic Brand Management track, has successfully defended her Advanced Research Project. Marin’s research was titled, “Gender Targeting in NFL Sunday Night Football Commercials: A Content Analysis.” According to the chair of Marin’s committee, Dr. Carrie La Ferle, “The committee was delighted with the work undertaken and even more intrigued by Marin’s findings. There are several avenues for future research and many practical implications for advertisers.”

Marin and seven other second year MA in Advertising students will receive their degrees on Saturday, May 14 at the Meadows School of the Arts Diploma Ceremony.

April 12, 2016

Executive Internships 2016: Marin Berardi

In the final semester of the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s MA in Advertising program, students work in an executive internship with a Dallas agency. Read Marin’s story below:

Marin Berardi: TM Advertising

Instead of writing a few paragraphs about what I’ve been up to at my internship this semester, I wanted to explain what a day in the life of a TM Account Management Intern is really like. Since TM is located in the same building as the WFAA News Channel 8, just in front of American Airlines Center, I am usually greeted every morning by something unexpected as I walk up the Victory Plaza stairs to 3030 Olive St. Some days it’s the Dallas Stars mascot getting fans hyped for a game and some days there are five dogs being filmed in hopes of getting adopted. Once I make my way to the fourth floor and get to my desk, I check my calendar to get ready for any meetings I have that day. If it’s a Tuesday, I will be attending weekly status conference calls between the agency and the client, such as American Airlines Credit Union or Captain D’s, so we can recap the current status of all projects and also go over the next steps for both the client and agency teams.

At any given time, each client has multiple projects in the works, which require our account management team to ensure creative briefs are executed on time and feedback is provided from the client so the creative team can craft their revisions until both teams are satisfied with the piece. Once a project has gone through multiple rounds of revisions and has been approved by each person involved internally (account manager, project manager, art director, print producer, and proof reader), we schedule a mechanical release meeting that ensures everything is double-checked and is ready to be printed.

While these day-to-day tasks consume most of my day, I have also been given the opportunity to sit in on media meetings, food photo shoots, agency training sessions, and have been introduced to the very complex world of T&R (talent and residuals). My internship at TM has not only been immensely helpful in putting what I have learned in the classroom to use, but also in teaching me aspects of the advertising industry that simply cannot be taught in a classroom. The occasional surprise breakfast tacos, Friday morning putt-putt tournaments, and the beautiful office all collectively create a culture at TM that makes coming to work everyday extremely easy. But without a doubt, it is the employees and the people I have had the opportunity to work with who make TM a remarkable place to work and who have made my time here invaluable. It is no wonder they have been on Ad Age’s Best Places to Work from 2012 to 2015.

April 7, 2016April 7, 2016

Executive Internships 2016: Jing Jin

In the final semester of the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s MA in Advertising program, students work in an executive internship with a Dallas agency. Read Jing’s story below:

Jing Jin: Swimming Duck

I’ve been feeling truly fortunate for the opportunity to work at Swimming Duck from my first day. This is a place that’s all about efficiency, mutual respect, doing the right thing and having a great time together. I started as an account management intern in February, and so far it’s been a great experience. Up to this point, I’ve worked on multiple research projects, which has helped me understand the importance and application of research; I’ve also sourced content ideas for clients’ social accounts, which enabled me to see the actual difficulty in managing social media.

I look forward to the days ahead because I know I will get to learn something new about the advertising business every day. Even better, I am working with wonderful people!

April 3, 2016

Executive Internships 2016: Erica Chiarello

In the final semester of the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s MA in Advertising program, students work in an executive internship with a Dallas agency. Read Erica’s story below:

Erica Chiarello: Commerce House

My executive internships have allotted me the opportunity to work with clients like the Nature Conservancy, National Basketball Referee Association, and Mariano’s Hacienda. My first executive internship, taught me the value of direct marketing and how important it is within advertising to create personal relationships with your target audience. As I begin my second executive internship at the Commerce House as a social media intern, I am learning how to properly engage with consumers. My internship entails writing blog posts, social media entries, and working on video content to promote Mariano’s Hacienda and draw attention and humanize the NBA referees. I chose TAI because of their executive internship program and it has far exceeded my expectations. My executive internships have allowed me to take the information that I have learned in class and apply it in a real world setting. I am fortunate to have this opportunity and to work with such amazing people and clients.

March 24, 2016

Executive Internships 2016: Colleen Welch-O’Brien

In the final semester of the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s MA in Advertising program, students work in an executive internship with a Dallas agency. Read Colleen’s story below.

Colleen Welch-O’Brien : Mary Kay Inc.

I am interning at the global headquarters of Mary Kay Inc. in the Global Corporate Integrated Brand Marketing department in Web Content. My responsibilities include: the global adoption analysis for both Web and Social Media, competitive monitoring and reporting, campaign tracking, and updating and refreshing product content.

I love coming in to work every day and I feel that I am a valuable member of the team, even as an intern. My ideas are always listened to and everyone has been incredibly nice. I’m so happy to be working at Mary Kay Inc. because I am able to apply my love of different cultures and research on a daily basis.

March 22, 2016

Executive Internships 2016: Yiyang (April) Yu

In the final semester of the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s MA in Advertising program, students work in an executive internship with a Dallas agency. Read April’s story below.

Yiyang Yu: The Hall Agency

In the Hall Agency, I’ve had the opportunity to design official website pages for our agency and some logos for Shakespeare Dallas as a graphic designer. It is fun to design for the plays. I read a lot of different stories regarding to the plays and have gotten a lot of inspiration from them. I also really enjoy exchanging my ideas with all my colleagues. We come up with ideas together to build our own websites and it makes me feel like we are working as a real team.

March 17, 2016

Executive Internship 2016: Preston Barrett

In the final semester of the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s MA in Advertising program, students work in an executive internship with a Dallas agency. Read Preston’s story below.

Preston Barrett: The Richards Group

I am currently an intern at The Richards Group in the Brand Management Department. While I am predominantly working on The Home Depot account, I’m doing projects for other clients as well.

In my internship, I work with people across all different disciplines within the agency to complete my projects. I’ve been involved in various phases of the process of launching different ads across different mediums (including radio, TV, print, and online). In addition to participating in weekly status meetings and participating in competitive analysis, I also have been able to listen in on recording sessions, attend a shoot, and conduct Home Depot store audits.

While the variety of work is very engaging, working with different clients has been a great experience because not only has it given me experience looking at advertising in different industries, but it has also shown me the intricacies associated with working with different size clients.

Working at The Richards Group has been an excellent learning experience for me to learn about working with accounts within an agency. It’s a very fast-paced environment, but I feel that has helped me realize just how much I’m able to accomplish. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed how much I’ve been able to learn and experience, and am excited to continue my internship!

March 15, 2016

Executive Internship 2016: Jingxue (Snow) Wang

In the final semester of the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s MA in Advertising program, students work in an executive internship with a Dallas agency or office. Read Snow’s story below.

I am working as a graphic designer intern in SMU Office of Student Transitions and Orientation. My office provides programs and services to support new students and families in transition to SMU. I am responsible for creating SMU AARO online magazines that everyone can download from SMU Official Website. I also design a variety of digital and print materials, such as e-blasts, posters, Keynote and PowerPoint templates, binder covers etc.

I enjoy this internship very much. It makes me feel involved with the SMU culture and community. Also, I feel I am helping hundreds of students and parents gain better experiences in SMU. Since my schedule is very organized, I am able to have my own time to learn more skills and improve my abilities.

February 2, 2016

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.

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.