Category: TAI Students

Executive Internship 2016: Jingxue (Snow) Wang

Post author By A H M Mustafizur Rahman
Post date March 15, 2016
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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.

Better Advertising. Better World. Engaged Learning TAI Students Undergraduate Students

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

by Carrie La Ferle

During 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 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.”

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TAI Students Participate in the 2016 Most Promising Multicultural Students Program

Post author By A H M Mustafizur Rahman
Post date March 3, 2016
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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:

“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.

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. ”

AAF Awards and Projects Better Advertising. Better World. Competitions SMU Creative TAI Students Undergraduate Students

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

Post author By A H M Mustafizur Rahman
Post date March 2, 2016
No Comments on TAI Students Win Big at the 54th Annual AAF American Advertising Awards local competition

Written by: Willie Baronet

TAI students Mackenzie Cimala, Tien Dang, Samantha Butz and Mallory Massa won the majority of honors in the Student category of the 54^th 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)

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

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

CLIENT: Fig & Olive – Logo design

CATEGORY: Elements of Advertising – Logo Design

CREDITS: Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Designer

CLIENT: Fig & Olive – Olive oil bottle

CATEGORY: Product or Service Sales Promotion – Packaging

CREDITS: Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Designer

SILVER AWARD

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

CATEGORY: Product or Service Sales Promotion – Packaging

CREDITS: Samantha Butz ’17

BRONZE AWARD

CLIENT: MiraLax – “This Too Shall Pass”

CATEGORY: Print Campaign – Magazine

CREDITS: Mallory Massa ’16

CLIENT: BarkBox

CATEGORY: Print Campaign – Magazine

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

Better Advertising. Better World. Graduate Students Masters in Advertising Program Scholarship TAI Students

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

Post author By A H M Mustafizur Rahman
Post date February 2, 2016
No Comments on 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.

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How to Succeed in Advertising (and Life): Lessons from Ad Team

Post author By Marin Berardi
Post date December 11, 2015
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Written by: Peter Noble

Advertising is a team sport. And being successful in this arena isn’t just a matter of having ninja-like InDesign skills or being near-clairvoyant in media planning. Success is built on a foundation of basic personal characteristics and abilities.

Having coached 10 Ad Teams that competed in the National Student Advertising Competition (including two National Championship winners), I’ve found three essentials that contribute to personal and professional success — Focus, Accountability, and Communication. Each of these is important on its own, and when combined, they become a powerful base for navigating the world of teamwork.

FOCUS
It’s very easy to get distracted in today’s multi-screen, information/entertainment-rich environment. Multitasking isn’t the answer. It simply doesn’t work. When you divide your attention among several tasks at the same time you can’t effectively focus on the task at hand. Multitask planning is the solution to juggling multiple obligations. Prioritize and plan your work to fully engage in each individual area. Focusing on what’s important at the time allows you to give your work the full attention that’s necessary to do your best work within the required time allotment.

ACCOUNTABILITY
Trust and confidence on teams are the glue that holds everything together. If you accept an assignment, you have to deliver. Your and your team’s success depends on it. Delivery is measured both as a process and a product. It means that you get the work done in an efficient, friction-free manner, you submit high quality work, and you absolutely get it done by or before the agreed deadline. When you own the work and you deliver on quality and timeliness, you earn the team’s trust and confidence.

COMMUNICATION
It’s ironic that despite the fact that we’re in the business of communication many of the common problems in a team environment are rooted in miscommunication. Effective communication starts with a clear understanding of what needs to get done, how it’s to be accomplished, and when it needs to be completed. Once that’s established, communication throughout the process of the work is essential. Simple things like asking for additional resources and providing updates on milestone events can ensure success.

Focus, accountability, and communication aren’t the only elements of success in this business, but mastery in those three basic areas will give you an edge in this fast-paced competitive environment. The same benefits apply to success in life.

Tags accountability, Ad Team, communication, focus, multitask planning, Peter Noble

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

Post author By Amy Dahmann
Post date December 2, 2015
No Comments on TAI Senior Ashley Eschert Shares How Internships Have Prepared Her for a Career in Advertising

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.

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TAI Graduate Student Spotlight: Snow Wang

Post author By Marin Berardi
Post date November 12, 2015
No Comments on TAI Graduate Student Spotlight: Snow Wang

In mid-October, one of TAI’s second year MA in Advertising students, Snow Wang, began working in the Office of Student Transitions & Orientation. Here she is charged with graphic design projects for Recruitment Materials, Mustang Corral Graphics, Mustang Corral Compass as well as AARO Schedules and Student Transitions & Orientation Magazine.

Dr. Carrie La Ferle, Professor of Advertising as a Cultural Force and International Advertising, commented “How great it is when students are able to earn money working in positions that are also related to their field while also benefiting their university! It is just a win-win-win all around.” For more information on the MA in Advertising program, click here.

Tags Graduate Students, Graphic Design, Office of Student Transitions & Orientation, Snow Wang, Temerlin Advertising Institute

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TAI Student Tien Dang Completes Internship at Publicis HCG in NYC

Post author By Marin Berardi
Post date September 16, 2015
No Comments on TAI Student Tien Dang Completes Internship at Publicis HCG in NYC

In February, SMU Advertising major (’16) Tien Dang was selected for the 2015 Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP). Read about her experience summer internship experience below.

“This summer, I interned at Publicis HCG. I was also a part of MAIP (Multicultural Advertising Internship Program). In simpler terms, I participated in an intensive advertising internship. From 9am-5pm, I’d work on projects at my internship. This ranged from planning social events for the office, to writing copy for clients, and even working on an unbranded depression app for the Apple Watch for our intern project. At 5pm, I’d go home to grab dinner and would continue to work from 6-10pm, sometimes even later on MAIP’s project partnering with Weiden + Kennedy on a Nike campaign.

My first day in New York was a scene right out of a movie. I managed to get myself to Target via subway, but had no idea how to get back home. The Uber driver who picked me up not only offered me his mixtape and a date the following weekend, but also dropped me off no where near where I needed to be. My phone died and my friends that I somehow managed to find accidentally put me on the wrong train home. When I finally made it back, I realized that between lugging my purchases from Target around town, and grabbing dinner, I had lost my ID to get into my room. I was feeling discouraged, but was hopeful for better days to come.

As the summer moved forward, I became more acquainted with the city and the people that came with it. The one thing that I loved most about interning in NYC and being apart of MAIP was that I had 80 other friends who were experiencing the same things I was. We made each other laugh, cooked dinner when someone was too busy to feed themselves, and always made it a point to keep everyone motivated. As interns and fellows, we learned to work hard and save some time to play as well. We filled our free days with visits to Coney Island, stuffing our faces with delicious food at Smorgasburg, and appreciating all of the art that NYC had to offer.

By August, my internship was coming to a bittersweet end. MAIP celebrated with a week long Face of Talent program. Not only was I able to network with some of advertising’s best agencies, but I was also awarded ANA’s Multicultural Excellence Scholarship, which will help me finish out my last year at SMU. I left New York with a renewed passion for advertising, as well as an appreciation for how far I had come that summer. There aren’t many things I know for certain, but I do know that this isn’t the last that New York has seen of me.”

The 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) connects aspiring diverse entry- level advertising professionals with prestigious advertising agencies. Since its inception in 1973, MAIP offers multicultural students a unique paid, full-time summer internship at 4A’s participating agencies nationwide, combining real-world work experience, networking opportunities within the industry, and a valuable professional credential to better position themselves in the marketplace. Simultaneously, the program offers advertising agencies the opportunity to access top talent and strengthens the 4A’s efforts to enhance the workforce diversity of our industry.

The 2016 MAIP application deadline is October 30, 2015.

Tags AAF, Internship, MAIP, Publicis HCG, TAI

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TAI and SMU’s Ad Club Kickoff Party – Ozona Grill

Post author By Marin Berardi
Post date September 3, 2015
No Comments on TAI and SMU’s Ad Club Kickoff Party – Ozona Grill

What better way to start off the 2015-2016 academic year than with new and old advertising students, faculty and staff, as well as a great venue and food!

2015-08-31 18.50.38 2015-08-31 18.10.35

Monday, August 31st, TAI and SMU’s Ad Club hosted a kickoff party at Ozona Grill& Bar. Good food, good friends and good conversations. The pictures capture the fun. Here’s to a successful and productive school year for everyone.

Tags Ad Club, Faculty, SMU, SMU Ad Club, TAI, TAI Undergraduate Student, Temerlin Advertising Institute