Tag: Graduate Students

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Discovery Classes SXSW Austin

SXSW Expectations Exceeded

Student: Emily Way

SXSW 2025 was an incredible experience that exceeded my expectations. From the diverse range of panels to the networking opportunities, I gained invaluable insights into the world of innovation, creativity, and branding. One of the standout moments for me was attending the talk titled The Disruptor’s Advantage: Innovation, AI, and Brand Growth on March 8th. The panel, featuring Ulta’s CMO, an executive from an ad agency, an NBC exec, and a data analyst, focused on how brands can create impact by partnering with women’s sports and athletes. I was especially struck by the insights shared by the Global Chief Growth Officer of 72andSunny, Damaune Journey, about the growing influence of women’s sports and the importance of brands tapping into this movement. I felt so inspired by his words that I immediately reached out to him on LinkedIn to ask if we could have a conversation around this topic – and he responded positively, agreeing to connect!

Another highlight was attending the AdWeek networking event on March 9th. There, I had the chance to connect with the owner of Ocupop, a creative advertising agency. He gave me fantastic career advice about development in creative spaces and even offered to stay in touch, encouraging me to reach out if I ever needed a job.

Overall, my time at SXSW was a fantastic opportunity to learn, network, and grow. It was an enriching experience, and I’m grateful for all the connections I made and the insights I gained that will no doubt shape my future career in the creative industry.

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Discovery Classes SXSW Austin

SXSW with Kaylin Ann

Student: Kaylin Ann Lampson

My experience at SXSW was one that I will never forget. My main takeaway from the entire conference, was the sessions I was able to attend at The Female Quotient activation, on International Women’s Day. The Female Quotient did a wonderful job celebrating women with both activities and speakers. There was a flower-making station, Ulta was styling hair or touching up make-up, and an option for embroidering a tote bag. Right when I walked in, I felt welcomed and was given the option to pick out a free book, that were all popular woman authors.

Outside of the environment of The FQ Lounge, I attended two back-to-back sessions with some great keynote speakers, among them the CEO and CMO of Ulta, the Chief Impact Officer of 72andSunny, and NBCUniversal’s SVP of Client Partnerships & Advertising. The main session I was attending was called “The W Factor: How Women’s Sports Became the Hottest Investment in Brand Marketing. The panelists spoke about how women’s sports have grown exponentially and what they are each doing to keep the momentum. As someone who is trying to work in the sports industry, I really enjoyed each of their unique viewpoints, and how their brands were promoting women in sports.

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Discovery Classes SXSW Austin

I had no idea what to expect.

Student: Ashley Mercer

I had an amazing experience attending SXSW in Austin for the first time. I had no idea what to expect.

From the moment we arrived, we got right to it. I listened to founders and industry leaders share their experiences working with global brands. They had different perspectives, and I took in a lot of useful insights. As someone with a creative background, it was interesting to see how strategy and creativity can work together to shape a brand’s vision.
One of the highlights was hearing from DIBS Beauty co-founders Jeff Lee and Courtney Shields. They provided great insight into the early stages of their brand and its future.

I also stopped by The Female Quotient lounge on International Women’s Day and attended an insightful talk about The Disruptor’s Advantage: AI and Brand Growth. The panel featured leaders such as Alyssa Altman (EVP, Industry Lead, Publicis Sapient), Mindy Barry (Global VP of Marketing, SHEBA Brand, Mars Pet Nutrition), Logan Duran (VP, ESG, Tapestry), Chelsea Hirschhorn (CEO & Founder, Frida), and Caroline Dettman (Chief Creative & Marketing Officer, The Female Quotient). Another standout session was Demystifying Rural Life: A Crash Course on Marketing to
the Heartland, led by Camila Caldas and Charlie McKittrick of Mother. They discussed how the Heartland often feels disrespected and misunderstood by marketers. As someone from Oklahoma, I resonated with this deeply. They emphasized the importance of exploring different communities and understanding the values that matter most in the Midwest and South—family, respect, loyalty, and love.
I also had the opportunity to attend a mentor session with Anca Platon Trifan. One of my biggest takeaways was her perspective on embracing the moments, skills, and lessons that shape your unique journey—what she described as everyone having their own “flower bouquet.” She spoke about finding your voice, whether through podcasting or other creative outlets, and the challenge of knowing whether your audience is truly listening.

The brand activations were another highlight. Some of the most creative activations came from Aveeno, Amazon Prime, DIBS, Meta, Kendra Scott, and Blackmagic Design.

Lastly, one of the most exciting moments was getting to see The Last of Us stars and creators, including Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. They premiered an exclusive full trailer for the new season.

Overall, I had an incredible time and am so grateful to SMU’s Temerlin Advertising Institute for providing students with such an amazing opportunity.

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Discovery Classes SXSW Austin

Graduate Experience

Student: Claire Lynton

SXSW was a great experience as a TAI graduate student. Over the course of the weekend, we were able to see many great sessions, speakers, and activations. The expo floor was full of booths displaying the newest tech products, productivity software, lifestyle products, and cultural experiences. We were able to see activations and pop-ups like the Amazon Prime House, Netflix’s Love is Blind, and the F1 Arcade station where they used AI to connect Spotify to a machine that pulled juices and syrups to create a drink based on your song choice.

My favorite part of the weekend was attending a panel entitled “What Happens to Fangirls When They Grow Up?” The panelists where women working in the film and media spaces as well as research who, as fans of franchises themselves, work with brands, studios, and companies to harness the power of fandom to further their IP. They advocate for the power of fans, how they influence the culture around the object of the fandom for the better, and how the teams behind the objects of fandom can have a symbiotic relationship with the fans. I had the privilege of spending a few hours that evening chatting with two of the panelists. We shared ideas about fans in marketing, they offered wisdom about being a creative wanting to work in marketing and fan spaces and bonding over shared interests. That was an opportunity I would have never gotten had I not gone to SXSW with TAI.

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Discovery Classes SXSW Austin

Melody at SXSW

Student: Melody Torabi

SXSW is always packed with cool innovations, but my stop at the SeedAI House this year was definitely a standout—especially getting to try out Meta’s latest tech. First up were the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and honestly, they looked and felt just like regular Ray-Bans. But the built-in AI and hands-free photo and video capture? That’s where things got interesting. I tested out the voice command to snap a pic, and it felt so natural—no phone, no fumbling, just effortless. It made me realize how this kind of tech could change the game for content creators, live streaming, and just everyday life. Wearable AI that actually blends in? That’s something brands should be paying attention to.

Then came the Meta VR gaming experience, and wow—this was next-level immersive. The headset was lighter and smoother than others I’ve tried, making everything feel insanely real. But beyond just gaming, I kept thinking about how this tech could reshape branding and marketing. Imagine brands creating fully interactive experiences where you don’t just watch—you step into the story. Virtual try-ons, branded VR worlds, interactive campaigns—it’s all happening. Walking out of SeedAI House, I had the thought that AI, VR, and wearables are blurring the lines between digital and real life, and the brands that get on board now are the ones that’ll be ahead of the curve.

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Faculty Graduate Students Masters in Advertising Program

ALUMNI UPDATE: Leveraging Graduate Education in the Industry

Temerlin alumna Deja Sanders is a global account supervisor at TracyLocke’s Chicago office. She credits her experience in Temerlin’s graduate program with facilitating her pivot into the advertising industry. “Completing my M.A. at Temerlin in 2018 was hands-down the best decision for my career. Not only was I able to stretch myself academically, but I was also able to tap into a wealth of creative resources from the Dallas area and across the world,” she says.

Sanders also credits challenging conversations with professors and colleagues that taught her how to navigate the clients she manages today. “The care and commitment to TAI students and their professional development is something that I will always appreciate,” she says.

“When I reflect on the tools and theories taught throughout this program, I can honestly say that I deploy many of them on a day-to-day basis. Beyond client relationships and good creative, advertising at its foundation is a psychographic tool leveraged to communicate across communities. Understanding these communities and what makes them tick is where my educational training intersects with my day-to-day role,” Sanders adds. She cites Dr. Sid Muralidharan’s graduate course, Advertising as a Cultural Force, as an impactful learning experience. Sanders studied how advertisers represent and communicate authentically with multicultural and international audiences. She aspires to continue these studies through a Ph.D. in advertising; her goal is to increase research and identify additional tools of engagement for multicultural and international audiences.

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Better Advertising. Better World. Faculty Faculty Research Graduate Students Masters in Advertising Program Research Social Responsibility

FACULTY RESEARCH: Graduate Student Co-Authors Article with Temerlin Faculty

Dr. Sid Muralidharan, associate professor, and Dr. Carrie La Ferle, Marriott Endowed Professor of Ethics and Culture, have been researching the effectiveness of domestic violence messaging on bystander reporting. Last fall, Dr. Sid invited Temerlin graduate student Lauren Howard to join their research for a third study exploring domestic violence prevention messaging.

The first two studies explore the outward-facing emotional response to ad messaging. The first study, published in the Journal of Advertising, compares guilt and shame ad appeals. A subsequent study published in the Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing focuses on opposing emotional ad appeals – shame versus hope. Between both these studies, hope is found to be the more effective emotion in motivating bystanders to intervene. The most recent study, which Howard co-authored alongside Dr. Sid and Dr. La Ferle for Social Marketing Quarterly, pivots inward to compare the effects of guilt and hope messaging in relation to “independent self-construal,” the extent to which people view themselves as separate and distinct from others. Those with high independent self-construal are more apt to promote themselves positively and tend to be driven and have high self-esteem. In contrast, people with low independent self-construal tend to be less ambitious with lower self-esteem.  Findings reveal that hope messaging engages both low and high independent self-construal, whereas guilt messaging pushes those with low self-construal to distance themselves from potential bystander intervention.

“Through this independent study, I learned a lot about how we are still facing the impact of patriarchal societies’ dominance in many cultures worldwide,” says Howard. “This is important as it affects how people see, feel, and act upon domestic violence and the advertisements associated with bystander intervention. It is crucial that advertisers pay attention to what emotion resonates with consumers and encourages action when creating ads to promote bystander intervention.”

Temerlin faculty engage graduate students through a variety of work such as case studies, primary and secondary research, and agency internships to ensure students have exposure to the vast array of disciplines within the advertising industry. Learn more about Temerlin’s graduate program here.

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Awards and Projects TAI Classes TAI Students

AWARDS: 2020 SMU Advertising Awards Luncheon Winners

The annual TAI Awards Luncheon was held in a first-ever virtual ceremony on Friday, May 1st. The event included COVID BINGO, senior superlatives, a video produced by seniors (below), and culminated with the presentation of awards.

2020 Award Recipients Include:

STUDENT AWARDS

Undergraduate Reader // ALLIE HARTMAN
Graduate Reader // PIPER HAMILL
Student Marshal // KAYLA GRIFFIS

Outstanding Achievement in Brand Management // MEGAN ROBERTSON
Outstanding Achievement in Digital Media // KAYLA GRIFFIS
Outstanding Achievement in Creative Advertising // ALLIE HARTMAN

TAI Outstanding Graduate Student // PIPER HAMILL

TAI Outstanding Graphic Designer // RANI VESTAL

Continue reading “AWARDS: 2020 SMU Advertising Awards Luncheon Winners”
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Better Advertising. Better World. Masters in Advertising Program Social Responsibility TAI Classes

COURSE HIGHLIGHT: Responsibility and Social Entrepreneurship

The Responsibility and Social Entrepreneurship graduate course leads students to identify the agents of change in the industry, defines responsibility in the advertising field, and demonstrates how responsible advertising evolves into an agent of cultural change.

Dr. Sid teaches this course using the case-study method so that students learn the challenges and benefits of implementing a CSR strategy for a brand. More importantly, students apply studied concepts to a marketing problem faced by a real-world client. He explains: “personally, I enjoy teaching this class because social responsibility ties in with my research agenda (green advertising, domestic violence, etc.) as well as TAI’s mission of ‘Better Advertising, Better World.’ Furthermore, to teach students ‘strategic’ CSR and show how social responsibility can benefit the brand (not just financially), as well as its stakeholders, is truly satisfying. At one point CSR was a point-of-difference but now it has become the norm. However, the initiative’s success largely depends on how to integrate social responsibility objectives with that of the business. Trying to find that balance through unique ideas on a shoe-string budget is challenging but seeing the students’ creativity shine through the entire process is a great experience.”

Follow Dr. Sid on LinkedIn for his latest research in this field.

Click here to learn more about our graduate program.

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Better Advertising. Better World. Community Outreach TAI Classes TAI Students Undergraduate Students

INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: An Inside Opportunity Most Industry Insiders Would Love.

SMU Advertising students spent their winter vacation exploring the Dallas Advertising Industry.

A special topics course led by Professor Peter Noble delved into current media, advertising agency structure, and agency work culture for six hours per day for eight days as part of SMU’s January Term. A group of select undergraduate and graduate students visited Dallas ad agencies including TracyLocke and The Richards Group to get a backstage tour of the agencies, network and get the insiders’ perspectives from presentations given by agency professionals themselves.

Many students participate in for-credit internships through the Temerlin Advertising Institute Internship Program. “Students are able to find their own internships, but many agencies actively seek out our students as they are ready to contribute from day one,” relayed Professor Noble.

Graduate student Munir Abdurahman describes the power of small courses at Temerlin: “The experience I had at Commerce House is something I’ll always remember about this course. After we toured the agency I spent some time talking to the person that gave us the tour. I asked her some questions about what her experience was like during her graduate career at SMU. Lauren mentioned that it was a wonderful experience and that she wouldn’t be where she is today without being in the program. She also mentioned that I should always network and be involved in the program as opportunities can come out of nowhere!”

SMU Advertising students have recently interned at:

Employers interested in hiring our students, please see the following information about the internship program.