The first year MA in Advertising students spent the second week of their global immersion in both Hong Kong and Macau. The week started with an informative guest lecture by Dr. Kara Chan on Branding in Asia followed by an interesting visit to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Among many exhibits, the life story and accomplishments of Bruce Lee was a group favorite. Thursday had the group meeting with the McCann & Spencer Advertising Agency where they learned about the creative growth of advertising in Hong Kong while experiencing many famous advertising campaigns undertaken by McCann over the years.
The week ended with a trip to Macau for a guided tour by the Advertising and PR team of the Galaxy Entertainment Group. Phase II of the 1.1 million square meters property, that is home to six major hotels with casinos, shopping and recreational facilities for families and VIP members, opened on May 27, 2015.
Saturday the students enjoyed a day tour of the famous sites of Macau such as the Ruins of Saint Paul’s Church, the Macau tower and the A-Ma Temple. Saturday night found the group experiencing the cultural blending of East and West while enjoying The House of Dancing Water show at the City of Dreams. This amazing show was directed by Franco Dragone (former director of Cirque du Soleil) and weaves cultural symbols and a love story through death-defying stunts, acrobatics, ballet, diving and water explosions.
Stay tuned for more to come from Week 3 as the group visits with OMD and enjoys some social time with a group of advertising students visiting Hong Kong from Queensland University in Brisbane, Australia.
rt, public relations or other related fields. Sarah Campbell competed amongst students who currently attend colleges and universities within Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas (AAF-District 10). TAI is not the only one proud of Sarah’s achievements. Her former teacher, Professor Haayen said, ““I had the pleasure of having Sarah as a student in my Advertising Research class last semester. She was a joy to have in class. She is curious, engaged, motivated and hardworking. The kind of student who inspires her teacher and classmates to do their best work. This scholarship honor is well deserved, and I am sure it is the first of many successes to come. Bravo, Sarah!” The AEFH received submissions from 17 different schools within the AAF-District 10 region. We are unbelievably proud that a Southern Methodist student was able to win amongst such stiff competition. On achieving such a prestigious scholarship 
Campbell said, “I am honored to be selected as a recipient of this scholarship! The TAI program at SMU has been an incredible academic experience that has pushed me to grow both creatively and professionally. With the gift of this scholarship, it will be easier for me to afford the valuable resources available here at TAI. I look forward to continued mentorship from outstanding professors, inspiration from my talented peers, and the opportunity to increase the depth and breadth of my creative portfolio. The Lord has blessed me with more opportunities than I can count, and I am beyond grateful for the financial help that allows me to pursue His plan for me.” TAI is extremely proud of Sarah’s accomplishments and we can’t wait to see what she does in the future!
g more than normal humility by this honor. Without the effective mentoring I have received from other faculty in TAI, I doubt this honor would have come my way. The leadership and support at TAI is unlike any University I have been an educator.” Ms. Gilcrease stated that she had nominated Professor Larkin because many of the skills and concepts she had learned in Creative Production were applicable to her everyday life. Professor Larkin’s teaching methods are both “exploration and utilization of various styles to spark critical thinking and generate enjoyment; ie. Let’s have fun while we’re eating our vegetables. For instance, by flipping the Creative Production classroom, students are not passively observing their learning but are more primed through experiential engagement. Since many of my students are visual learners, I believe in in-class visual referencing and relevant project work that takes them out into the world to developed abilities beyond their expectations.” It is clear that Professor Larkin is truly an inspiration in and outside the classroom and TAI is honored to have her as member of our faculty.
On February 2nd, TAI Professor, Willie Baronet made an appearance on the 
