As a Marketing student at Rutgers University-Newark, New Jersey there’s one word that resonates in every single one of my classes…’consumer.’ After attending Advertising Week New York as a JWT Corporate Communications Intern, I learned just how important this eight-letter word actually is to the industry.
In my time at JWT, the concept of making the consumer the epicenter of your message has been reinforced numerous times. Over the summer I interned in Account Management—need I say more? I worked with the Macy’s team and saw just how successful a team can be when they have their client’s needs and expectations down to a science—they even knew what kind of wine and gourmet cheeses the client prefers. (Definitely a must in Account!) Currently, I work on the JWT blog and here too I’m always focusing on who the audience for the post is, how that affects the message and voice I use.
“Brand’s true equity lies not in the power of its logo, but within the passion of each of their customers.” – Mark-Hans Richer, SVP and Global CMO of Harley-Davidson
I’d like to share with you my experience at Advertising Week and how it applies to me, as a Marketing student, and to our industry as a whole.
I consider myself a ‘fan’ of brands and have always been fascinated with how they create an emotional connection with me, as a consumer.
One of the sessions I attended during Advertising Week was Interbrand’s “Top 12 Global Brands.” The session focused on how three top brands in particular, Harley-Davidson, UPS, and Microsoft, got to where they are today.
At this panel, Mark-Hans Richer, SVP and Global CMO of Harley-Davidson, explained that even when his brand changed their logo, advocates of the brand continued to tattoo themselves with it. They realized that the brand’s true equity lies not in the power of its logo, but within the passion of each of their customers—how people identify with the product on an emotional level.
Even though I won’t be getting a Harley logo tattooed on me anytime soon, the next time I have a marketing project at school I will think of why I like some of my favorite brands and try to pinpoint what they specifically do to make me enjoy them so much. I am participating in a Marketing Strategy simulation game in one of my classes that requires my team and I to analyze extensive amount of marketing research. I led my team in forming our strategy around advertising about product attributes that the consumer seeks. Paying extra attention to what our target customer values (rather than what we value) has truly paid off. Definitely getting an A!
I took to heart a mantra that Ron Rogowski, VP of Global Sponsorship and Brand of UPS, shared with the audience during the session. He believes that UPS’s success has been fueled by their culture of striving for success, but always looking for ways to improve. This was one of the most enlightening parts of Advertising Week for me because even as an intern and student, I am able to immediately act on this insight. Whether it’s the rough draft of a blog post or that fifteen-page research paper, I know that even my best work is rarely ever perfect on the first try. As someone who is learning more about this industry everyday from my classes and experience at JWT, I try to stay humble, soak up as much knowledge as I can, and always ask for feedback.
Another session I attended during Advertising Week was hosted by JWT’s Co-Creative Officers, Matt MacDonald and Ryan Kutscher. It was a mock Advertising Funeral (a stunt that concluded with advertising being in fact very much alive and well), complete with eulogies from top leaders in the industry about “what killed advertising.” I strongly agreed with the words of panel participant, Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld. She mentioned that the best ideas in advertising come from teams with diverse experiences.
This is something that JWT embraces to create work inspired by the world. Being able to successfully work with people who have different cultures, experiences, and viewpoints than me is one of the most valuable things I have learned during my time at JWT and especially at Rutgers University-Newark, which has ranked number one in diversity since 1997 by US News and World Report. I find it is best to stretch the breadth of work by staying as well read and as culturally aware as possible to inspire even better ideas. Exploring and learning from our differences is imperative in understanding today’s consumers who are becoming more diverse themselves as we move towards an increasingly global society. It also keeps things interesting!
The Advertising Funeral also made realize that the tune of “I Wish I Were An Oscar Mayer Weiner” is much catchier than I had remembered—it was stuck in my mind for the rest of the day.
As a young professional completing an education and trying to get my foot in the door in this industry, I’ll keep these insights in mind while trying to keep jingles about hotdogs out.
— Stella Continanza is an intern in the Corporate Communications department at JWT New York.