I was invited to speak to undergraduates at the Stan Richards School of Advertising & PR at the University of Texas. The invite came from the Association of National Advertisers in New York City.
The suggested topic for this guest lecture was “My Work as a Creative Director,” plus any tips I may have for graduating seniors seeking work in advertising, media, or marketing.
With the lecture hall as my stage, I brought a strong point of view forward and shared it with the students. One of the things I said is:
Ads Can Solve Powerful Problems
- Advertising is an incredibly powerful and important industry
- We grow business and make people and brands rich and famous, but there’s more to it
- Sometimes we elect presidents and avert nuclear war
I wanted to leave the students with the idea that there are no limits on what can be achieved for a client, and that some client “at-bats” are more important than others.
During the Q+A following my slides, I was asked some great questions. One question that I thought was smart to ask, was:
What do you know now about working in the ad business that you wish you knew when you entered the business?
I said I wish I took seriously just how fragile one’s reputation inside the industry is, and that somehow we all must find a way to be nice, likable, and a pleasure to work with…without losing our standards or creative edge.