Someone mentioned to me today that it seems the average age of our students has gotten a little younger. He was right; it has! And I can tell you why: In the old days, boys and girls attempted to join the industry right after college. They’d usually go out and flounder around for a few years, testing the theory their professors had professed—that they were ready—adequately prepared—to go straightaway and get a job. Probably, they got a shitty little job, too, and hung there on the bottom rung until they came to their senses. Then they’d show up at our …more

Merv Rey is visiting from Goodby, Silverstein, and Partners tomorrow, so I’ve been thinking about the work they’ve done for clients like HP and Saturn. What an excellent example of how we’re returning to the basic tenets of advertising and brand stewardship—back to Lois’s Big Idea, the belief that consumers are real human beings who are smart and should not be talked down to, and that advertising must connect with them as individuals—find out their likes and dislikes, discover what they really need, and communicate in a genuinely warm and friendly way. This IS what branding is all about. For …more

On our recent field trip to New York, students learned firsthand from the top creatives in the industry about the changes in advertising and what’s coming in the near future. There was lots of discussion about how a brand has to be strategically driven, and about how advertising is no longer about ads for ads’ sake.

Today’s more effective advertising models are everywhere. The modern mantra is “Have fun.” But the key to being able to do that is meticulous account management, persuading clients to pay for experience, and a cost structure unencumbered by holding-company overhead. The New Tradition is revolution, …more

Student Howard Hill wins the top prize in the Mercury Radio Advertising Awards. See Howard wearing a suit and schmoozing with the big league.

Snake Nation Press published PC faculty Tania Rochelle’s book of poetry. Learn more/buy here.