Texas State Account Planning students visit GSD&M | Idea City

On April 17, account planning students from Texas State University visited GSD&M Idea City in Austin, Texas. After an agency tour by Lindsey Ducroz from the People Department, the students were treated to a special Q&A with GSD&M account planners.

The student planners were anxious to know about working in an advertising agency. They asked questions on a range of topics-from getting into the business to working on new business pitches. 

When the students asked what was the most important trait necessary for success in account planning, Ellen Kolsto, the Planning Director simply said, "flexibility."  Now that's a jewel of an insight about life as a planner in an advertising agency.

 

Texas State account planning students with GSD&M account planners

Texas State account planning students at GSD&M

 (JJ, Katy, Robert, Jeff, Bianca, Brent and Tony)

Texas State Account Planning students visit Tammadge Market Research

Focus Group Viewing Room M&Ms

by Gigi Taylor

I could talk all day to my students about focus group facilities: the focus group room, the one-way mirrors, the viewing rooms and the M&Ms, but nothing beats an actual visit to a facility to understand how focus groups work.  On April 17, several students from my Account Planning class and myself visited Tammadge Market Research in Austin, Texas. This is facility where I do most of my focus group moderation when I am work locally.

My students and I were given a tour followed by a Q&A session with CEO Terry Tammadge and VP Ken Craig.  The students listened to stories about the Austin research business as well as asked questions about qualitative research.

So what  is up with the M&Ms?  For some reason, M&Ms seem to be the official candy of focus group facilities across America.  M&Ms are in the back viewing room where clients sit in the  dark watching focus groups. Participants and the clients are divided by a one-way observation  mirror. No, the participants don't get M&Ms, but they do get a sandwich if the focus group falls during meal time.  

Bianca, Jeff, Tony with Terry Tammadge of Tammadge Market Research.

Old Main vs. The Main Building

By Gigi Taylor

It is ironic that a class that is supposed to teach students the skills to study people feels completely isolated from the rest of the world. I teach my weekly account planning class in a classroom tucked inside a university building on hill in a quiet university town. My students can't even study or observe the students, staff or faculty who walk the halls or sidewalks of the campus because the class is held at night.  Texas State is very, very quiet on Tuesday nights.  

This isolation is not problem with survey research, as my students field their surveys almost entirely via the Internet.  Yet for qualitative research, the Internet cannot provide the needed proximity to people. Qualitative research means watching, listening, smelling, hearing and sometimes even tasting the (real) world around you.

As we moved into the qualitative portion of the course, I was struggling to find a venue where we could all go to learn the skills of observation together. I could have given the students an assignment to go off campus on their own to study and observe a particular consumer segment. But instead, I wanted the observation exercise to be a group activity. It would be easier to teach the principles of observation if we all observed and experienced the same thing, at the same time. 

So for pedagogical reasons, I jumped at the the idea of holding class at a sporting event when one of my students told me about what he said was just about the biggest, most wonderful upcoming event in the history of Texas collegiate sports.  The University of Texas Longhorn were traveling down I-35 from Austin to play The Texas State University Bobcats in baseball/softball in San Marcos. Yes, this was going to be big, Texas style big. It would be a perfect venue for my students to hone their participant-observation research skills. 

I asked the students to bring a notepad and pencil for quick notes. I also told them to bring a camera as research stories are told in words AND images. I told them to enjoy the game as spectators, yet to also step back and watch the event as outsiders observing at a cultural, symbolic level.  

This was the assignment I gave the students

"Pretend I am from the moon and I need a little explanation from you as to what is going on. Answer the following questions. 

1. What is going on? Explain what is happening here tonight. What is the meaning of all this? 

2. What is being 'consumed'? 

3. What are the business opportunities here tonight." 

That warm spring night, I didn't play the role of the teacher.  I became researcher/account planner along with my students. I was there as alumna of the University of Texas. I was there as a spouse of a University of Texas faculty member. I was there as a long time Austin resident.  

But I was also there a Texas State faculty member.  I grew up hearing stories about the greatness of both UT and Texas State University (Southwest Texas State Teachers College). As I always like to say, "half of my dad's family went to UT and the other half went to Texas State." 

The night was a familiar, yet odd juxtaposition of Texas State and UT iconography: Longhorns on burnt orange t-shirts next to maroon and gold Bobcat banners and posters.  It felt like a family reunion--- everyone related and familiar, just different with all the attitude of a family feud.

Here are some of the pictures full of symbols and meaning that tell one story of central Texas culture.

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Internship tips from a Bromley Account Planning intern

by Gigi Taylor

As professor in an applied academic program like advertising, I sometimes feel I am just as much an internship/job counselor as I am a teacher.  I am often the link between my professional contacts in agencies who are looking for fresh talent and my account planning students who are eager to get their first break in advertising.

Michelle Castañeda, from my Fall 2008 class, landed an account planning internship this Spring 2009  semester at Bromley Communications in San Antonio by doing everything right:  she excelled in my class; she reached out to me for help with interships; and she arranged a job shadowing experience at Bromely through the Texas State Career Services Office. During her agency interview, she used her class project book to demonstrate the account planning skills she learned in my class.

Below are Michelle's tips on getting an internship. The pictures were taken on a recent trip of mine to Bromley.  I was eager to see a former student in account planning action.  Here is a staged picture of Michelle reviewing some research documents, taking notes and talking on the phone. In reality, after we went to lunch, she had plans to go out on the streets of downtown San Antonio and conduct "person on the street" video interviews for her client.

by Michelle Castañeda

Time and time again, the importance of internships has been stressed to us as students. Not only can it be difficult to beef up your resume to stand out, but it seems to be a challenge just to get the interview and land the internship.

When applying for internships, it’s important to apply everywhere you can and make sure you don’t limit yourself to one or two places. Some big companies get hundreds of resumes every semester so it’s important to keep in mind that not every place you apply to is going to respond. It’s also helpful to find out whom you can contact directly. Find a contact in the department you’re interested in and email your resume to them directly. This keeps you from applying to HR or online and getting thrown into a pile with the other applicants; although, I would suggest doing both of these.

Also, get involved at school as much as possible! Organizations such as Ad Club and AAF give you great experience and also help you network. Ad Club offers the opportunity to travel within the state as well as out-of-state to visit various agencies. Not only are you able to hand professionals your resume in person, but it gives you an “in” to impress them later with what you learned about their agency from visiting. If you’re unsure about what area you would like to go into, agency visits as well as guest speakers give you a chance to learn more about each field straight from a professional. Most agencies prefer when you show interest in one area when applying for an internship, even if their internship program gives you a perspective on all areas.

Another helpful tip is networking! networking! networking! This goes hand-in-hand with contacting people directly as well as getting recommendations from not only your peers but your professors as well. Your professors know more people in the industry than you can even begin to believe. They’re there to help you succeed not only in the classroom but in the professional world as well. With this, make sure you take advantage of your classes and projects. Not only are you able to include any classroom experience on your resume, but also any projects you produce in class can be taken to your interviews!

Gigi’s account planning class was a great experience for me! I took my Account Planning project book with me to my interview and it gave me something to talk about while showing my experience at the same time. That book and networking with my professor (Gigi Taylor) helped me land my current internship at Bromley Communications, and it’s been an awesome experience!

All of these things have also helped me become a better intern! One of my friends had mentioned before that she wished she had had the knowledge that she has now, back when she had one of her first internships. The knowledge I've gained from Ad Club, AAF and my account planning class with Gigi has helped me ask informed questions at my internship and therefore better my learning experience at Bromley. Even the creative brief is very, very similar to the ones we did in class.

Texas State Account Planning intern, Michelle Castañeda with Paul Bryan, Director of Account Planning at Bromley Communications in San Antonio, Texas

Michelle with Bromley Account Planner/Internship Manager, Isaac Munoz

Class Project: Klean Kanteen

by Gigi Taylor

To teach the account planning process, I assign the class a project revolving around an existing product or service.  Kleen Kanteen was the assigned brand for this Spring 2009 semester.  The students were required to follow all of the steps of a true to life account planning project. Students were asked to first "get smart" on the category and the brand by reviewing secondary sources. Their first assignment was to submit a Secondary Research Report which included an industry overview, competitive creative analysis, and SWOT analysis. 

They use this overview exercise to develop research questions for their second assignment: survey research. Using Survey Monkey, students collected surveys regarding attitudes and behaviors of  the beverage carrying consumer population.  Then building on the survey research, students conducted qualitative research (focus groups, interviews) and used projective techniques to gather insights into both existing users and potential users of Klean Kanteen. 

The final, most important exercise was then to condense all their research into advertising strategy.  We spent several classroom sessions discussing the crucial leap from research insight to creative strategy.  Like in an advertising agency, students used the creative brief document as the  blueprint of the entire campaign.

I emphasize the importance of good writing.  We study ads from a creative brief perspective. We write creative briefs.  We critique creative briefs. In addition, I  encourage my account planning students to think like art directors or copywriters.  How can we inspire creative teams?  How can we communicate key insights and strategy in a compelling way? How we be a creative muse yet be the guide that assures the work is strategically focused?

This emphasis on the leap from research insights to advertising strategy is what makes this class (MC 4316F-Account Planning) different from the existing research classes in the curriculum.  Just like the real world, account planning and research differ in terms of process. Account planners work closely with  art directors/copywriters throughout creative development.  The semester long project assignment is an effective teaching method because students get to live and learn process:  from situation analysis to creative brief. 

Here are the Spring 2009 Klean Kanteen student groups.

RBMJ ADVERTISING

Johanna C., Meagan H. , Brent M. and Robert T.

THINK BUBBLE

Christina G., Tony B., JJ S., Cullen J.

EXPRESS TRENDS

Bianca M, Meggie W, Anne J, Crystal A. (missing)

PLANNERSPHERE

Jeff S., Katy B., Seth H., Lindsey L. (missing)

POWER PLANNERS

Michelle G., Sarah W., Andy A, Matt R. (missing)

Trend Assignments

by Gigi Taylor

The following series of posts were written by students in the Spring 2009 Account Planning class at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Throughout the semester, students in the class presented a current consumer trend. These posts are a summary of their class presentations.

The purpose of the trend presentation is help students develop their skills as consumer observers, since much of what account planners do is observe people. Students were asked to look around their world and present a consumer trend that is fresh and notable. A key part of the assignment was to understand the cultural reasons for the trend, to describe the people who are driving the trend and to discuss the business applications.

It is telling that the majority of the trends identified by the students are related in some way to new media entertainment. Enjoy this peek into the cultural trends of 20-something college students living in Central Texas...

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Katy Brantley & Christina Gulla - Internet Radio

by Katy Brantley and Christina Gulla

Radio has been America's source of information and entertainment for over a 100 years-- from the first telegraphic radio waves, to homemade vacuum tube radios, to AM and FM, to Internet radio and digital broadcasting, to satellite radio, and now to HD and customized personal radio stations.

            Customized personal radio stations are not only a new trend, but also becoming a style of listening to music that is here to stay. These stations such as Pandora.com, slacker.com and Europe’s Lastfm.com provide a customized radio station from any Internet receiving device, based on your mood and what types of music you like.  Pandora is becoming so popular it is now even available as an “application” on the iPhone where listeners can get personalized music directly on their phone.

            Pandora uses the Amazon style “people who bought this also bought” type of  search engine. Pandora helps users find new emerging artists. But Pandora.com and others are in a new class of their own and rapidly climbing to the top of the popularity list.

            Pandora.com has musical experts decipher between 400 musical attributes (or DNA) covering the qualities of melody, harmony, rhythm, form, composition and lyrics of each song. When each song is clearly defined it is then put into the system where it can decide between similar and non-similar songs.  Listeners are then granted the luxury of having music customized to their personal likes and dislikes.

         A wide variety of consumers push this trend. The highest ranges of listeners are 20 to 40-year-olds.  They are people who are looking for new music. They want to hear the latest artists and they want it quick. They don’t want to search for it. They like that Pandora is customized to them.  They often get frustrated about not being able to skip as many songs as desired within an hour, but many are  very satisfied and hooked on the service. 

Cullen Jones - Air Guitar

By Cullen Jones

When Guitar Hero hit the stores in 2005, I was skeptical.  As a lifelong videogame enthusiast, I just couldn’t imagine people spending $70 on a big plastic guitar-shaped controller.  Fortunately, I was wrong. Today, Guitar Hero (along with its competition, Rock Band) is a worldwide phenomenon.

Harmonix is the company most responsible for bringing this fad to the masses. They created Guitar Hero in 2005 with the help of the peripheral company RedOctane, who built the guitar controller.  It is important to note that Harmonix did not invent this genre of videogame; a Japanese videogame company called Konami has been making similar guitar games since the late ‘90s.  However, these games did not gain much traction in the Western market, perhaps because of the songs, or perhaps because they were released in arcades, a business that is sadly on the decline in this country.  

Harmonix, headquartered in Massachusetts, was better prepared to engage the American consumer. Rock Band was released on the ridiculously popular Playstation 2 system, and it featured well-loved tracks by artists like Jimi Hendrix, Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple, and ZZ Top just to name a few. 

  The following year in 2006, "Guitar Hero II" further cemented the genre as the newest mainstay in the world of videogames.  I began to see references to it in sitcoms and comic strips, with characters talking about the product with implied assumption that the viewer or reader knew what they were talking about. 

  "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's" followed in 2007, and was the last game to be developed by Harmonix.  In 2006, Harmonix was purchased by MTVgames.  RedOctane, their publisher, was acquired by the videogame company Activision that same year.  The lucrative Guitar Hero name went with them, and Harmonix lost control of their creation.

 In November of 2007 Harmonix bounced back with the most culturally important music videogame to date, Rock Band.  The game took the concept of Guitar Hero to its logical conclusion; now gamers could play simultaneously on the guitar, bass, drums, and vocals.   Activision meanwhile released "Guitar Hero III."

 In 2008, "Rock Band 2" was released.  To stay competitive, Activision released its own band game, "Guitar Hero: World Tour," which featured gameplay similar to Rock Band, with only minor differences. 

 Today, the two franchises compete for supremacy in a market niche less than five years old, on the ever-shifting battleground of the videogame market.  Hopefully, the winner in this battle will be the consumer.