During the panel discussion, one thing in particular struck home with me. It came from Rishad when he said, “you (students) are pathetically impoverished.” Well, not only is this completely obvious, but it was the discussion that followed, which was particularly inspirational to me entering my last term as an undergraduate. LEARN, LEARN, LEARN. You don’t have money and won’t have money for a while, but you’re young. What does this mean? Take advantage of your time in school. Soak up the experience. I don’t feel like no matter what I am going to sound very reminiscent, but it’s not. School is an incredible resource and it took me till Spring term of my Junior year to realize this. Although, I am graduating early and that might be a bit hypocritical, but this means always try to learn.

Tobaccowala discussed this idea, but he gave a real world and realistic application. He mentioned that during your first five years working in whatever industry you find yourself in, you won’t [usually] make money or at least not a lot. So, what will set you apart? You will set youself apart by possessing the desire to continually educate yourself. To be curious and interested. If  you can set yourself apart by being knowledgeable of your industry, you will find success, but after five-seven years. That’s just a fact.

So, what are you doing… Go learn.

South Korea has become the leader in video game technology and television. The country possesses two of the largest consumer electronic companies in Samsung and L.G. They also have a very strong internal infrastructure, which will help them maintain a stable economy and line of production.

China is the fastest growing economy with an obviously large amount of people to work with. They have the biggest internet and auto industry in the world. While we may think Facebook is big in the United States, the Chinese version of the social-networking site dwarfs ours in comparison.

Japan currently possesses the best mobile system in the world. They have a simple and inexpensive payment system that allows easy access to mobile devices, connecting the entire country very easily. Simon also noted that their phone is beginning to replace the wallet as their source of identity and information. While it may sound like a pocket overload, Rishad said it is fashionable in Japan to carry more than one phone. Soon many monetary transactions will take place with the cell phone instead of currency. Japan is also aging fast, which will lead to many job openings and opportunity for technological growth and development.

India, like Japan, has a very successful mobile system. There are over 600 million phones in use today in India and that number is still rapidly growing. They have also developed the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, which sells for only $2,200 (airbags and power brakes not included). Unlike Japan, India’s population is very young. In fact, they are the youngest country in the world, which makes them very versatile to adapting to new trends and market structures. Rishad also stated that India’s culture is the most similar to the U.S. in comparison to the other countries listed. They have a very modern culture that is changing constantly and enjoy similar entertainment to that of the United States. Many of the large Indian media corporations are buying some of the top production companies in the U.S., including Spielberg’s company DreamWorks, who has been acquired by Reliance. To further prove his point, Rishad informed us that India and China currently posses 75% of the entire world’s economic growth.

This is all pretty mind blowing stuff. While the U.S. will be losing some of its prowess, other countries are stepping up. We are seeing a changing of power, and it’s all very exciting. This is something our parents or grandparents have never seen, and it’s happening in our generation! While it may not be the best news for our country, it will be interesting to see these countries develop and how the U.S. responds.

Thanks again to Simon and Rishad for this all-you-can-eat buffet of knowledge.

- Geoff

They shared their visions of what the world of advertising once was, what the world of advertising is becoming, and how we as students can begin to brace ourselves for impact with the real world.   The presentations were personal and gave everyone in attendance great insights to the way Simon and Rishad think.

The presentations had a general air of uncertainty about the future of advertising that was both exciting and terrifying at the same time.  Despite their best efforts to terrify us, Rishad left me with one takeaway I’ll never forget.

“Understand people.”

This, if nothing else, will invariably be practical and true in 100 years.  Thinking about this instantly threw me back to when Scott Bedbury told The Creative Strategist class to “always be present.”  There’s something so simple about understanding people, yet so challenging to keep in the front of our minds.  This is important life stuff, not just important advertising stuff.

I’m speechless at how fundamentally life changing the EIR experience has been for me so far.

More later.
Alex M. Peters

According to Simon, the ladder is burning from the top down. Top management positions are being laid off all over the country to reduce overhead costs and to bring in young talent.

This is good, exciting news but the pressure is on. Everybody is relying on the fresh graduates to solve digital problems with brilliant digital solutions. Bring it on! This pressure has started a buzz around the SOJC at U of O and many students are becoming as Simon says, “generalists who specialize in everything.”

We are learning the software and tools, but also learning how to think creatively and strategically. This is something we like to call a “creative strategist” here at the SOJC.

This is fantastic because we will be indispensable to the agencies and clients we work for and create great advertisements. We have the power at our fingertips to make great things happen. Instead of asking ourselves what agency can I work at, we need to be asking ourselves “how can I be an agent of my future?”

Simon also said “we need to begin as an expert then work our way up to an amateur.” Finding a niche or specializing in, say, in-game advertising will get us noticed and our feet in the door, but after we settle down and build on our personal brand we need to take a step back and look at the big picture. We need to collaborate ideas, build off each other’s inspiration and create change that betters the industry and betters people’s experiences with brands.

Written by Jenny Jensen

He confessed he began the class by asking us questions  to show that learning how to listen is the most important asset you can have in a communication career.

While answering all of the student’s questions Rishad left me with some key take-away moments.

The future of advertising + three big trends:

1. Globalization. Anything that is posted to the Internet like Twitter, Facebook, and personal websites becomes global and never really goes away.

2. Digitization. Television, Internet, print and newspapers are digital. Everything is digital.

3. Consumers are god. We are now marketing to god-like humans. With a touch of a button on an iphone a consumer can browse the internet, purchase a hotel room, get GPS directions, and read product reviews from an Amazon app. Consumers are God because there is no longer a limit to time and space.

Within these three big trends lie three smaller themes:

1.     Social

2.     Real time

3.     Mobile.

The three big trends and three smaller themes are all linked together between communication.

Future Media

Rishad believes future media for advertising is going to be amazing combinations of already great media, like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. For example, right now gaming is intersecting with social media like Farmville on Facebook. New media will be based from two or three forms of already existing media.

How to build a personal brand:

Write down three words about yourself before and after mind-altering substances:

1. Your niche: What do you stand for?

2. Your voice: Who are you?

3. Your story: What do you believe in?

Rishad’s Brand:

1. Niche: future, change and innovation.

2. Voice: authentic, inspired and provocative.

3. Story: mongrel, talent and reinventing.

Rishad said his personal brand boiled down to these three words: future, provocative and reinventing.

He left the class with some wonderful words of advice:

“The opposite is also the truth.”

“The core of existence is new experiences.”

“Don’t go anywhere too far in any direction.”

“Make yourself valuable by making yourself rare.”

Written by Jenny Jensen

Early on, we began discussing the importance of having substance behind a brand. Rishad began to explain that if there is no performance, there is no brand. Nike was the first example brought up by Rishad. He explained how Nike had established a quality product and then grew the brand through its performance. Being the sneaker junkie I am, I was compelled to ask how Nike was able to push ahead of Reebok in the 1980s. Rishad listed a few good points. First off, Nike possessed an involved founder in Phil Knight, while Reebok was owned by a few large CEOs who were unrelated to the brand. Nike believed in personalization of the brand and cultural residence. Their employees consisted of runners and other athletes. Nike was also able to take a street game (basketball), and form it into a part of everyday culture. Nike moved fast. While Reebok first made it big selling shoes to women, Nike established the NikeWomen product line and moved from there.

One of the great examples he brought up was the beginning of Nike Golf. In the beginning, Nike refused to sell golf products because it was viewed as an elitist sport. That was all until a young golfer named Tiger Woods entered the game. Nike was able to grab Woods and make him an icon of a brand. This sport that was once “elitist” was now for everyone.

When questioned about the future of advertising and doing business in a recession, both agreed that the business models are changing and many large companies are hurting their corporations by firing young workers and keeping high paid CEOs. By doing this, companies are pushing aside potential catalysts for change and losing money by paying high-level bosses who, in fact, are afraid of change or don’t know where to start. Rishad pictured agencies transforming from big to small, with media companies working as separate entities with agencies. Simon eloquently put it by saying, “Flow is the new center,” meaning that new agencies will be light and mobile, better able to communicate with consumers and their client.

As the advertising world continues to evolve at such a rapid pace, we discussed the future ways we will consume media and how it will affect our lives. Both completely agreed that the cell phone was the communication device for the future. Simon gave a comparison of when someone stands up from the theatre seat, they used to only reach to the back pocket to check for their wallet. Now people not only reach for their wallet, they also check their phone. While a wallet may represent your identity, your mobile phone is becoming a part of your identity. It has an increasing involvement in your personal life and business and will continue to grow as technology evolves. Rishad noted that while technology is an enabler, it’s important that we don’t find ourselves at the service of our tools.

Some other interesting points mentioned:

Rishad said the 4 main countries to look out for in the future are Japan, India, China and South Korea.

When asked about our future as students going into the advertising industry, Simon gave us some great words of advice. Agencies are looking for people who are interesting. They are in search of a kaleidoscope of different people with different view points. He concluded by reciting a part of a speech he had previously heard which stated, “You are brilliant and the world is hiring.”

-Geoff

I want to start this all by saying I’m extremely jealous of this fresh batch of ad students because Simon answered all the questions I had going into my Principles class last Spring.  Simon shared personal stories, experiences, and gave an illuminating visual walk-through of the campaign process (which is something that I still struggle with on a semi-regular basis.)

Simon started by showing everyone this video about what went into the newest ads for the 3rd Generation Toyota Prius.

The video on its own should serve as an inspirational takeaway for every creative, but he didn’t stop there.  Simon explained the importance of relevance in a concept, and walked us right into the heart of the idea of “Harmony,” and how man, nature, and machine all work together in this ad.  Simon showed us rough executions of one beautiful idea for the campaign that never came to be.  He showed a PDF outline of the brand manifesto, and clicked through pages and pages of content for briefs and objectives just to illustrate everything that goes into campaign planning.

Then, we got to something that I personally found quite inspiring.  It was the creative pitch from Mr. Hide at The Sweet Shop.  It communicated everything that the “Harmony” ad ultimately became, both in written word and in illustration.  He had detailed executions side by side with Mr. Hide’s original sketches.  It was incredible to see the rough sketches that this inventive advertisement was born from.

My big takeaway from the more personal side of our class discussion with Simon is how rapidly the playing field in the creative world is changing.  To stay competitive you’ve got to stay energized, be versatile, and keep on creating.

This is a point that Simon reinforced several times in different ways, and I felt that a lot of things he told us were leading me back to the same point.  Our generation has the tools to do really big things.  But what does this all mean?

In Simon’s words, “The competition is invisible.”  There are people posting on YouTube and Twitter from their bedrooms who go viral and wind up with more followers than brands and agencies that use the same networking sites.  What we do and say in our free time for recreation can be every bit as powerful as a finely crafted and professionally executed campaign.

The one champion of this truth that Simon mentioned was @ShitMyDadSays on Twitter.  As of right now that Twitter account has 809,069 followers, and it’s growing by the minute.  Justin, the 29 year old who lives with his father and maintains this account, is currently working on a television deal based on the shit his dad says.

Basically, you should be doing as many things as you can.  Don’t let school or work get in the way of play.  Create, and keep doing the things that you love.  Whether you’re into music, drawing, photography, or writing.  “Move around,” and use your experiences from the things you love in as many different ways as you can.

But you really aren’t reading this to hear all of Simon’s brilliance poisoned by my personal input, so let me share a few snippets of wonderful Simon-y quotes that you can marinate on for yourself.
“You have to learn your own way of working. Define for yourself as a creative animal how you want to work, and honor your process as long as you get results.”

“Let yourself be your compass.”

“The idea you have walking out of this class could determine your next five months or you next five years. That is absolutely true.”

If you’re interested in hearing more you should really free up your schedule and come to the EIR Keynote Address tonight at 7:00 in Gerlinger.  It should be fantastic.  That’s all until then.
-Alex M. Peters.

Our team will be giving updates on all of the events that take place from Wednesday until Friday, when they give their final presentation at the Turnbull Center in Portland. Stay tuned for updates on happenings around campus and new words of wisdom provided by these two ad gurus.

You can also get more up-to-date information on twitter – just search #UOeir09.