These streets will make you feel brand new, these lights will inspire you, now you’re in New York
Twenty-eight students. Eight advertising agencies. Two VIP parties. One unforgettable week in the concrete jungle where dreams are made.
As some of us are nearing graduation and searching for internship and career opportunities, many of us were hoping that Advertising Week in New York City was just a taste of things to come. And let me tell you something: it tasted oh so sweet. Here’s what a few of us felt like saying about our week in The Big Apple.
From Ari Alius:
I want to throw a shout out to Ogilvy Johannesburg, the agency that made the Selinah: 90 days of AIDS commercial. I saw it for the first time at the Cannes Lion International Festival and Young Lions Winners Showcase during Ad Week. That spot had stopping power. It moved me, by the end I was crying. When I see pieces of that caliber my love for advertising grows even deeper and my drive to be amazing is reinvigorated. That’s why I’m here. To be a part of ideas that are articulated well enough to influence society as a whole and change people as individuals.
From Miriam Blanco:
It wasn’t what I had expected to gain out of this. We came on ten different flights. We slept in seven different parts of town. We were thirty very different people. And we all left New York City taking away a different experience. It may have been the tight squeeze fitting all of us into the elevators on our way up to agency visits. It may have been the pizza we all shared sitting at our very long table at Patsy’s, courtesy of McGarryBowen. It may have been the group effort we made to keep each other awake throughout our sixteen-hour long days. Whatever it was, it made us closer.
From LJ Johansson:
What was my favorite part? A lot of things. I’d say breathing the same air as advertising celebrities–that was by far the highlight of my week; soaking up David Droga’s aura; learning from Gordon Bowen; shaking hands with Bob Greenberg. Normal people don’t get these kinds of experiences. But to us advertising students, these experiences are kind of like meeting Brad Pitt. But better.
From Sara Martinez:
Being able to network with big agency professionals was definitely my favorite part of advertising week, whether it was in the agencies or even during the forums. Their interest in us as advertising students and aspiring professionals was truly genuine. They gave us great advice and even gave us their information so we could go to them for whatever help we needed. There’s nothing like a real life mentor to get you excited about the amazing industry that we are going in.
From Valentina Almeida:
Beyond the glass doors of advertising agencies are cultural machines that work and live according to their values. Going to New York City for Advertising Week was most fascinating during our agency visits. New York City is like an advertising Mecca, there are advertising agencies left and right, but they are all different and not all of them are going to be a perfect match. Whether it was through the people, the clients, or the furniture, each agency had a culture that flourished throughout its office. Now it’s my turn to study my own culture and find a match, because one day, and hopefully soon, I will be part of an advertising agency and will be proud to place their logo on my business card.
