From promoting the logistics of advertising to developing members individually, Aggie Advertising Club (AAC) provides first-hand education and professionalism in advertising.
AAC, founded in 1995 at Texas A&M, is a student chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF). According to Lisa Troy, marketing professor, AAC consists of around 50 members and advocates fellowship, exchange of ideas and allows for the exploration of potential career paths in advertising.
Open to all majors, AAC attends agency field trips, competitions, coordinates with the Spirit of Texas festival and hosts guest speakers throughout the year. Troy said these activities help immerse members in advertising.
“We go to a competition in Houston in the fall,” Troy said. “That one-day competition is where students get on teams and come up with a full advertising campaign for a client in one day. It’s really intense and really exciting. The other is our National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), which is where we spend two semesters doing all kinds of research into the client and build a full campaign for them and going to the competition in April. We compete with about 850 schools across the country.”
Mary Chacko, business honors and marketing senior, joined AAC her junior year and is now the the vice president of Administration. Chacko said her knowledge of advertising was negligible prior to AAC.
“I was interested in marketing as a freshman,” Chacko said. “I joined to learn more about the industry and connect with other advertising students. At the time, I was debating whether to major in marketing or go the PPA route. Through AAC, I found my passion for marketing and learned about job opportunities available in the field.”
Recently, AAC received a donation of $3,200 from The Association of Former Students, which helped them attend the American Advertising Federation’s NSAC. According to Chacko, the competition involved a case study outlined by Ocean Spray.
“The District 10 competition was in Corpus Christi,” Chacko said. “Based on a comprehensive plan book and presentation of our campaign, we won second place in the regional competition. I have been able to participate in both competitions for the last two years. The experience is such a unique opportunity. I have developed as a marketing professional and leader through these competitions.”
Chacko said though she enjoys learning about advertising and seeing other team’s campaigns, her favorite part of the competition was AAC’s dynamic.
“Over the year, we developed a strong team bond and it was apparent from the way we supported each other throughout the competition,” Chacko said. “Leading such a great team is one of my proudest moments from the last four years. This club has connected me to classmates, mentors, professors and professionals who have taught me so much. Over the last two years in the club, I have developed as a leader and professional.”
According to Chacko, she and Chelsea Rios, vice president of programming, were selected last fall as two of the AAF’s Most Promising Multicultural Students for 2018. In February, they attended a five-day conference in New York City.
“During the week, we had the opportunity to network with industry professionals from top advertising agencies and companies such as Publicis Media, BBDO, Ogilvy, Google and Apple,” Chacko said. “We also visited the headquarters of six companies through industry immersions and participated in workshops and panels with agency executives. I learned so much during the week and met advertising students from across the country. When Chelsea and I came back, we were able to share the knowledge and tips we learned with our fellow AAC members.”
Chacko said AAC is a rewarding way to become connected to the industry.
“We sometimes have art, communication and engineering majors come as well as business and marketing students,” Chacko said. “There are only a couple of classes available that are solely devoted to advertising. Outside of the Aggie Advertising Club, there are very few opportunities to learn about advertising because our track within the marketing department is small and underfunded. Without AAC, I wouldn’t have the relevant experience or knowledge to be able to get a job.”
Adriana Radu, business honors and marketing sophomore, is the director of advertising for the Spirit of Texas Festival and the vice president of special topics for AAC. Radu said AAC reveals insight into the field of advertising and opens doors for internships due to the network of advertising professionals.
“The thing I most enjoy about the Aggie Advertising Club is listening to the speakers tell their stories about how they ended up in the field of advertising,” Radu said. “It’s interesting and inspiring to hear how each individual turned his or her passion into a career. Through their stories, I’ve not only learned about the field of advertising but also topics such as entrepreneurship. I’ve taken away lessons that extend far from the classroom.”