Laura Tulli's AdGrad Story and Advice
"Advertisers have to be more agile than ever -- digital technology moves much faster than traditional print and TV, and users are catching on at a very high rate. The faster we can adapt and track behavior on new devices/platforms/sites, the better we can optimize our sites and the better we can serve our customers." -Laura Tulli, AdGrad '09 and Data Analyst at Urban Outfitters
What degree did you receive from UT Austin, and when did you graduate?
I earned a BS in Advertising in May 2009. I went through the (now integrated) Interactive Sequence and chose to focus on Usability and User Experience Design.
What attracted you the field of advertising?
I considered architecture, graphic design, and psychology before choosing advertising. I’m very interested in using quantitative (data) analysis to inform qualitative (creative) decisions, digging into the psychology of how customers respond to various campaigns. Essentially, I want to know why we buy what we buy and why we don’t buy what we don’t buy.
Why did you choose UT Austin to complete your advertising studies?
I was a junior in high school when I decided to study advertising, so I only applied to colleges that offered advertising degrees. UT Austin’s advertising program was the only in-state option and had been nationally ranked for years, so it wasn’t really a tough decision.
What were some of the most important things that you learned while pursuing your degree at UT?
Networking is extremely important -- it’s cliché, but it really is ‘who you know.’ As a student, I was very nervous to introduce myself and ask for advice. But now that I’m an alumnus and in a position to help, I encourage more students to reach out and take advantage of our AdGrad network.
What were you involved in beyond classes? Which involvement was most worthwhile?
I participated in three TAG trips -- Chicago 2008, San Francisco 2009, and Chicago 2009. It was exciting to meet successful alums and see the kind of clout an advertising degree from UT Austin has in the industry.
I was also a member of UT’s comedy improv troupe, Gigglepants. Though it wasn’t directly related to advertising, performing helped me become more comfortable speaking extemporaneously in front of an audience. I’ve found that’s a great skill to have for interviews and on-the-job presentations.
What happened after graduation, what was that next step for you?
I was (very embarrassingly) interviewed by a local news station right before graduation -- I remember saying I wasn’t too worried about finding a job in such a tough market because I had a great education and the support of my parents.
I took advantage of that support and moved back to my parents’ house in Dallas in June 2009. I saw a posting on AdGrad.org for a Data Analyst at Urban Outfitters and emailed Gene Kincaid for advice. He knew the alum who posted the position, so he introduced me to her via email. I had several phone interviews with a recruiter and a hiring manager, who then flew me up to Philadelphia for in-person interviews. I was offered the job the next day!
After that, it was mostly a whirlwind -- I packed up my entire life and moved the 1,000 miles to Philadelphia in August 2009.
What advice do you have for recent graduates in the advertising field?
Include your courses and class projects on your resume. You’re taking classes that most schools don’t offer and working through real-world scenarios, which can become big selling points during interviews.
Be confident! You know more than you think you do.
What are some of the highlights of your professional career?
I graduated a year early from college, so I was younger than some of the interns when I started at Urban -- talk about intimidating! I was given a lot of responsibility very quickly, so I was thrilled when my boss told me I started contributing much faster than she anticipated.
I love getting feedback from my boss and coworkers that shows my knowledge and recommendations were useful. It seems like a small thing, but simple ‘thank you, very helpful’ emails really help build my confidence.
I’ve also been invited to lecture on Digital Marketing Data & Analytics at Drexel University this spring. It’s an honor to be identified as an expert who can contribute to New Media education.
As a Marketing Data Analyst for Urban Outfitters, what are the highlights of your day-to-day job?
I’m in charge of our Coremetrics Analytics reporting, which means I monitor how customers are using our website. I analyze daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly trends and provide recommendations on how to optimize our shopping experience and marketing programs.
I also oversee our competitive analysis project, which means I shop and research on our competitors’ e-commerce sites to identify functionality we can adapt to the Urban brand.
Also, what do you see as the biggest change occurring in your field?
There’s a ton of growth in e-commerce right now, which is putting more pressure on brands...
1. Advertisers have to be more agile than ever -- digital technology moves much faster than traditional print and TV, and users are catching on at a very high rate. The faster we can adapt and track behavior on new devices/platforms/sites, the better we can optimize our sites and the better we can serve our customers.
2. Advertisers have to be more attentive than ever -- customers have access to more information than ever, and our competitors are just a click away. As digital advertisers, we need to keep up with our customers by monitoring our own sites, our competitors’ sites, customer-generated reviews, social media platforms, outfitting sites like Polyvore, product aggregate sites like Pinterest, and street-style blogs like The Sartorialist.
3. Advertisers also have to be more accountable than ever -- digital media allows customers to interact directly with brands and get a behind the scenes peek into the corporate environment. That transparency makes it very obvious to see who is doing it well and very obvious to see who is doing it poorly.
What do you like most about your job/field?
I love the problem-solving aspect of digital analytics. A co-worker might ask, “Why are page views down this week? What drove conversion on Tuesday? How is our new catalog category performing,” and it’s my job to put the pieces together and determine how we can best serve our customers.
I also love working directly with a fellow Texas alum -- we’re a two-person team, and it’s great to represent the UT advertising program over here on the east coast.
Other cool facts/accomplishments/advice that you would like to share:
I moved across the country by myself, which sounds (and was) completely terrifying. It wasn’t an easy process, but I did it. I adapted to the working world, found great friends, conquered several blizzards. I even won a case of PBR in a rock-paper-scissors tournament. I’m not immune to homesick-Texan days and weeks and months, but I’m happy I took the opportunity/risk to move to Philadelphia.
So, my advice is: Go for it. If nothing else, you might get some free beer :)
Besides your LinkedIn profile, is there another link that you want at the end of the story?
I’m all over the internet. Here’s where you can find me...
Email, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest