Alumni Spotlight - Natalie Anderson

"It really doesn't matter how you stumbled into planning, as long as you have an interesting story. "

Natalie Anderson found her niche in advertising while studying at UT. She found account planning suited her well because it gave her the ability to use her creativity and communication skills. Natalie graduated from UT with a Master of Arts in Communication and is currently a Senior Strategic Planner at TracyLocke.

What degree did you receive from UT Austin? 

I received my Master of Arts in Communication focusing on both the Planning and Creative sequences.

What attracted you to the field of advertising?

When I was developing my first semester class schedule in undergrad at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the counselor working with me suggested I start in the journalism school and take an advertising course because it seemed to match well with my skill set. She was right. I loved the class and knew it was the field I wanted to pursue. An internship at Saatchi & Saatchi X confirmed that agency life was a good fit. It was also during that internship that I realized I wanted to study advertising more at UT.  

What were some of the most important things that you learned while pursuing your degree at UT? 

I started out in the Creative sequence, thinking I wanted to be an art director or copywriter. I loved that program, but I also took account planning classes with Dr. Neal Burns and ultimately decided that area of advertising was a great blend of my artistic and communication skills. 

What was your next step after graduation? 

After graduation, I moved to Dallas for an internship at The Richards Group. It was a great experience that turned into a full-time job four months later. 

What are some of the highlights of your professional career? 

The highlights are projects that have gone exceptionally well. Where the clients were thrilled and I felt I had directly contributed to the positive outcomes. Because a lot of work went into those projects, the positive outcomes feel like personal and professional wins. 

As a Senior Strategist at TracyLocke, what are the highlights of your day-to-day job? 

Having conversations with my coworkers and working through projects with my teams are always the most interesting and fun times of the day. As we talk things out, new discoveries are made and ideas are developed that seem stronger than those developed when we work alone in our respective offices. To fuel that, TracyLocke has recently opened up the floor plan and knocked down walls to further encourage collaboration and conversations. 

What do you see as the biggest change occurring in the field of advertising? 

The biggest change is with digital. The possibilities in reaching consumers/shoppers through mobile devices change so rapidly it takes everyone in the agency focusing on this technology. I'm amazed daily by the new ways marketers are using digital to engage with audiences. 

What inspires you? 

Great work and smart people inspire me. I love to listen to TED talks when I need a new perspective. I also love to travel and always find that inspirational. 

What advice do you have for aspiring account planners? 

It really doesn't matter how you stumbled into planning, as long as you have an interesting story. Planners are fundamentally storytellers and if you can't be creative and interesting with your own story, those making the hiring decision will question what point of view you can bring to the agency. Present yourself and your case studies in an interesting, simple format that shows how you think. Show a strong point of view, but also the ability to learn from your team. We don't expect you to know everything, so don't act like you do.