Texas Advertising Alums Named Best Creatives by Adweek

Advertising Copywriter Alisa Sengel Wixom and Art Director Kris Wixom were named two of the "Best Creatives You Don't Know" in the Sept. 27 issue of Adweek Magazine. According to Adweek writer Eleftheria Parpis, the creative talents profiled have "put their talents to the test, maneuvering through the relentless obstacle course that is the creative process to put together the beginnings of an impressive body of advertising. What propels them forward is their talent, resilience and untiring work ethic."

The husband-wife team, who met during the introduction to advertising class at the University of Texas in 1999, work for the San Francisco-based advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. The creative team has lent their talents to AT&T, the "We know drama" print branding campaign for TNT, the Web-based "Rejected Ads" campaign for Budweiser and the "Vanilla" and "Strawberry" commercials for Haagen-Dazs.

After discovering they didn't have the passion for their original majors, electrical engineering and nursing, each signed up for an intro-to-advertising class - against the advice of their academic advisors.

Sengel Wixom felt advertising was a much better match for her talents, "It was pretty easy to cross over."

"Dr. Deborah Morrison (who heads the creative sequence in the Department of Advertising) stressed the importance of creating advertising that is smart and meaningful", continues Sengel Wixom. "Professors pushed you to think differently (suggesting) 'if it looks and smells like an ad, perhaps you need to re-think what you're doing.'"

"Going to UT instilled a strong work ethic in me", said Wixom. "And my professors emphasized being creative in a way that's intelligent and strategic, not in a way that's outrageous just for the sake of it."

As for the next ads we can expect to see from this creative team, mum's the word. According to Jeff Goodby, a principal in the firm, "The Wixoms are well-liked and eager. I hope they are here for a really long time."

In addition to having a keen reputation for molding talented copywriters and art directors, Texas Advertising has strong programs in brand planning, media and interactive.

11/29/2004