Texas Has News
Texas Media & Analytics Sets Sights On China
Texas Media & Analytics has exciting news to share with students and alumni. Diligent faculty and staff are working continuously to expand Texas’ horizons and opportunities for current students. Recently, Texas Media & Analytics received the green light from UTs international office for a new study abroad program headed to China in 2020.
At the end of next year, media and advertising students will venture to Shanghai, China to engage in an intensive two-course that exposes them to branding and advertising in another country. The U.S. and China have long been intertwined across multiple sectors across numerous industries. Students will have a unique opportunity to experience and learn how these markets work independently and together simultaneously. The anticipated courses that will be offered have not been released just yet, but will focus specifically on areas within media and advertising, respectfully. Additionally, this study abroad program is intended to attract students within the Stan Richard’s School of Advertising, as well as select students from other departments seeking to enhance their academic and cultural experiences. For more information, please contact Lisa Dobias at dobias@austin.utexas.edu.
Digital Metrics Acquires Financial Support
Dr. Devlin Brown is known as the digital metrics guru on campus. When she is not taking care of two adorable twins, she is teaching classes and helping students prepare for a discipline with high demand-digital metrics. Recently, Dr. Natalie Brown proposed a Digital Metrics II course to Moody College of Communication and her proposal was selected to receive a $10,000 Experiential Learning Initiative (ELI) developer grant.
Dr. Brown’s proposal breaks from current metrics courses by dividing the content into two main focuses:Navigation Reporting and Finding, Conveying, and Translating Data Stories. Digital metrics are critical for brands and companies to understand how and why they should track the performance of their marketing campaigns. In essence, they’re tasked with seeing beyond data and numbers in an effort to know they best way to promote services or products with tracking the results. With ELI support, Dr. Brown will use her professional and academic expertise to prepare students with the proper tools and logic they will need for working in digital metrics by today’s standards. Digital Metrics II will be offered beginning in Fall 2019 to media and advertising students. For more information, please contact Dr. Brown at nataliebdevlin@utexas.edu.
Texas Alumni Receive Creativity Ad Awards
Every year Ad Age editors award professionals from various companies and agencies across the U.S. who they believe are “the risk takers that are shaping the future of marketing.” Texas Media & Advertising program is proud to announce alumni Anjali Patel and Melissa Guerra, who were recipients of Ad Age’s top awards.
Anjali Patel, an Associate Media Director at Wieden & Kennedy, received the award for ‘Planner of the Year.’ Patel attributes her success to working for clients such as KFC by turning them into one of the most talked-about brands in America that lead to four consecutive years of sales growth. Patel has been instrumental in helping identify ways to seamlessly integrate Colonel Sanders into pop-culture moments. This year, they successfully executed a campaign that turned Colonel into a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar in front of a live stadium audience, as well as teamed with Super Deluxe to create a Colonel-shaped cat climber and streaming hours of kitten content.
Marissa Guerra, an Account Manager at Droga5, received the award for ‘Account Manager of the Year.’ Guerra helped lead their account team on Tourism Australia’s widely shared Super Bowl campaign “Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home.” This campaign was set up as a highly anticipated movie of 2018, but turned out to be an elaborate, star-studded stunt for Tourism Australia. As an account manager, Guerra provided critical oversight of production, rights usage, legal and talent standpoint, and guided a month-long shoot across Australia. This campaign became the most successful tourism campaign in Australia’s history. Following her success, Guerra is now driving operations at ESPN by debuting the first campaign in 20 years for its flagship SportsCenter.
Beyond their professional work, Patel and Guerra actively continue to support and further Texas’ initiatives and efforts by helping establish professional opportunities for current students that include fireside chats, agency visits, internships, and Texas alumni events in Austin and NYC. We celebrate their success and send them a “Hook ‘Em Horns” from all of the students, faculty, and staff at UT.
American Advertising Federation Inducts Saneel Radia
Saneel Radia was part of the Spring 1999 cohort and graduated from UT in 2000. His career has led him to become the CIO & Global Transformation Officer at R/GA agency. Recently, Radia was inducted to the AAF Hall of Fame for his many years of barrier-breaking work over his career. Many leaders in the advertising industry commemorated his achievement with personal congratulations for his life’s work. Regarded as a visionary, Radia has been noted for his ability to analyze and solve problems for brands and the ability to pave way for agencies to grow.
Radia is a proud alumni that supports Stan Richard’s School of Advertising and Texas Media & Analytics. Over spring break, he disrupted his own schedule for two hours to meet with Texas Advertising Group (TAG) students visiting R/GA in New York. Breaking from traditional chief executive behavior, Radia engaged students professionally by speaking with them about his work and answering their questions about trends in advertising. Radia’s induction to the AAF highlights a milestone for UT alumni distinctions and exemplifies What Starts Here Changes The World.
