AAF Illinois

Midnight Oil is excited to be working with 2 new major clients this semester: The Art Theater and Roland Realty. The Art Theater has been one of the agency’s clients for the past two years, but with the owner implementing a new business strategy and hoping to transform the historic theater into a Co-op, our agency has been requested to assist in the complete re-branding and marketing of the Art Theater Cooperative (Co-op).

A cooperative, if successful, will transition the theater from a single owner to being owned by its customers. In need of a new digital projection system by the end of 2012 to continue operations, the Art Theater Co-op will be selling $65 shares to those who wish to be part owners of the theater. With over $80,000 to raise for the new projection system, we will be responsible for creating and implementing a marketing campaign to reach and exceed this goal and make sure the theater stays in business!

With Roland Realty, we are going to be working with their marketing team to further their brand awareness on campus. Most students are aware of the 309 E. Green apartment complex, which is where most of Roland’s promotional events are held, but we hope to further awareness of all of Roland’s housing options as well as create additional promotional events throughout the spring semester. Overall, it is going to be a busy semester, but we are very excited for these new opportunities to see what our team can do!

-Kristen Manias, Midnight Oil Agency Coordinator

Hello Everyone!

This past semester we had some awesome work done by our members. We recruited student organizations and were able to help them with social events, rebuilding their brand and name, and even translating languages for recruitment of our clients. We created our very own Facebook page to keep our members updated with the committee and AAF. We had informational meeting/ coffee hour with the winners of The Home Depot Most Promising Minority Scholarship winners and applicants.

But enough with the past. We are so excited to get this semester rolling with lots of events and clients! We are looking forward to working on events from our clients such as Philippine Student Association, Ma’at (The Champaign Area Black Student Union), Korean American Student Association, Chinese Student Association, and more! We are planning online conferences with multicultural and international agencies to better inform the members of AAF about the ad industry, and even visit some agencies in Chicago!

-Diana Lee, VP Multicultural Programs
younlee1@illinois.edu

Last semester the New Initiatives Committee brainstormed ideas about new and younger members. This not only included how to get new members involved, but also how to make them feel comfortable in AAF. After collecting information on how young members feel and what their goals are in the organization, we decided a mentorship program would be a great enhancement to AAF Illinois. This semester the New Initiatives Committee plans to put this new mentorship program in action. With guidance from junior and senior mentors, young members will hopefully feel like they can make a difference in AAF. The New Initiatives committee will also be aiding other committees such as Professional Development and Community Outreach in creating new opportunities and philanthropic events.

-Maria Stuckel, VP New Initiatives
stuckel1@illinois.edu

From January 2 to 15 I traveled to the Dominican Republic with a group of 20 students to the Dominican Republic to study abroad learning about consumerism in neo-emerging markets. Under the guidance of Professor Dr. Berry and Ray Victor, we experienced the lifestyles of those living in the warm country studying their consumer environments in malls, markets, and other public venues. Visiting the cities of Santo Domingo, Santiago, and Puerto Plata, our class compared the differences in social classes and saw how consumerism played a significant role in their society. To learn how the people’s acts of consumerism were assisted, we visited advertising agencies and media companies and were exposed to their professional workspaces. Through these visits we saw how agencies can vary as much as those in the States. And of course, as we were taught in a countless number of our classes, we networked with those in the industry bringing home international resources we could use back on campus.

As for play, the list goes on with activities we did from attending baseball games to being irked by beach vendors. By day we would bathe in the sun while by night we took our $1 cabs to experience the nightlife. We celebrated four birthdays in the class, each in a different way, certainly making them birthdays to remember. Exploring towns we felt like we were 8-years-old again being extra cautious no to get run over by their chaotic drivers and their rules of the road (or lack of), but that’s how it is. We were all able to say by the end of our trip that we have not experienced anything like this ever before, not even the constant hissing (their way of cat calling) us girls would hear merely crossing a street. We were ready to get back home to our families as the end of our trip neared; however, we did not expect that our class would actually become one.

All of us would highly recommend studying abroad especially for the Dominican Republic short term course. If you have any questions about it, feel free to email me at mich.franci@gmail.com.

-Michelle Francisco, Multicultural Coordinator

The main goal of the Professional Development Committee is to provide AAF members with information that will help them enter the working world. However, this year, it has been a large goal of ours to provide committee members with as many ways to get involved as possible. Last semester, there was a heavy focus placed on Ad Buzz, a weekly-updated advertising blog specifically for AAF members. Articles are written by Pro-D committee members, and the blog is maintained by 5 Section Leaders, who were chosen at the beginning of the semester.

These leaders include:
Justin Goldberg—Technology
Amanda Grieshaber—Industry
Rebecca Pierce—Campaigns
Catie Ruschak—Professional Development
Steven Wear—Miscellaneous.

If you haven’t already, take a look at their work here. We think they’ve done a fantastic job thus far, and cannot wait to read what they come up with this semester!

There will be plenty of opportunities to get involved with the committee this semester. Be on the lookout for Brown Bag presentations, ADVASION, the annual Etiquette Dinner, City Spotlight presentations, and much much more! We’re always looking for more committee members, so if anything mentioned above interests you, don’t hesitate to contact us at aafprofessionald@gmail.com.

-Christie Ewing, VP Professional Development

Any seniors interested in applying to be a Most Promising Minority Student must turn in their applications by October 14th. Good luck!

Midnight Oil is currently accepting applications. Please download the application and instructions here. Send completed applications to applymidnightoil@gmail.com by noon October 1st.
Creative Applicants: Download the MO logo here.

AAF is now accepting member applications for the 2011-2012 school year. You can find all information regarding the application here.

The best day of the year is here! Come out to Firestation and Farm Lake to celebrate the end of a fantastic year. Bus signups will be at Greg 31 on Monday (4/18) 3-7pm and Tuesday (4/19) 7-10pm, also, Wednesday (4/20) 1-3pm in Comm library on a first come, first serve basis. Cost is $11/person and please come with cash payments.

Interested in being on the AAF Illinois Exec Board next year? Simply click under the "Join Us" section and choose "Application" to see how the board will be set up, what each position entails, and how to apply. Good luck!

Ready for this semester's barcrawl? Remember to order your shirts by 3/29 for the winning Allstate design. Click Here and type in the password "illinois" to order. Hope to see you then!

Cone out to Espresso Royale on 6th and Daniel (7pm) to learn about AAF Exec Board positions next year and what to expect at Mosaic. Plus, who doesn't love coffee and AAF events?

How to get Your Dream Job

Maria Scieppi, Director of Chicago Portfolio School and past Art Director at Y&R New York, has helped hundreds of people break into the advertising and design industry. She considers herself a tour guide and will uncover the mystery of how to land your first job. Check it out tonight, 6pm, 223 Greg Hall.

Head to Greg Hall Room 213 to find out all you need to know for ADVASION this Thursday. There will be group assignments, meeting places, etc. Be there at 6pm tonight!

As we gear up for our first annual ADvasion trip to Chicago, the Daily Illini has selected AAF as the Student Organization of the Week! Read more at: RSO of the Week

Hey AAFers! Come out for a happy hour this Friday, Feb. 18th at Firehaus. Come see your AAF friends, hear about what's going on this semester, and celebrate that it's Friday!

This is the first time AAF is hosting ADvasion in Chicago, and it's going to be huge! Limited spots are available, so if you want to be a part of it, turn in your registration ASAP. We will send out another email this week announcing specific times and locations for money drop-off. They will be sometime on Monday, January 31 and Tuesday, February 1.

Are you interested in PR? Have you been following the redemption of people and companies like Tiger Woods and British Petroleum? Then this talk is a must! Katrina Olson will be speaking about public relations and crisis communication this Thursday, January 27 at noon in 228 Greg Hall (walk through the Media Studies office/glass door). She has many years of experience in the field, so it is sure to be very informative. Hopefully it fits into your class schedule, and don't forget to bring your lunch!

AAF - Illinois is sending 9 students to New York City for the networking opportunity of a lifetime in February. They have each been selected for the Most Promising Minority program - awarded to only 50 students across the nation. In February, they will attend a 4-day Career Fair that will immerse them in the advertising industry.

Congratulations to the Most Promising Award Winners:

Rebekah Andrews

Lauren Cheng

Brittany Herdman

Jason Houze

Zai-yu Elisia Phua

Dora Ulysse

And those who were selected for Honor Roll:

Mariza Baeza

Kshipra Datar

Dominique Robinson

We need writers for Ad Buzz! The Professional Development Committee still needs 5 writers for the weekly Ad Buzz Blog. There will be three writers for each topic so each writers will only be writing an article once a month. It will be first come, first serve. The topics are very broad which will allow for the writer to have a broad range of topics to choose from for their articles. If you are interested, please contact the Professional Development account at aafprofessionald@gmail.comASAP. Thanks!

Show your AAF pride and buy your apparel online today! The 1/4 zips would also make great holiday gifts for parents! The deadline to order will be Monday, November 15th at 11:59pm. Simply click the links below to be taken to the order pages! Feel free to contact aafevents@gmail.comwith any questions.

AAF 1/4 Zip Sweatshirt

AAF Mad Men Shirt

Burson-Marsteller (B-M), a leading global PR firm, visited the University of Illinois campus on Monday for an internship recruitment session. Erin Trier, the firm’s representative, spoke to a group of about 30 students in room 100 of Gregory Hall. After speaking about the firm as a whole and what makes them unique, she discussed how to land the 10-week paid summer internship at one of the firm’s 13 U.S. locations.

The main focus of her talk was to inform students that their quest for the internship shouldn’t end after all of the required documents are turned in. Students need to be involved, she said, and one of the best places to be involved and to network is on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. “Twitter is the place to be these days, it’s probably the most powerful social network in PR,” Trier said. There’s a special hashtag on Twitter (#HBSI2011) which is followed by all of B-M’s recruiters and HR staff all over the U.S., something Trier mentioned students should take advantage of.

She answered a wide variety of questions, including one pertaining to a student who just decided she might want to be in the PR business, but she has no real experience. Trier said she and other recruiters understand that not every student applying for the internship at B-M has previous internship experience, but that shouldn’t stop students from applying.

“Think about the skills you have, and how they translate into the work environment,” she said. “Also getting involved in activities in school like committees and volunteer organizations in school is a great way to stand out.”

Facts about the internship program can be found at www.bm.com/careers.

“There are a lot of places you could fit in throughout the entire PR industry,” Trier said, “and Burson-Marstller has a lot of opportunities.” B-M’s key client relationships include HP, Intel, Visa, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Hormel, Pfizer and Ford, among many others.

-Marty Malone, AAF Member

This year marks the 54th anniversary of the AWNY Career Conference taking place Friday, November 12 through Saturday, November 13 at the Fashion Insititute of Technology in New York City.

Events will include lectures and workshops hosted by major industry leaders. The Department of Advertising is also arranging agency tours and a networking event with alumni.

Students can register online at www.awny.org The $95 registration fee covers the cost of a snack and two meals. Individuals planning to attend should make their own travel arrangements. Students can fly in as early as Wednesday and stay until Sunday. Hotel reservations are available through the department for $100 per night for a shared room.

E-mail contact information, the number of nights you will be staying, and flight information to awnyadtrip2010@gmail.com.

For more information, please contact Megan Hay at awnyadtrip2010@gmail.com.

Looking for ways to get involved in AAF? New to the organization, and looking to meet more people? AAF Mentorship is right up your alley. Check out the link here. Find someone you would be interested in talking to - and sign up for the Mentorship Program!

Please join us for a recruiting presentation by Burson-Marsteller - a leading company in the PR industry. They will be recruiting, so please wear business casual, and bring your resume!

It’s that time of the year when we nominate students for the AAF’s Most Promising Minority Student Program in NYC!!

We’ve had many of our University of Illinois students get this opportunity of lifetime to network with some of the top advertising agencies in the nation. Picture you reaching your dreams to work for your IDEAL job! Nothing is impossible, therefore I suggest you fully take on this opportunity!! Those who are nominated have an all expense paid trip to NEW YORK CITY! This premier event provides opportunities to recruit fresh talent, further prepare advertising’s best young prospects and help the industry’s workforce better reflect the multiculturalism of today’s society. This program not only honors you as a student but enhances your knowledge and understanding of the advertising industry by offering networking, interviewing and industry immersion opportunities with industry professionals.

All you need is to get us your resume—it does NOT have to be perfect at this point—just make sure you include EVERYTHING. Please send it to mostpromising2010@gmail.com no later than OCTOBER 1st!.

For more information and program agenda, check out the Multicultural page!

For the first time, in the long, rich history of AAF Illinois, we are allowing members to apply online for the 2010-2011 academic year!  We are using Google Checkout services, which provides the utmost security for all transactions, and Wufoo, a digital application provider, to aggregate our members information to a central location. 

Applications are now available here, and must be submitted by October 1st.

Paper applications will still be offered as well, and can be found here as well. 

Morpheus Media is a full service interactive agency based in New York. They specialize in digital work, focusing on Web-analytics, ad-serving, and search engine marketing. Major clients include The New York Times, Neiman Marcus, The History Channel, Redken and many more. Morpheus is coming to Champaign with intentions of recruiting. This is a great event for anyone interested in a summer internship, or full-time position. Also, join us after the presentation for a social at Legends on Green Street. We will meet in the beer garden outside. Read more about them here: www.morpheusmedia.com

Date: September 15th
Time: 7pm
Location: 141 Wohlers

Stick around after the AAF General Meeting to hear from Starcom recruiters. Starcom is a media agency, with a large branch in Chicago. There are many Illinois grads working there now, so it’s a great company to be in touch with. Some of their major clients include Blackberry, Wrigley, Oracle and Nintendo. After the presentation, join us at Brothers Bar on Green Street for networking with the people from Starcom.

Date: September 14th
Time: 7pm
Location: 141 Wohlers

The first AAF General Meeting will be held September 14th, in 141 Wohlers at 6pm.

We invite anyone, from any major, any background, looking for jobs in any industry.  We are going to discuss the roles of each committee, so you know exactly where to get involved. Whether you’re a veteran AAF member, or just met us at Quad Day, we will have plenty of new information for you!

Date: September 14th
Time: 6pm
Location: 141 Wohlers

AAF Charity Bags & BBQ this Sunday, May 2nd (sponsored in part by AllSport)!

Come on out to the Illini Grove from 3-6 p.m. to play some sports, eat some BBQ, and donate to the Ronald McDonald House Charities!  $5 if you pay ahead of time, $6 at the door.  $6 per team to enter the bags tournament (any teams interested in entering must pay  before Sunday).  1st place team wins BWW gift cards and the 2nd place team wins back their entry fee.

Come get your $5 tickets and enter the bags tournament at the Communications Library from 11-3 Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Any friends of AAF are welcome!  Anyone who would be willing to help grill food for a little while please e-mail aafphilanthropy@gmail.com!!

The school year is ending and it's time for the Executive Board to pass the torch onto the next group of motivated, advertising-loving, and proactive AAF members. The application which is due May 3rd at midnight to aafexec2010@gmail.com. Per the instructions on the application, a resume must also be submitted in addition to the application. Any questions can be directed to the same email address.

All of the Executive Board positions as well as information about the current Executive Board members can be found at http://www.aafillinois.com/adclub/execboard/. This list of the positions is a useful reference considering how many positions there are. 

Best of luck to all applicants!!

When: Next Thursday April 15th
Where: Farm Lake barn which is located on 2502 N. Cunningham Ave in Urbana
Bus Times: 8:30, 9:00 and 9:30 from Wright and Daniel. Returns at 11:00, 11:30, and 12:00

Come out early for the pre-game at Brother's at 7PM (which is included in the ticket price). Please bring beverages of your choice to the barn.

Sign up to the attend the dance using THIS FORM!

We will be collecting money next week Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 1230-3pm in the Comm Library in Greg Hall. The price is $14 to attend. Please pay with cash or make a check out to AAF Illinois.

Drag out your flannel shirts and daisy dukes and lets get crazy!

The American Advertising Federation at the University of Illinois will be holding a shoe drive for Share Your Soles.

The exact dates of the drive are TBD, but we are hoping to have it around finals time. Keep a lookout for dates and times at the AAF Shoe Drive Facebook page.

WE ARE COLLECTING ANY USED SHOES. EVERY DONATION HELPS. THESE SHOES WILL BE DONATED TO CHILDREN IN NEED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

WE ACCEPT ALL TYPES OF SHOES, FOR ALL AGES. FROM HIGH HEELS TO SANDALS TO GYM SHOES. ANY SIZE. ANY BRAND.

The shoes will be donated to the Share Your Soles foundation, a greta not-for-profit based out of Palos, Illinois. Their website can be found at  http://shareyoursoles.org

We would greatly appreciate your help with this!! It's a FANTASTIC cause!!

David Haan, Executive Director, The Creative Circus Portfolio School will be here this week to talk to students seeking advice in today’s job market.  He has 28 years in the advertising business, knows what agencies are looking for and who they will be hiring.  I’m sure you will find his message valuable.  Hope to see everyone, Wednesday, March 3rd, 5:00 p.m., in 66 Library. 

This is event is sponsored by the Department of Advertising. 

Ben Brownback, CEO of DAV Productions in Las Vegas will be in town this week.

He is planning on doing a presentation/talk tomorrow, Monday March 1st, on something very relevant to you right now – job search, networking, building industry relationships etc.

He is one of the best networkers on the planet, period.

It would be very beneficial for you to stop by and get some more advice on this topic.

229 Natural History Building
Monday March 1 at 7PM

Next AAF General Meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 16th in 269 Everitt Lab. The meeting will teach you how to network and what to do at a career fair in preparation for the Mosaic Career Fair, Student/Alumni Interface, and CAF Career Day, which are all coming up in a few weeks. We will also be launching the new AAF Illinois website at the meeting, as well as having an AAF Social afterward. See you there!

The Chicago Advertising Federation will be hosting the annual CAF Career Day in Chicago on February 26th this year. It is an great event that includes big name speakers, recruiter advice, industry panels, networking opportunities and an agency visit. They put on a solid program every year. Many of our students in the past have networked their way into an internship or job. There is something there for everyone from freshman to senior.

Students can check it out and register at www.chicagoadfed.org

Looking for Networking tips to find a summer internship? Not sure how to approach a recruiter at a job fair?

Check out this video for some advice! http://stopjobsearching.com

Good luck on the internship search!