Now the chief aim of AdBridge is to connect people, disciplines and ideas, encouraging and driving collaboration, however, my experiences are limited to one particular university and its merits and faults. My intention is not to under or misrepresent other advertising programs, but rather use mine as a launching pad for discussion.
Gene Kincaid, a professor in charge of the Digital sequence of advertising at UT, said that UT’s advertising students are 3-7 years ahead of reality. This blog, you the 360 planner, you the creative problem solver not bound by departments but free to improve brands regardless of departmental divisions, you are 3-7 years ahead of the curve.
Kincaid says that one of the biggest hindrances of 360 advertising is the cost structure of the industry. He says that 360 advertising is “very unselfish” because it “spreads intelligence around.” This brings up a problem because the bottom line is often, well, on a short horizon. And Connections Planning, working for the big picture, makes it difficult to see direct benefits of collaboration—at least with out some leeway. Hmmm, billing, the question of “who gets paid for this?” is currently a big roadblock for connection planning.
He also tells of how when the advertising department at UT was first formed, there was a decision to be made about how to “raise” students—to be executives in the industry, those that run agencies and are not “ad people” but more so understand business or to be leaders in the industry, those that are critical and strategic thinkers. People that he says are “native 360 planners, native creatives who have the ability to solve problems.”
Chew on this for a few days… I will finish his interview Monday with what he believes to be the driving force behind 360 advertising.
-Karen Brooks
