Recently I joined the leadership team at REBUS, the young professional arm of the St. Louis Advertising Club in an effort to improve the content and visibility of their blog.  For the past year or so, I've been a contributing writer offering up insights on "How to Land an Ad Gig", "The Importance of Social Media in the Workplace", and "Deadlines- The Ultimate Inspiration" as well as some recaps for local events that took place at agencies like Rivet and Hoffman Lewis.  It's been a fun excercise that's allowed me to appeal to a wider audience as well as a more targeted audience- young advertising professionals looking for advice from people within the industry.

I think REBUS is an advertising network with a lot of potential, and although it's getting more mature (the group just celebrated it's 5th birthday in March), it feels as though it's still in its infancy.  I originally got involved in an effort to land a job at an agency.  The reason I stick around is because in the advertising industry, it can't hurt to continue to be in the know.  Each REBUS event takes place at a different agency, with presenters who showcase new and innovative thinking year after year.  Yes, there have been some roadblocks (an opinion from an outsider looking in), but I think the group has a leadership team with a vision for a successful now and a successful future, and I'm excited to be a part of it.

I encourage you to keep an eye on the content over at the REBUS blog.  It's not all my writing (in fact most of the articles are submitted by REBUS members and contributing writers) but I think the content is really compelling, educational, and most importantly- original and specific to our intended audience.  It will be growing throughout the year, and I look forward to sharing the vision with you as we move forward.

For those who aren't familiar with REBUS and want to know more, shoot me an email or check out thier page on the St. Louis Ad Club site.

This was a summary write up for last month's REBUS that never quite saw the light of day.  A month old, but still completely relevant, check out the recap from what I consider a pretty powerful presentation on the evolution of an ad agency-- specifically Schupp Company.

Evolution, reform, progress, transformation – call it what you want to call it, the advertising landscape has changed.  With every new medium, employees must get smarter and agencies must work harder to stay ahead of curve.  On November 16, Schupp Company opened their doors to REBUS to shed some light on how their agency has adapted to changes taking over the industry and how these changes have affected copywriters, account managers, interactive designers, and media buyers on an individual basis.

Jim Mayfield, senior VP, Executive Creative Director, kicked off Schupp Company’s presentation with a brief background on the evolution of their agency model.  “When we started, everything in our agency was separate, including digital.  There was advertising, direct marketing, sales promotions, public relations, and digital.  Now, all those elements still exist, but they’re all connected together by digital.”  He also touched on a variety of other subjects centered on agency evolution such as the importance of engagement (over simple exposure) and the idea that media is now just as important as the message. 

Next up was Brian McLaughlin, Associate Media Director at Schupp Company.  Talking about his role, he stressed the importance of media planning early on in the creative process and using media as a building block for ideas, rather than just the outlet to carry them out.  Touching on elements like social media and blogs, he stated, “It’s a new world of opportunity that’s not just about GRPs, reach, or frequency. It’s about how brands, media and society work together.”

Sara Bremehr, an Account Supervisor at Schupp was next in line to discuss how her role in account management has changed over the last few years. She stated, “Today, it’s far more important to be a strategic marketer than simply a relationship manager.  There’s tremendous pressure on AEs to be a “Jack of all trades” and quite frankly, to be successful, you must strive to fit that role.”

Chris Douglas, Interactive Creative Director and Anthony Simmons, Senior Creative Director rounded out the presentation by touching on what it takes to be successful in today’s creative environment. Simmons opened up with “Everyone is a writer; but it’s up to actual writers to create successful consumer engagements that provide unique opportunities to start a conversation.”  Douglas finished with the following advice, “Roll up your sleeves, embrace technology, and most importantly, create.  A true creative is always creating.” 

The evening ended with some networking, a play by play of Schupp’s latest on-premise promotion “Bet on Taste”, and a casual tour around the three story office complete with pool table, beer vending machine, and indoor basketball court.  For those in the industry, it’s easy to imagine evolving when the environment alone does nothing but stimulate the senses.

Thanks to Schupp for hosting and thanks to everyone who attended the event.  Stay tuned to the REBUS blog to find out which agency will be hosting next month’s event.