VCU Brandcenter
Encyclopedia
The VCU Brandcenter is a graduate program in advertising
and communications at Virginia Commonwealth University
in the School of Mass Communications. The program has been recognized as America's number one graduate school in advertising and marketing, most recently with the O’Toole Award in 2009 and by Creativity Magazine in 2007. Unlike many advertising schools, The VCU Brandcenter is more than a portfolio school as it offers students a master’s degree to complement the advertising portfolio students create. The program is known within the advertising industry for its intensity. However, the students who graduate from the program earn valuable real life experience to develop brands on a global scale.
The program allows students to choose one of five different areas of study in marketing and advertising. These sections or tracks are copywriting, art direction, communication strategy, creative brand management and creative technology.
The students study within their given track for roughly 2/3 of their classes. For the remaining 1/3 of the instruction all tracks work together to solve business problems creatively with branding and advertising.
The art direction track is designed to turn students who think visually into art directors in the advertising industry. Art directors think in terms of visual solutions to solve business problems.
Art directors often have a background in fine arts, or at least an appreciation for the world of visual art. At the Brandcenter, they are taught to think strategically and conceptually before beginning to create advertisements. They go through two years of training, learning to begin with strategy and concept before creating advertisements. Art directors work closely with copywriters to make ads that would run in the real world.
The curriculum teaches art directors to not only create visuals and logos, but to think through business problems and solve them using the best thinking possible.
Communication Strategy
Communication strategists are the link between the brand and the consumer. They are the voice of the consumer within the agency and concepting process. Through innovative primary and secondary research, they synthesize insights out of their findings. These key insights are then used to create a specific strategy for any campaign or branding venture, in order to uniquely position the brand authentically within the daily lives of consumers. They then brief the creative team, of copywriters, art directors, creative technologists, on the strategy that will be utilized to develop the creative concept. In addition, they develop the media plan and creative vehicles where the advertisements or messages live.
Copywriting
As the name suggests, the copywriting
track teaches how to write the copy of advertisements.The Brandcenter teaches that copywriters are storytellers and learn to use words to best solve business and market problems. Copywriters are taught to think conceptually before launching into the words they hold so dear. They go through two years of grueling training, learning to begin with strategy and concept before crafting advertisements. They work closely with art directors to make ads that would run in the real world. The curriculum teaches that copywriters don’t just write headlines, tag lines and website descriptions, they must think through a business problem and solve it using the best strategy and thinking possible.
Creative Brand Management
The creative brand management track combines business and creativity to teach students how to solve problems creatively. Upon graduating many student choose to work for clients of the advertising industry instead of working at advertising agencies. The track was developed in 2005 to help create better clients that understand how advertising agencies function.
At the Brandcenter, creative brand managers are taught to act as the client who is having advertising campaigns created for the brands they represent.
Creative Technology
The creative technologists use concepting skills to bring brands to life in digital spaces. They extend brand campaigns past simple mobile applications and websites by bringing new kinds of brand experiences to any type of digital space. The creative technology program was added to the school in 2008 and its first set of graduates are expected to graduate in 2010. The program was added to address the changing industry as the digital world begins to play a bigger part in advertising and branding every year.
She helped put together a board of directors that included Jay Chiat, founder of TBWA Chiat/Day, and Dan Wieden, president of Wieden & Kennedy, from her contacts in the industry. From the beginning, the program was based on what actually happens in the advertising industry. For example, it was the first program of its kind to offer account management education.
The original board of directors wanted the school to focus on diversity as well as the future of the advertising industry, rather than its past.
In 2005, the creative brand management track was added.
In 2008, the program changed its name from the VCU Adcenter to the VCU Brandcenter. The school felt its new name better reflected the rapidly changing advertising industry and the changes in its own curriculum.
The concept of the magazine is chaos, which bears absolutely no relation to the school’s operations or functions.
The content comes from students and faculty of the school and contains student work, articles, interviews and art about the advertising industry, the Richmond area and the many activities that occur within the program.
The Brandcenter Board:
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and communications at Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
in the School of Mass Communications. The program has been recognized as America's number one graduate school in advertising and marketing, most recently with the O’Toole Award in 2009 and by Creativity Magazine in 2007. Unlike many advertising schools, The VCU Brandcenter is more than a portfolio school as it offers students a master’s degree to complement the advertising portfolio students create. The program is known within the advertising industry for its intensity. However, the students who graduate from the program earn valuable real life experience to develop brands on a global scale.
The program allows students to choose one of five different areas of study in marketing and advertising. These sections or tracks are copywriting, art direction, communication strategy, creative brand management and creative technology.
The students study within their given track for roughly 2/3 of their classes. For the remaining 1/3 of the instruction all tracks work together to solve business problems creatively with branding and advertising.
Tracks of study
Art DirectionThe art direction track is designed to turn students who think visually into art directors in the advertising industry. Art directors think in terms of visual solutions to solve business problems.
Art directors often have a background in fine arts, or at least an appreciation for the world of visual art. At the Brandcenter, they are taught to think strategically and conceptually before beginning to create advertisements. They go through two years of training, learning to begin with strategy and concept before creating advertisements. Art directors work closely with copywriters to make ads that would run in the real world.
The curriculum teaches art directors to not only create visuals and logos, but to think through business problems and solve them using the best thinking possible.
Communication Strategy
Communication strategists are the link between the brand and the consumer. They are the voice of the consumer within the agency and concepting process. Through innovative primary and secondary research, they synthesize insights out of their findings. These key insights are then used to create a specific strategy for any campaign or branding venture, in order to uniquely position the brand authentically within the daily lives of consumers. They then brief the creative team, of copywriters, art directors, creative technologists, on the strategy that will be utilized to develop the creative concept. In addition, they develop the media plan and creative vehicles where the advertisements or messages live.
Copywriting
As the name suggests, the copywriting
Copywriting
Copywriting is the use of words and ideas to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. Although the word copy may be applied to any content intended for printing , the term copywriter is generally limited to promotional situations, regardless of the medium...
track teaches how to write the copy of advertisements.The Brandcenter teaches that copywriters are storytellers and learn to use words to best solve business and market problems. Copywriters are taught to think conceptually before launching into the words they hold so dear. They go through two years of grueling training, learning to begin with strategy and concept before crafting advertisements. They work closely with art directors to make ads that would run in the real world. The curriculum teaches that copywriters don’t just write headlines, tag lines and website descriptions, they must think through a business problem and solve it using the best strategy and thinking possible.
Creative Brand Management
The creative brand management track combines business and creativity to teach students how to solve problems creatively. Upon graduating many student choose to work for clients of the advertising industry instead of working at advertising agencies. The track was developed in 2005 to help create better clients that understand how advertising agencies function.
At the Brandcenter, creative brand managers are taught to act as the client who is having advertising campaigns created for the brands they represent.
Creative Technology
The creative technologists use concepting skills to bring brands to life in digital spaces. They extend brand campaigns past simple mobile applications and websites by bringing new kinds of brand experiences to any type of digital space. The creative technology program was added to the school in 2008 and its first set of graduates are expected to graduate in 2010. The program was added to address the changing industry as the digital world begins to play a bigger part in advertising and branding every year.
History
The Adcenter opened in 1996 under the leadership of Diane Cook-Tench. Cook-Tench, a former senior vice president and creative director at The Martin Agency, worked with then president of VCU, Dr. Eugene Trani to create the school.She helped put together a board of directors that included Jay Chiat, founder of TBWA Chiat/Day, and Dan Wieden, president of Wieden & Kennedy, from her contacts in the industry. From the beginning, the program was based on what actually happens in the advertising industry. For example, it was the first program of its kind to offer account management education.
The original board of directors wanted the school to focus on diversity as well as the future of the advertising industry, rather than its past.
In 2005, the creative brand management track was added.
In 2008, the program changed its name from the VCU Adcenter to the VCU Brandcenter. The school felt its new name better reflected the rapidly changing advertising industry and the changes in its own curriculum.
Executive Education
The Brandcenter works with advertising professionals in addition to its neophyte students. The Executive Education program is designed to help advertising professionals to explore innovative methods for consumer engagement and shows them how to take advantage of this thinking.Sixty Magazine
Sixty magazine is an annual magazine published by the Brandcenter. The title is derived from the sixty weeks that students spend earning their masters degrees. The current circulation is around 8,000.The concept of the magazine is chaos, which bears absolutely no relation to the school’s operations or functions.
The content comes from students and faculty of the school and contains student work, articles, interviews and art about the advertising industry, the Richmond area and the many activities that occur within the program.
Professors
- Rick Boyko
- Coz Cotzias
- Wayne Gibson
- Scott Witthaus
- Mark Avnet
- Don Just
- Kelly O'Keefe
- Peter Coughter
- Mark Fenske
- Cabell Harris
- Caley Cantrell
Staff
- Karen Berndt
- Dean Collins
- Andrea Groat
- Katherine Keogh
- Lucy Moore
- Amy Robinson
- Ashley Sommardahl
Board of directors
Advisory Board:- Lee ClowLee ClowLee Clow is currently the Chairman and Global Director of TBWA\Worldwide, and was formerly its Chief Creative Officer. Advertising Age referred to him as "advertising's art director guru".-Career:...
, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of TBWA\Chiat\Day - Jeff Goodby, Co-Chairman and Creative Director of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
- John Hegarty, Chairman of Bartle Bogle HegartyBartle Bogle HegartyBartle Bogle Hegarty is a British advertising agency, responsible for some notable advertising campaigns of the last 30 years. The company was founded by John Bartle, Nigel Bogle & Sir John Hegarty in 1982. Sir John Hegarty and Nigel Bogle still lead it today, together with worldwide CEO Simon...
- Sir Ken RobinsonSir Ken RobinsonSir Ken Robinson is an author, speaker, and international advisor on education in the arts to government, non-profits, education, and arts bodies...
, Author/Consultant - Michael Roth, Chairman & CEO of Interpublic Group
- Dan WiedenDan WiedenDan Wieden is an American advertising executive who co-founded Wieden+Kennedy, and who coined the Nike tagline "Just Do It".He and David Kennedy were listed as number 22 on the Advertising Age 100 ad people of the 20th century...
, President & Creative Director of Wieden+KennedyWieden+KennedyWieden+Kennedy is an independently owned American advertising agency best known for its work for Nike...
The Brandcenter Board:
- Allison Arden, Vice President and Publisher of Advertising Age
- Brian Collins, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at COLLINS
- Earl Cox, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at The Martin AgencyThe Martin AgencyThe Martin Agency is an American advertising agency based in Richmond, Virginia that is now part of Interpublic Group of Companies.*Freecreditreport.com jingle since October 2007 starring Eric Violette.*"The money you could be saving with Geico"-Clients:...
- David Droga, Founder & Creative Chairman of Droga5
- Lori Erdos, Vice President, Advertising Sales of USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
- Bob Greenberg, Chairman, CEO, and Global Chief Creative Officer of R/GAR/GAR/GA Media Group Inc. is an advertising agency headquartered in New York — with additional offices in San Francisco, Chicago, London, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Singapore, and Stockholm. The agency is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies , one of four global advertising holding companies...
- Mike Hughes, Chairman of the Board, President/Creative Director of The Martin AgencyThe Martin AgencyThe Martin Agency is an American advertising agency based in Richmond, Virginia that is now part of Interpublic Group of Companies.*Freecreditreport.com jingle since October 2007 starring Eric Violette.*"The money you could be saving with Geico"-Clients:...
- Andrew Jaffe, President of Compass Consulting
- Lance Jensen, Founder of Modernista!
- Jon Kamen, Chairman and CEO of @radical.media
- Gareth Kay, Director of Digital Strategy of Goodby Silverstein & Partners
- Paul Lavoie, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Taxi
- Joseph McCarthy, CEO of Publicis New York
- Nadine McHugh, Client Leadership at Mindshare
- Matt Miller, President and CEO of Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP)
- Ty Montague, CEO, Co:
- Marcio Moreira, Vice Chairman of McCann-Erickson WorldGroup
- George Neill, Chief Marketing Officer of Brunswick Corporation
- John Partilla, COO, Dentsu Network West
- Kevin Proudfoot, Co-Executive Creative Director of Wieden+KennedyWieden+KennedyWieden+Kennedy is an independently owned American advertising agency best known for its work for Nike...
- Bob Scarpelli, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of DDB Worldwide Comm. Group, Inc.
- Matthew J. Scheckner, President and CEO of Stillwell Partners
- Joe Sciarrotta, Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy & MatherOgilvy & MatherOgilvy & Mather is an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency based in Manhattan and owned by the WPP Group. The company operates 497 offices in 125 countries with approximately 16,000 employees.-History:...
- Jerry Shereshewsky, CEO of grandparents.com
- Jeff Steinhour, Managing Partner and Director of Content Management at Crispin Porter + BoguskyCrispin Porter + BoguskyCrispin Porter + Bogusky , a member of publicly-traded MDC Partners, is an advertising agency that currently employs around 1,000 people. It was founded in 1965 by Sam Crispin.. Crispin then became partners with Chuck Porter and Alex Bogusky...
- Elizabeth Talerman, CEO and Managing Partner of Nucleus
- Rick Webb, Partner and COO of Barbarian Group