Spartan Advertising Club Takes NYC

Earlier this semester, Professor John Delacruz and 17 SJSU students were able to fit in a visit to New York City on a trip organized by the Spartan Advertising Club. The club takes a trip every year, typically lasting 5 days in length. New York City is undeniably a media hotspot, making it the perfect location for learning the industry of advertising. The group spent their days visiting agencies and their evenings enjoying the city’s tourism, with stops at galleries and exhibitions such as "Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art" at the Whitney.

This year they were able to make stops at 5 different agencies, with each offering something new to be experienced: FCB Health, The Working Assembly, Havas Health & You, TBWA, and VanyerMedia. It was a priority to visit a variety of agencies in order to allow students to get a feel for the diversity of the industry.

Students saw it all from a startup with a dozen employees to global agencies occupying plenty of Manhattan real estate. This ensured the full range of the advertising industry was included in the trip. One of the most memorable moments of the trip, according to Delacruz, happened when the group spent time at Havas Health & You. The students were allowed on the production level, which gave them an incredible firsthand look at the development of everything from virtual reality to print.

Aside from an incredible traveling opportunity, this trip was an extraordinary chance for students to network with recruiters, both in person and on LinkedIn. Speaking with media professionals face-to-face offers a more personal and memorable way of establishing connections. Notably, the students were able to meet with a recruiter at Fordham University.

The feedback I get most invariably is "now I know what I want to do with my life."

— Prof. John Delacruz

Tony Wong, Ad Club President

• What did you learn as a student entering the field?

  • As a student about to graduate and enter the ad industry, I learned that advertising is a very small and competitive industry and it’s very important to maintain a good reputation. As an aspiring art director, I learned that being able to collaborate and think differently so that I can be different from other candidates.

• What was the most memorable moment of the trip for you?

  • The most memorable moment of the trip for me was definitely getting to meet and speak with all the advertising professionals at each and every ad agency. I was able to talk to them and ask them questions that I would not be able to ask in school.

• What surprised you during your visits to the ad agencies?

  • Visiting ad agencies is a lot of fun and insightful, but something that is surprising is that each and every ad agency that I’ve visited has a different atmosphere and personality and it’s different for each one.

Andrea Perez, Ad Club Board Member

• What did you learn as a student entering the field?

  • One of the most important things for any student to consider when entering any field is the way we are able to communicate our strengths. I think that was something that every recruiter that we talked to put heavy emphasis on. They see hundreds of resumes a day and it stands out when someone can explain their strengths in a clear way.

• What was the most memorable moment of the trip for you?

  • Something that was really memorable was having conversations with people after going on a tour and having them talk about how they didn’t know there was so much more to advertising than what they thought. Or once they got a better understanding of what a position was, realizing that it was something they were really interested in and wanted to pursue.