Jeff Kling, Chief Creative Officer at Fallon, will be VCU Brandcenter's commencement speaker on Saturday, May 11th.

His plans to rebuild the Death Star on temporary hold, this current Chief Creative Officer of Fallon and former ECD of Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and Euro RSCG New York hopes: 1) his ambient dislike of advertising has bettered his own work; and 2) that no one will mind him not having fulfilled his imagined potential as world-champion surfer.

With help, Jeff created “The Most Interesting Man In The World,” rubber-stamped Nike’s “Write The Future” campaign and authored the Miller High Life manifesto and campaign that Academy-Award winner Errol Morris only half- jokingly refers to as his best work. His promotional work for Fight Club went viral before YouTube, when clips were called tapes and had to be sent by hand through a thing called the mail.

In his fourteen hundred thirty seven thousand years in the business, Kling has quarterbacked national and global work for Jaguar, Heineken, Coke, EA, Nokia, Volvo, Honda, The Eye Film Institute Netherlands, Miller Genuine Draft, ESPN, Clearasil, Gore-Tex, and many, many more—and for a host of dead dot-coms, for whose busted bubble he is personally responsible. Father to two semi-Austrian daughters who karate-kick the bejeezus out of him every day and tell him no in three languages, possibly the luckiest bastard alive.

 

Take a look at where the Class of 2014 is headed for their summer internships:

 

 

April 22nd-26th is VCU Brandcenter week on Modern Copywriter. Check out a 2nd year copywriter featured each day at www.moderncopywriter.com.

 

The VCU Brandcenter is holding an information session and tour for prospective students on Friday, April 5th at 2pm in the Brandcenter Lecture Hall.

Diane Cook-Tench

The VCU Brandcenter had quite a presence in Super Bowl XLVII, with nine commercials worked on by a total of eleven alumni. The spots were some of the favorites of Super Bowl viewers and drew extensive social media attention.

Three alumni spots made the top ten of USA TODAY’s Ad Meter, voted on by a panel of 7,619 Super Bowl ad viewers.  The beloved “Miracle Stain” commercial for Tide, written by Luke Behrends, (CW, 2007), a copywriter at Saatchi & Saatchi New York, came in a close second place for best commercial of the Super Bowl. It was barely edged out by perennial favorite, the Budweiser Clydesdales.  The Tide spot featured a 49ers fan spilling salsa on his jersey in the miraculous image of Joe Montana.

“Miracle Stain” was featured on the Today Show the morning after the Super Bowl, where Matt Miller, Brandcenter board member and President of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, referred to the VCU Brandcenter as the #1 ad school in the country. 

A group of Brandcenter second year students did their own polling and weighed in on the commercials using the Twitter hashtag #BCBigGame.  

Brandcenter Alumni Spots listed by USA Today Ad Meter ranking:

 

2. Tide “Miracle Stain”

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi NY

Alum: Luke Behrends (CW, 2007)

 

6. Kia “Space Babies”

Agency: David and Goliath, Los Angeles

Alum: Steve Yee (AD, 2000)

 

10. Audi “Prom”

Agency: Venables, Bell and Partners, San Francisco

Alum: Kendall Beveridge (CBM, 2010)

Agency: M80

Alum: Raunak Munot (CBM, 2010) – social media campaign

 

14. Best Buy “Asking Amy Poehler”

Agency: CP+B LA

Alum: Devin Kennedy (CBM, 2012)

 

15. VW “Get Happy Office Guy”

Agency: Deutsch LA

Alum: Mark Peters (AD, 2000)

 

20. Samsung “Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan”

Agency: 72 and Sunny

Alum: Patrick Maravilla (CW, 2007)

 

38. Blackberry “My New Blackberry”

Agency: BBDO New York

Alum: Richard Perusi (AD, 2006)

 

View the full USA TODAY Ad Meter Results >

 

Brandcenter Alumni Regional Super Bowl Spots:

 

Old Spice “Irresistible”

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Portland

Alum: Britton Taylor (CS, 2001)

This spot only aired on YouTube and in Alaska, the “wolf capital of the world.”

 

BMO Harris Bank "Dream Home"

Agency: Y&R Chicago

Alum: Laura Fallon (AD, 2010)

Alum: James Wood (CW, 2009)

This spot aired in the Midwest region.

 

 

Visit our Friday Forum page to download the Spring 2013 Friday Forum schedule and take a look at our great line-up this semester!

The VCU Brandcenter conducted its first ever Alumni Salary Survey. Take a look at the overall findings, as well as comparisons by track, level, and region. You can also see how each track measures up in terms of job happiness and work-life balance, and see which agencies our alumni think are doing the best work out there.

Check out our Winter 2012/2013 Alumni Newsletter for a recap of what's been happening at the Brandcenter since our new director, Helayne Spivak, started in August.

Friday, Nov. 30th*
3:30-5pm
VCU Brandcenter Lecture Hall
103 S. Jefferson Street
Richmond, VA 23284

Friday, Dec. 7th*
2:30-4pm
VCU Brandcenter Lecture Hall
103 S. Jefferson Street
Richmond, VA 23284

*Both info sessions will be live streamed for those who can't make it to the Brandcenter. Check our Facebook page for the link: VCU Brandcenter on Facebook.

• Learn about the VCU Brandcenter master's program and its 5 tracks: Art Direction, Copywriting, Creative Technology, Communications Strategy, and Creative Brand Management
• Hear from current Brandcenter students on a Q&A panel
• Take a tour of the Brandcenter
• Speak with an admissions representative

Contact Hawley Smyth at smythh@vcu.edu or Katherine Keogh at kkeogh@vcu.edu with questions.

 Richmond, Va. (November 6, 2012) -- Brad Perry, a second-year student at the VCU Brandcenter, is the 2012 recipient of a $5,000 annual scholarship from Spurrier Media Group (SMG), a creative media shop with offices in the Richmond and Metro DC markets. Since 2008, SMG has presented a total of $25,000 to deserving Brandcenter students who intend to pursue a career in the advertising field, which includes media planning, buying and placement of ad messages.

A native of Fredericksburg, Va., Perry received both his bachelor's degree in psychology/mass communications and his master's degree in experimental psychology from James Madison University. From 2000-2011, he worked for the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, a statewide nonprofit that works with shelters and community education programs. He also did some national consulting with the Centers for Disease Control's Injury and Violence Prevention Center.

"I saw a real need for a more strategic approach to brand communications in the nonprofit sector, and ended up getting bitten by the branding bug," said Perry, explaining why he left full-time employment to become a student at the VCU Brandcenter at the age of 35. "This was a huge decision for me and I really value the experience," he said. "The Spurrier Media Group scholarship will really help out financially and it's even more special because I was very inspired by Donna's presentation to the students about media buying and planning."

He praised the Brandcenter faculty for helping students to get a 360-degree view of a brand experience so that it delivers a clear, singular message. "People want to connect with a brand in authentic ways, so companies need to prioritize their customers' needs and think about all of the ways that people interact with their brands," he said. "Advertising is definitely important, but it's only one aspect of how a brand exists in our minds."

Read More >

Friday, Nov. 9th
2:30-4pm
VCU Brandcenter Lecture Hall
103 S. Jefferson Street
Richmond, Va 23284

Friday, Nov. 30th*
3:30-5pm
VCU Brandcenter Lecture Hall
103 S. Jefferson Street
Richmond, Va 23284

*Nov. 30th info session will be live streamed for those who can't make it to the Brandcenter. Check our Facebook page for the link: VCU Brandcenter on Facebook.

• Learn about the VCU Brandcenter master's program and its 5 tracks: Art Direction, Copywriting, Creative Technology, Communications Strategy, and Creative Brand Management
• Hear from current Brandcenter students on a Q&A panel
• Take a tour of the Brandcenter
• Speak with an admissions representative

Contact Katherine Keogh at kkeogh@vcu.edu with questions.

 Visit our Friday Forum page to download the Fall 2012 Friday Forum schedule and take a look at our great line-up this semester!

Download the Summer 2012 Alumni Newsletter to catch up on everything that's happened at the Brandcenter so far this year!

 

Tom Gresham
(804) 221-0528
VCU Communications and Public Relations
(804) 828-6051
tmgresham@vcu.edu

6/28/2012

Students from the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter were among the winners of the AKQA Future Lions competition at the Cannes Lions 59^th International Festival of Creativity held last week in Cannes, France. A number of Brandcenter alumni also picked up prizes in the general competitions.

Christopher Sheldon, Marybeth Ledesma, Nadia Hyder, Matthew Runde and Nick Maschmeyer were honored in the Future Lions contest at the festival, which attracts thousands of members of the global creative communications industries. Cannes is the largest international award show in the advertising industry. The Future Lions competition honors the best advertising work from students. Entrants were required to advertise a product from a global brand in a way that could not have been done five years ago.

The VCU Brandcenter team created an innovative video advertising Microsoft’s “Bing Automatic,” an organic search tool. The video can be viewed at http://www.brandcenter.vcu.edu/11.aspx. The winning piece involved contributions from students from each of the VCU Brandcenter’s five tracks – art direction (Ledesma), copywriting (Sheldon), communications strategy (Maschmeyer), creative technology (Runde) and creative brand management (Hyder).

In addition to the current students’ winning entry, several VCU Brandcenter alumni were winners in Cannes competitions. They included:

• Daniel Burke (art direction, 2006). Award: Direct Grand Prix, Cyber Gold Lion. Agency: CP+B Boulder, for American Express, “Small Business Gets an Official Day” -- http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/interactive/entry.cfm?entryid=32630&award=2

• Mathieu Dauner (communications strategy, 2005). Award: Cannes Effectiveness Award. Agency: Leo Burnett Sydney, for Diageo Australia, Bundeberg Rum, “Watermark” -- http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/effectiveness/entry.cfm?entryid=1494&award=31

• Marika Wiggan (communications strategy, 2010). Award: Mobile Gold Lion. Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, for Chevrolet, “Chevy Game Time” -- http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/mobile/entry.cfm?entryid=11229&award=2

• John McClaire (creative technology, 2011) and Rob Thiemann (copywriting, 2010). Awards: Direct Gold Lion, PR Gold Lion, Direct Bronze Lion, PR Bronze Lion. Agency: Leo Burnett Detroit, for Troy Public Library, “Book Burning Party” -- http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/direct/entry.cfm?entryid=13273&award=2

• Jeff Gillette (copywriting, 2006) and Heather Ryder (copywriting, 2010). Award: Direct Gold Lion. Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, for the Coca-Cola Company, “Coca-Cola Polar Bowl” -- http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/direct/entry.cfm?entryid=26943&award=2

• Joey Ianno (art direction, 2010) and Matty Smith (copywriting, 2011). Award: Film Silver Lion. Agency: Barton F. Graf 9000, for Kayak, "Brain Surgery" -- http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/film/entry.cfm?entryid=5618&award=3

• Eric Dennis (art direction, 2011), Molly Jamison (art direction, 2011), Joey Ianno (art direction, 2010) and Matty Smith (copywriting, 2010). Award: Film Silver Lion. Agency: Barton F. Graf 9000, for Kayak, "How To" campaign -- http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/film/entry.cfm?entryid=8898&award=3

• Julie Matheny (copywriting 2010). Award: Mobile Grand Prix. Agency: Johannes Leonardo, for Google, "Hilltop Re-imagined for Coca-Cola." -- http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/mobile/
  

See More >

Tom Gresham
(804) 221-0528
VCU Communications and Public Relations
(804) 828-6051
tmgresham@vcu.edu

Helayne Spivak, an acclaimed veteran creative director in the advertising industry, has been named the new director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter, the university’s marketing communications and advertising graduate program.

Spivak, most recently the chief creative officer of Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, has enjoyed a varied and successful career in the advertising industry that includes leading the creative departments at Hal Riney, Young & Rubicam New York, Ammirati Puris Lintas New York and JWT New York. Spivak will replace Rick Boyko, who retires on July 1 after nine years as the program’s director. Spivak will start at the Brandcenter on Aug. 15.

“Over the past few years, Rick Boyko and the faculty and board of VCU Brandcenter have built this university into the best source for the new creative, strategic and technologically forward-thinking talent today's industry is desperately looking to hire,” Spivak said. “But the job is never done. Things continue to change every day and we have to maintain a permanent position on that cutting edge. That's why I can't think of a more exciting time to join VCU Brandcenter as its new director: To continue VCU Brandcenter on its forward path igniting creative minds, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit and preparing our students to excel and lead in a time that will go down in advertising history as the Second Creative Revolution.”

Spivak has served on the board of The One Club and on the film jury of the Cannes Advertising Festival. She also received the prestigious Matrix Award for Women in Communications, and the Wall Street Journal recognized her in its Creative Leaders series. Spivak has won all of the advertising industry’s major creative awards, including the One Show, the Art Director’s Club and the Cannes Gold Lion.

Spivak, who also has spent time as a restaurateur and stand-up comedian, has created national campaigns for Sears (“Come See the Softer Side of Sears”), Burger King, UPS, Sanyo, Kodak and a United States president, among others. She has provided creative leadership for a wide range of brands, including Johnson & Johnson, MCI, ATT, MasterCard, Kraft, Bayer Consumer, Shiseido, Revlon, Acutrim, General Motors, Fuji, MONY, Phillip Morris and Cadbury Schweppes.

“Helayne Spivak will bring humanity, wisdom and humor to this very important industry position,” said Mike Hughes, president of the Martin Agency and chairman of the VCU Brandcenter Board of Directors. “She will be a forward-thinking, idea-based, humane thought-leader – and a wonderful nurturer of young talents. Rick Boyko and his faculty and board have put the Brandcenter in a wonderful position today. I couldn’t be more excited about the ways Helayne will take it forward.”

Beverly Warren, provost and vice president for academic affairs at VCU, said, “Ms. Spivak brings real-world experience and creativity to our top-ranked Brandcenter academic program. She is highly respected in her field and eager to share her knowledge with a new generation. She will be a key player in the continuing advancement of the Brandcenter to new heights and in the university’s collaborative work in meeting its strategic goals as an innovative and creative research university.”

The VCU Brandcenter enrolls more than 200 students who study in one of five graduate tracks – art direction, copywriting, communications strategy, creative brand management and creative technology. More than 95 percent of Brandcenter alumni are working in the industry within a year of graduation. 

See More >

 

Frances Dumenci
VCU Communications and Public Relations
804-828-7701
fdumenci@vcu.edu

The Virginia Commonwealth University da Vinci Center for Innovation hosted the 2012 VCU Venture Creation Competition and winners of the inaugural campus-wide competition were announced Friday, April 27, as part of VCU Student Research Week.

The competition began earlier this semester with 40 student teams submitting executive summaries of ideas, concepts or technologies for a business venture. These teams represented 87 individuals across nine of VCU’s schools. A panel of judges evaluated the summaries and selected 12 semifinalist teams, which then submitted business plans. Following another round of judging, five finalist teams gave 20-minute presentations to the judges on Friday.

The Quinn-Tyrell Corp., comprising VCU Brandcenter students Katie Acosta, Brian Jang, Jerry Roback and Mena Xiong, won $4,000 as the first-place finisher in the competition. Their venture aims to elevate the in-home ice cream eating experience by introducing uniquely flavored ice cream cones.

Cycle Stay won $3,000 as the second-place finisher. VCU School of Business students Austin Callwood, Justin Kauszler and Joshua Newton introduced a publicly accessible bicycle rack system with integrated locking, mobile communication and security features.

Fourpoint Art was the third-place finisher winning $2,000. Led by Owen Duffy, a VCU School of the Arts graduate student, the team introduced a virtual space and Internet marketplace to help emerging artists showcase their work and connect with consumers worldwide.

Two other teams were awarded $1,000 each as finalists in the competition. Control, comprising Brandcenter students Matt Fischer, Rajikumar Kuppuswamy, Anthony DiMarco, Jacqueline Rogers and School of Medicine student Jesse Swift, introduced a software and hardware system for helping asthmatics enjoy a more normal life. Gryffindor, comprising School of the Arts students Angela Melito and Moria Pruefer, proposed a 24-hour art supply and print services store venture.

“The response to our inaugural VCU Venture Creation Competition has been very strong," said Kenneth Kahn, director of VCU’s da Vinci Center and a professor of marketing in the VCU School of Business. “It shows that there is truly an innovation and entrepreneurship spirit here in the VCU community. We aim to make the 2012 competition the first of many annual VCU Venture Creation Competitions.”

Read More >

Retiring Brandcenter director joins American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame

Tom Gresham

(804) 221-0528
VCU Communications and Public Relations
(804) 828-6051
tmgresham@vcu.edu

Rick Boyko has always been an ad guy. Even when he was a kid, Boyko paid special attention to the billboards he could see from the backseat of the car. His father worked in advertising, and Boyko used to love watching him take on projects in the family’s garage.

Last week, a lifetime of devotion to that unique, offbeat world culminated in Boyko, director of the VCU Brandcenter, the university’s renowned graduate marketing communications and advertising program, reaching the pinnacle of the advertising field. Boyko was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame in a ceremony in New York on March 28.

Even after decades of successes, Boyko seems surprised about his selection, wondering aloud if he truly deserves it.

“It’s something I was not expecting nor do I feel that I’ve accomplished enough to receive it,” he said.

However, Mike Hughes and others have no doubts.

“(Boyko) is a remarkably focused and determined leader who never, ever gives up,” said Hughes, president of the Martin Agency and chairman of the VCU Brandcenter Board of Directors since its founding in 1995. “His impact on the (Brandcenter) and on the industry will be felt for decades to come.”

Read More >

Come find out about the VCU Brandcenter master’s program for marketing communications. We’ll have a general info session, breakout sessions for Q&A with students in each track, tours of the building, guest speakers for attendees interested in communications strategy and brand management and portfolio reviews for attendees interested in art direction, copywriting, and creative technology.

RSVP is required as space is limited. Attendees are also encouraged to pack a lunch.

Agenda

11am        Overall Brandcenter Info Session: Katherine Keogh, Student Affairs and Communications Manager (LECTURE HALL)

11:45am    Breakout sessions for each track (Art Direction, Copywriting, Creative Technology, Communications Strategy, Creative Brand Management). Current VCU Brandcenter students will lead breakout sessions and answer questions about their tracks. (4 CLASSROOMS + LECTURE HALL)

12:30pm    Brandcenter students to give tours to the attendees

1-2:30pm  Guest Speakers: Seth Gaffney and Ben Johanneman, Strategists at Mother, New York. For current Brandcenter students and information session attendees interested in communications strategy and creative brand management  (LECTURE HALL)

1:30-4pm    Portfolio Reviews conducted by VCU Brandcenter creative faculty. For attendees interested in art direction, copywriting and creative technology only. (3RD FLOOR FACULTY OFFICES)

RSVP

RSVP to Katherine Keogh at kkeogh@vcu.edu with the following information:
        1.    Name
        2.    Track you are interested in (you can note if you’re not sure yet!)
        3.    College
        4.    Would you like to participate in the portfolio review?

Parking

Parking is $5 in the Chili’s lot at Cary and Jefferson Streets, diagonal from the VCU Brandcenter. Free street parking may also be available, but watch out for time limitations.

Questions

Contact Katherine Keogh at kkeogh@vcu.edu if you have any questions!

Rick Boyko, Director of the VCU Brandcenter and former Co-President and Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy & Mather North America, will be inducted into the AAF's 63rd Advertising Hall of Fame® on Tuesday, March 27th in New York's historic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Rick will be inducted with six other honorees, including O. Burtch Drake, Former President and CEO of the 4A's, and David Kennedy, Co-Founder of Wieden+Kennedy, along with corporate inductee The Coca-Cola Company, all chosen by the Hall of Fame's distinguished Council of Judges.

< Read More

A VCU Brandcenter team led  by first year CBM, Jen Clinehens, and including first year AD, Cody Pate, first year CT, Ryan Dowling, and first year CW, Katlyn Williams bested second year teams from the Harvard Business School, the Indian School  of Business, The Tuck school at Dartmouth and UC Berkeley to win sponsor AT&T’s division of the 2011 Innovation Challenge. The team emerged from among the 186 MBA teams from around the world as one of three winners, the other two being from Wharton and the Chapman Business School in California. Final ranking of the three will be made following another round of presentations in January which will determine who gets the $25,000 grand prize and the title of "The World's Most Innovative MBA Team." All three winning teams will be ringing the bell at the NYSE in February.

<See More

Out of 150 teams from the leading business schools in the world, three teams of first year Brandcenter students have been selected as semi-finalists in the annual Innovation Challenge MBA competition. This is more than any other school in the world.

The Innovation Challenge was sponsored by three different companies with varying objectives: AT&T, GE, and Syngenta. Student teams were given two weeks to research, prepare and submit their concept plan for the challenge they chose. Five teams for each challenge were selected as semi-finalists and given feedback from their challenge's sponsoring company.

Semi-finalists will present their revised concepts to the judges Nov. 30th-Dec. 2nd.

The winning team will be named "the most innovative MBA team in the world" and will receive $20,000; the top three teams are invited to New York to the ring the morning bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Congratulations to the three Brandcenter semi-finalist teams!

AT&T Team:
Team Leader: Jennifer Clinehens, CBM
Team Members: Cody Pate, AD; Katlyn Williams, CW; Ryan Dowling, CT

GE Team:
Team Leader: Hunter Pechin, CBM
Team Members: Chelsea Garber, CT; Amy Ruiz, CW

Syngenta Team:
Team Leader: Katy Nash, CBM
Team Members: Lisa Guadagni, CS; Cory Bowles, AD; Jon Robbins, AD

 

<See Full List of Semi-Finalists  

 

Mike Karnjanaprakorn, who graduated from the VCU Adcenter's media planning track in 2006, is one of 25 innovators from around the globe selected for the 2012 class of TED Fellows. The TED Fellows program brings outstanding individuals who have shown unusual accomplishment, exceptional courage and moral imagination into the TED community in order to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.  

 

Mike is Co-founder of Skillshare, a community marketplace to learn anything from anyone, leading to the democratization of teaching.  

< Read More

Check out the VCU Brandcenter Summer 2011 Alumni Newsletter!

 Download PDF: Summer 2011.pdf

VCU Brandcenter Director Rick Boyko is one of the advertising leaders interviewed by Brandcenter alum William Burks Spencer in his new book "Breaking In: Over 100 Advertising Insiders Reveal How to Build a Portfolio That Will Get You Hired."

WS: What do you look for in a student book? And what impresses you?

RB: What I have always looked for in any book are consistent conceptual and strategic solutions to legitimate business problems. No longer can books be filled with fun, little, easy-to-do, local-business print executions. We challenge Brandcenter students to take on real brands with difficult problems as assignments. Then they have to build out communications across whatever mediums best come in contact with the target, which in almost all cases include or begin with a digital, social component. Any book that does not demonstrate the ability to think about real brands strategically across multiple mediums will most likely not even get a viewing by most agencies today. 

WS: How important is finish? If ideas are the most important thing, can sketches be enough? Do you look at actual books anymore, or is it all websites?

RB: Execution is still very important because craft still matters. You have to be able to demonstrate that you are not just someone who can think strategically and conceptually but you can also execute. So, while ideas are king, being able to bring them to life is just as important. While most books today are first viewed on a website, I still believe having a tangible one is valuable to bring the thinking to life and helpful in judging craft.

Read more >

Four graduates and two faculty members of the VCU Brandcenter were recognized today for their contributions to an innovative crime prevention advertising campaign.

Former Brandcenter students Adam Wiese, Jarrod Higgins, Christopher Trumbull and Vijay Patil, along with faculty members Kelly O'Keefe and Wayne Gibson, were honored during the Richmond Police Department's Salute to Excellence Awards ceremony for their work toward Richmond Crime Sweep, a collaborative marketing campaign aimed at preventing violent crimes in the Richmond area.

"The idea that our students can use their talents, not only to promote a brand, but to also stop a bullet, is something we try to get across in our teaching at the Brandcenter," said Kelly O'Keefe, professor of brand strategy in the VCU Brandcenter, and faculty supervisor of the Richmond Crime Sweep project.

Some view marketing as a tool that is as effective as a gun in crime prevention, so various law enforcement agencies looked to the Brandcenter for brand development and violent crime reduction promotions. O'Keefe was approached by members of several agencies for help with the project, and a team of four student volunteers was formed.

The goal of the campaign was to influence criminals and would-be-criminals to participate in less crime because of fear of law enforcement, which proved to be challenging for many reasons, including a limited budget, and an unusual target audience - criminals. In order to gain more insight into their audience, the team spent a great deal of time researching crime and reading reports provided from various police departments. They interviewed a criminal psychologist to assess the mindset of a criminal, and even went on ride-alongs with local police.

< Read More