50 years and counting: 2009 Sandage Symposium reveres the past, looks to the future
The Department of Advertising commemorated 50 years of quality advertising education while honoring its founder, Charles H. Sandage, at the 2009 Sandage Symposium. The symposium took place September 24-25 at the iHotel and Conference Center in Champaign.
Celebrate the Father of Advertising Education
Charles H. Sandage, considered the “father of advertising education” by both academics and professionals, came to the University of Illinois in 1946 to determine if advertising education was worthy of being classified as an academic discipline.
“My challenge at Illinois,” he would say, “was to develop a program in advertising education that would be recognized as a worthy member of the university family of individual intellectual disciplines.”
After developing the first graduate degree in advertising in 1947, Sandage established an advertising undergraduate major in 1949. He was instrumental in the evolution of the School of Journalism to the College of Communications (changed to the College of Media in 2008) and in establishing the Department of Advertising in 1959. Sandage remained the head of that department until 1966 and remained involved until his death in 1998.
PHOTOS:
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Symposium Highlights
The Sandage Symposium kicked off Friday, September 25, with an expo showcasing the work from current advertising students and the department’s study abroad programs. Students were on hand to talk about their work and get feedback from attendees.
A reception followed Saturday’s day of sessions with State Senator Mike Frerichs reading a proposed proclamation to designate September 25 as “Charles Sandage Day” in Illinois. UI Chancellor Richard Hermann announced his support for renaming the department The Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising in commemoration of Charles Sandage’s contributions to advertising education and the University of Illinois.
At Saturday’s sessions, moderators, panelists, and attendees exchanged ideas and discussed current issues facing the advertising industry and advertising education.
The Future of Advertising
Referring to hand-scrawled notes on a single sheet of notebook paper, keynote speaker Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO of Chicago-based consultancy Denuo, referred to the renaissance of advertising and marketing and shared the three things he knows about the future.
“First, what we define as advertising will change,” Tobaccowala said. “The new age of advertising will be comparable to what tech was in the 1970s and '80s, and what finance was in the 1990s and early 21st century. We’re in an age of innovation where the currency is information. The customer is in control, and marketers will be expected to understand and meet customer requirements in magical ways because the future does not fit the containers of the past.”
“Second,” Tobaccowala continued, "media will be everywhere. In the future, young people will define themselves by their media behavior and obscurity will be the new poverty. In other words, if you’re not on Facebook and you’re not tweeting, you’re dead.” He added, “Readership of print newspapers and magazine will continue to decline, and the line between traditional and digital TV will blur as more people watch programming on the Internet.”
“Third, education will need to be reinvented.” Tobaccowala encouraged educators to “think broader than the departments you’re in. Don’t be an irrelevant educator … like never before, embrace technology.”
To the students present, Tobaccowala said “think global because every electronic media is global; think deep and build expertise in one or two things that you’re passionate about; and think people because people often disregard numbers and choose with their hearts.”
He continued by advising students to take advantage of educational opportunities online, build their individual brand, and to think of themselves as “a company of one working in collaboration with other groups of one.”
Is Chicago on Life Support?
Is the Chicago advertising community dying a slow and painful death? This was the question posed by moderator and Advertising Department Head Dr. Jan Slater at the first session of the symposium. Panelists Ron Bess, president Euro RSCG North America and CEO Euro RSCG (Chicago), and Nancy Leibig, managing director, Business Development, DDB Chicago, agreed that perception was not reality and that the advertising business was alive and well in the Windy City. The panel agreed that everyone has to be a creative and innovative thinker--from marketing strategists, to media buyers, to those in working in the digital media. And it should be done with with a global mindset.
Brands in the 21st Century
How have our expectations changed for the brands we buy? Are we satisfied with a quality product or do we want more from the companies we choose to buy from--like social responsibility?
Moderated by Associate Professor of Advertising Jason Chambers, a panel of experts discussed how brands in the 21st century have evolved to meet the demands of the consumer ¬and that it’s the consumer who actually owns the brand.
The consensus of the panel was that consumers want to do business with companies that are concerned about issues like sustainability, believe in and practice transparency, and work to develop two-way communication with customers.
Panelists included Motorola Director of Corporate Communications Tama McWhinney, Director of U.S. Marketing for McDonald’s USA Carol Sagers, and CEO of Charleston Orwig Lyle Orwig.
The Digital World: Consumer-Generated Content
What happens when the consumer takes control of what is said and read about your brand? How are blogs, customer-generated advertising, and TV ad spoofs afflicting the image and reputation of the companies we do business with?
Moderator and Associate Professor of Advertising Patrick Vargas and panelists concluded that the future of consumer-generated content is wide open and the boundaries have yet to be tested. “Crowdsourcing” or opening up content generation to the public is a relatively new development that will continue to evolve both formally and informally.
Panelists included: Michigan State University Professor Hairong Li, Facebook Product Marketing Manager Helen Min, Associate Professor of Marketing at DePaul University Albert Muniz, Jr., and President of Edelman Public Relations’ me2revolution Rick Murray.
Micro-targeting vs. Really Creepy: Digital Advertising and Consumer Privacy
If you’ve ever received pop-ups, seen customized ads on Facebook, or viewed a list of suggested reading by Amazon based on your preferences, you have been the subject of micro-targeting. Is it good marketing or does it reek of Big Brother?
Moderator and Associate Professor of Advertising Michelle Nelson and panelists agreed that the best practice is to be completely open and ethical with the consumer, which will enhance the industry and profession of online advertising. Panelists were Assistant Professor of Journalism and Law Amy Gajda; Michigan State University Professor Nora Rifon; and Professor Emeritus of the Missouri School of Journalism Wally Snyder.
A Celebration 50 Years in the Making
The culmination of the symposium was a 50th anniversary dinner featuring a host of distinguished speakers including: Cliff Christians, Sandage Professor of Communications in the College of Media at Illinois; Don Jugenheimer, professor of advertising at Texas Tech University; Mary Alice Shaver, Hamrin Professor of Media Economics at the Media Management and Transformation Centre Jönköping International Business School in Sweden; and Rance Crain, president and editorial director of Crain Communications, Inc.
According to Advertising Department Head Jan Slater, this is the fifth symposium honoring Charles Sandage for his contribution, not just to the department, but to all advertising education in the United States.
“Charles H. Sandage provided the vision and created a program that would stand the test of time,” said Slater. “I believe his philosophy of teaching the ‘why’ of advertising not just the ‘how’ – and teaching our students to be the engineers, not just the bricklayers – is more relevant today than it was 50 years ago.”
Related Links:
- Department of Advertising
- View Symposium photos in Flickr.
- Read review of the Symposium by Rance Crain, president and editor in chief, Crain Communications Inc., in the October 2009 issue of Ad Age.
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