Where did advertising's biggest names go to advertising college?
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Learn more about advertising design and related careers.
You may think that great advertising executives are born, not created in advertising college. In reality, while many of the big names in advertising possess elements of the stereotypical do-it-yourself, maverick personality often associated with this profession, most of them also earned advertising degrees or degrees in closely related fields.
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Advertising Colleges of the Stars
If you aspire to create the next "Just Do It," "Breakfast of Champions" or "Where's the Beef?" campaign, read on to discover where a few of the top movers-and-shakers in the advertising industry got their advertising degree:
Leo Burnett – University of Michigan
Creator of such classic icons as the Marlboro Man, Jolly Green Giant, Toucan Sam, Tony the Tiger and the Pillsbury Doughboy, Leo Burnett launched his advertising career by earning a degree in journalism from the University of Michigan. Hailed by Time Magazine as the man who "launched today's visual assault on the senses by proving that images, not words, were the nuclear power of advertising," Burnett was responsible for moving advertising away from the old model of lengthy product descriptions and testimonials and into the current mode of using image-driven brand-building tactics.
Donny Deutsch – Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
Referred to as "one of the most successful CEOs in advertising history" in a recent New York Magazine profile, Donny Deutsch took over his father's advertising agency, Deutsch, Inc., shortly after graduating from Wharton School of Business. He subsequently built it into one of the country's top advertising agencies, with $2.8 billion in annual billings and a client list that includes GM, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, IKEA and Tommy Hilfiger.
Mary Wells Lawrence – Carnegie Institute of Technology
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In the late 1960s, Mary Wells Lawrence became "the world's highest-paid female executive and advertising's first international superstar," according to Advertising Age. After studying for two years at Carnegie Institute of Technology and launching her career by writing copy for a department store, Lawrence eventually went on to found her own agency, Wells Rich Greene (WRG), which had annual billings of $100 million in 1971. She worked on the famous "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz" campaign for Alka-Seltzer and created the still-popular "I (Heart) New York" slogan.
John Adams – Hampden-Sydney College
During his tenure as CEO of The Martin Agency, the advertising agency has been named "Agency of The Year" by Adweek Magazine a record-breaking five times. Adams launched his career in advertising shortly after graduating from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, and has overseen hugely successful campaigns for Coca-Cola, GEICO Insurance, UPS, Hanes, Olympus and Quizno's. In addition, The Martin Agency recently won the Wal-Mart account, worth over $500 million per year.
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How Advertising College Can Work For You
Whether you're planning a high-powered career on Madison Avenue or have something a little more modest in mind, getting your advertising degree will help you build a solid background in everything from understanding markets and media to ad design and campaign planning. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in advertising are "highly coveted" and thus highly competitive, meaning that "college graduates with related experience, a high level of creativity and strong communication skills" will have the best job opportunities and career options.
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