With a background in photography and videography, I immediately knew I wanted to study digital media. However, I was persuaded to take advertising courses since the industry has a large field of opportunity. I quickly fell in love with brand strategy and knew it was where I ultimately wanted to be.
Majoring in Advertising
As I jumped into advertising, I discovered much of it was research-based and I enjoyed that concept. I took courses involving the psychology behind marketing and how it appeals to human emotion, how to identify a target audience using analytics and software, and the different forms of marketing (digital, print, etc).
Early into my academic career, I discovered advertising allows me to be creative. When it comes to creating an identity for a brand, I loved the idea of distinguishing a product/brand in numerous formats of marketing.
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
During an intro business course, I was asked to create a campaign using marketing analytics and competitor statistics. For this project, we chose the Dyson Vacuum.
Click on the graphic to view the campaign.
For another social media course, I completed a campaign about an up-and-coming brand. As a dog lover, I had to choose Bark Box.
Click on the graphic to view the campaign.
In a campaign course, I was asked to take analytics using MRI Simmons to detect the target audience for a product. I chose Mr. Clean considering I am often loyal to other cleaning products.
Click on the graphic to view the campaign.
The very first campaign I created was for Betty Crocker. Looking back, it wasn’t my greatest work, but it opened me up to the world of advertising!
Click on the graphic to view the campaign.
Throughout a social media course, I was asked to take a brand and re-brand it using social media analytics and strategy. For this project, I chose my family business to research competitors and analytics for the tree removal industry.
Click on the graphic to view the campaign.
My senior capstone project was to complete a campaign about a local Milwaukee organization called ComedySportz. In this campaign, the eight of us had to research competitors and the comedy industry using analytics and research. For my portion, I was in charge of creating production for the company. I created a film and social posts as well as market research.
Click on the graphic to view the campaign.
Although I’ve never worked directly for Kohler, I have created products and campaigns for the company. Below is a collection of my work for Kohler.
Some trials
Some math
In the end, we were able to create a fully functioning shower head with adjustable functions that were within the consumer budget and were able to market innovatively and creatively.
My senior year of college, I took a course with some engineers to create a prototype and campaign for a product assigned to us.
Click on the image to view the complete campaign.
and some research
Some science
It Starts with an Idea
KOHLER INCLUSIVITY CHALLENGE
Ironically, the second half of my senior year, I was chosen to participate in an inclusivity challenge sponsored by Kohler. For this challenge, I was given a team of all different majors to work with. As the communications representative, I aimed to research the target audience needs and how to market them in an innovative and successful way.
Kohler presented us with a challenge. Many products, particularly in the home, lack inclusivity features for those with disabilities of any sort whether that’s old age, visual/audio impairment, mental illness, or physical illnesses.
After weeks of brainstorming, we decided that one of the products Kohler has not attempted to create inclusively is the mirror. Although they have products that are smart and innovative, they can still be uneasily accessible for those with impairments.
So, we decided we wanted to further our research on innovative smart mirrors that are accessible for all. First, we depicted our problem statement.
People with mobility, balance, and visual impairments often have more difficulty getting ready due to the constraints of the bathroom. Our solution aims to help these users by creating safety, comfort, and reassurance around the vanity space.
Next, we found our target audience through research, surveys, and general knowledge. Those of older age, visual impairments, and aged bodies struggle to use mirrors daily. Our particular target audience revolved around women ages 60+ with visual impairments, living in a house.
Overall, we wanted to combine Kohler’s smart mirror with modern technology to accommodate our target audience and make their day-to-day living more convenient.
Although we didn’t have to make a physical prototype, our final product would theoretically include a detachable remote control with basic buttons, a voice control, and most importantly, a functional design that is adjustable.
The final product is sketched above and features a moveable mirror, and contains adjustable magnification and lighting controls. Our product name was “Kohler Klear.”
This photo includes the three other members of my team presenting to a panel of judges including Laura Kohler, President Lovell, and numerous Deans from the university.
I worked with a great team that included another senior and two freshmen! We were all strangers, but grew to be great friends thanks to this challenge!
DIGITAL MEDIA
Majoring in digital media
I took numerous film, editing, and story-writing courses as a digital media major. Ultimately, I enjoyed video editing the most as well as studying cinematography. Because of Covid-19, some of my classes were cut short and I faced a setback once I took higher-level classes later in my academic career.
Alongside my general-ed courses throughout my freshmen year, I wrote scripts for a few films/short plays. I quickly discovered I did not have a talent in this field.
I studied early film and aesthetics in my sophomore and junior years, as well as Adobe software. I learned the basics of numerous programs by messing around making logos on Illustrator or creating a fake podcast to practice sound design.
I had professors who encouraged me to test out my crazy or experimental ideas and use my creative brain to become innovative to have a chance in the field.
This became extra apparent during my senior year.
Senior capstone- short film
In my senior year, I was assigned to a group of four to create a short film based on the script of a former scriptwriting student. The script we were given was titled “Asking for the Blessing” by Brennan Wills.
Although my position was editor, I put my heart and soul into every portion of the film. From producing to creating the shot deck to fundraising, I put everything I learned throughout my education into this film.
We started with location scouting. Our script took place in a restaurant and thankfully, I had some ties to local restaurants that were looking to be promoted. I went ahead and reached out to the local bar/restaurant, Victors, and we scheduled a date.
Another concern was casting. We needed a younger woman and man, as well as an older to middle-aged man to portray the father. We reached out to the Marquette theatre students and had a large number of students audition. Ultimately, we had our Kate and Robert but struggled to find a Bill. Luckily, the bar owner, Victor, had expressed interest in playing Bill, Kate’s dad.
After a few script tweaks and an entire title change, “Anxious Expectations” was ready for pre-production. That was until I decided our script was bland and missing the “wow” factor. The script read as two conscious thoughts: Robert and Robert’s anxieties. I mentioned to the crew that it would be extravagant, but unique if we featured a clone character to illustrate Robert’s anxious thoughts. The crew and professor loved this idea and we began test shooting!
Our team visited the location and started on the shot list. After weeks of prep, we filmed everything twice since we had the clone character. It was a very long day of filming with a ton of extra hands, but we got the job done.
However, my part wasn’t finished. I spent many nights in the basement of the communications hall editing this film. From sound design to color correction to splitting the screen for our clone, it was not an easy project. At the end of the semester, our film was not entirely done but we still received an incredible score and an encore at the screening!
“Anxious Expectations” is one of my proudest achievements. Not necessarily because of the film itself, but the persistence it gave me and the dedication I and my team put into this film.
To view the film, click on the poster above.