Allegorically, I always want to build the better mousetrap.
When I was younger and it was time to decide on a university and major, I simply chose the most challenging path. I chose to majore in engineering at USC.
Somehow I figured that if I could conquer the program, then all else would be simple.
I began my studies in engineering at the #3 ranked program in the country and it was challenging. It took a lot of dedication and required a lot of enthusiasm. As much as tried, however, I couldn't get excited about the subject. I understood the work; I just did not care for the applications.
Along the way I learned of advertising, I found the systems of it fascinating.
So while I worked on Poisson's equations, I would also read Advertising Age religiously and study Bill Bernbach and David Ogilvy philosophies along with those of Edward Deming. Eventually, armed with my nearly completed degree in engineering, I began to interview at ad agencies.
I quickly learned of the contempt agency personnel had for engineers. There was a perception that engineers experienced the world in binary code and could not possible relate to advertising work. Ultimately, the process was valuable because I did receive good advice from one ad executive during an interview: “Go back to school and formally learn what makes us human, what persuades us, how we as individuals think, react, and decide.”
I took the advice and spend additional time in school. To this date, I challenge my staff and colleagues to be helpful and encourage interns and entry-level candidates during the interview process.
Once in the industry, I learned that I could apply engineering processes to advertising. A marketing campaign, an ad campaign, or even a creative brief is, after all, designed; it is engineered to provide results.
Copyright 2007, Carlos Arámbula. All rights reserved.
