The future is bright, and it's in Richmond

The gist of what I talked about - the changing nature of a 'good' idea

(Full disclosure - I am a member of the board of the VCU Brandcenter.  But I would have written the following regardless).

Last Friday I spent the day at the VCU Brandcenter in Richmond, VA.  I was invited to come and give a talk as part of their Friday speak series and also spent some time with students on the strategy and creative brand management tracks.  It became very clear during the day that the industry has got some fantastic talent coming in to it over the next couple of years.  A bunch of people with real passion, a real belief in the power of brands and advertising and a desire to shake things up.  I'm hoping the industry doesn't make the same mistake it has made in the last recession and cut recruitment at the entry level - these are the people who can perhaps most quickly help drive the industry where it needs to go and inject some much needed passion and possibility, rather than cynicism and doubt, into the industry.   If you're looking to hire, I strongly suggest you take a look at the graduating class.  My experience (and bias) suggests they're the best young talent out there; scrappy and smart, passionate and pragmatic.

The slides from the presentation are below.  After reflecting on the day, I think it's time to retire this shtick unless I start living and delivering it every day.  That's my challenge for the rest of the year as I'm tired of talk.  And this thinking is getting old - time to come up with some new things to talk about.

Vcufeb09

View more presentations from garethk. (tags: vcu brands)

Comments

[Katie Fitzgerald]

Grateful for these kind words. Once again, thank you for your time.

Best,
Katie

[Mark Avnet]

Really glad you made it down to meet our amazing students - and your schitck stuck a chord, so I hope you don't completely retire it.

I'm looking forward to talking with you about some of the innovative work we're doing in the Brandcenter Creative Technology track.

Thanks again for coming!

Mark

[Andrew LeVasseur]

Yes, Garret.

Thanks for the visit and your perspective. It was great.

As an Adjunct Professor in the Brandcenter Creative Technologist track, I get to witness the amazing talent of these students firsthand. I have knicknamed them "the new idea generation" b/c they not only have a firm perspective on culture, brands and customers, but also know what is technologically possible.

- Andrew LeVasseur, Adjunct Prof.in Brandcenter, Creative Technologist track

[amber]

Thanks for posting this Gareth! The line "A brand is a business' social manifestation" really struck a chord with me just now, because I think a lot of advertising folk tend to lose sight of the fact that the business is the reason that the brand exists. It's a nice reminder that the "brand" is something that exists because of what you actually do, not because of what you say you do.

[Sriram Venkitachalam]

Much thanks for recommending us. Thank you so much for coming down. I've framed and hung the transition chart on a wall in my head. Also, if this "thinking is getting old" and you're heading elsewhere, would love to get a hint of your direction.

Thanks a lot

Sriram

[Jason Oke]

A week late to this, but freakin' nice job, G. I know you've been doing this schtick for a while, but this is the best version yet - all that polishing has made for a really nice diamond.

Hear you on the talk vs action, I've totally been feeling that recently too.

J