110 Year Old SDSU Ad Club is Thriving
While COVID-19 hinders SDSU student organizations and clubs’ ability to stay active, the Advertising Club perseveres and continues to grow.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, SDSU’s Advertising Club was forced to take the rest of the spring ‘20 semester to recalibrate their strategy. Shifting from in-person meetings to online meetings through Zoom proved difficult in balancing remote communication and creating genuine feelings of participation among members. Nevertheless, they’ve gotten gritty and stayed scrappy to make it work, keeping the club active since its establishment in 1911.
“Our goal in the past year has been to cultivate an environment that is engaging and interactive, despite the distance barriers, through various workshops, speaker attendances, and case studies,” Ad Club President, Kyle Akcatel says.
Since the pandemic, Akcatel says, “We’ve hosted a wide variety of guest speakers, from advertising agencies to powerful social media personas. We’ve also held workshops for resumes and business cards, as well as case studies for various occasions, such as Super Bowl Ads.”
The club continues to connect its members to internship opportunities by partnering with organizations like Disorganized Depictions, which provides students with experience, mentorship, and opportunities to succeed in their future careers.
With close to 40 active members, Ad Club offers a tight knit community of passionate, like-minded people. Members are willing to go above what is required and participate in sharing innovative ideas, engaging in cooperative discussions, and keeping an open mind on their career paths ahead with networking opportunities.
“Beyond a greater learning experience, and a place to hone creative minds, we strive to ensure our members have an extensive network of like-minded people in their circle both while attending college, and once they’ve graduated,” Akcatel says.
Braulio Ambriz is a fourth year student in the club. “I’ve met people in similar career paths and heard from people in the industry who are in positions I’m interested in pursuing. We also talk about different types of advertising and analyze how the creators come up with their ideas, along with how well the ads are executed,” he says.
“Everything the executives do is appreciated and I’m glad to have joined,” Ambriz reflects.
Connect with the club on their Instagram @sdsuadclub.
The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.