{"id":38572,"date":"2024-03-19T15:33:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T19:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=38572"},"modified":"2025-04-02T14:53:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:53:55","slug":"the-agency-experience","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/the-agency-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"The Agency Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1176\" height=\"1364\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-50.png\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-50.png 1176w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-50-548x636.png 548w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-50-883x1024.png 883w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-50-768x891.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-50-862x1000.png 862w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1176px) 100vw, 1176px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Bob Montgomery (top row, left) and Walter Lubars (middle row, right) created AdLab in 1974 to give students real-world advertising experience. Since then, AdLab has grown into an award-winning agency.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Agency Experience\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">For 50 years, the student-run AdLab has created top-notch advertising campaigns for clients around the country<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/advertising\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdvertising\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/com-365\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCOM\/365\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/student-work\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStudent Work\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 19, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/mara-sassoon\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMara Sassoon\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">The Agency Experience<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/the-agency-experience\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Each Monday afternoon, veteran advertising executive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/shawn-zupp\/\">Shawn Zupp<\/a> supervises an \u201call agency\u201d meeting. Account executives, art directors, project managers, copywriters and strategists gather to hear updates on projects for clients such as Blue Man Group, WBUR and SiriusXM. Zupp (\u201995) isn\u2019t overseeing this gathering at a global agency like Ogilvy or BBDO, where he spent much of his 25-year career in account management. He\u2019s in a nondescript classroom, and the team is a group of enthusiastic BU students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is AdLab, COM\u2019s student-run ad agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AdLab was founded in 1974 by advertising professors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/walter-lubars-an-appreciation\/\">Walter Lubars<\/a> and Bob Montgomery. They wanted to create an opportunity for students to work with real clients, build their portfolios and gain agency experience. Since then, AdLab students have helped hundreds of nonprofits, government agencies and businesses large and small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe program was envisioned as a true professional training experience, mimicking the environment and the process and structure of a real advertising agency,\u201d says Zupp, a professor of the practice of advertising and, since 2021, one of AdLab\u2019s faculty advisors along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/christopher-b-lee\/\">Chris Lee<\/a>, a senior lecturer of advertising. \u201cIt\u2019s an experiment\u2014hence the lab in the name\u2014in students\u2019 professional advertising selves, as they develop a rigor, a discipline and a sense of, \u2018Alright, how do I get things done in advertising?\u2019\u201d One measure of that experiment\u2019s success is that AdLab has inspired a series of COM programs centered on working with real clients, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prlabbu.com\/\">PRLab<\/a>, COMLab, <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/real-world-productions\/\">Real World Productions<\/a> and the Emerging Media Masters Collaboratory Project. AdLab is the country\u2019s largest student-run agency. Today, more than 300 students participate in the program each year. As the advertising industry has shifted to more digital work, so has AdLab, with students working on cutting-edge campaigns for social media that are rooted in user experience (UX) and interactive design. Recent graduates have taken jobs at top agencies like MullenLowe, BBDO and Ogilvy or in-house at global brands like ASICS and TJX Companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>LEARNING ON THE JOB<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Any students who are at least in their junior year and who have taken a required introduction to advertising can enroll in AdLab as a semester-long course. Teams typically consist of one account executive, one project manager, two art directors, two copywriters and two strategists. Each team works with their client\u2014about 15 clients participate each semester\u2014to produce an ad campaign that addresses their business needs. Many clients will run the completed campaigns, giving students a professional portfolio before they\u2019ve graduated. Grades are based on performance reviews from the clients and from peer feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a very different experience for students who are used to assignments and tests,\u201d says Zupp. \u201cAdLab gives students the opportunity to take things out of theory and classroom lessons and put them into real working practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"669\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-inset-1024x669.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41948\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-inset-1024x669.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-inset-636x416.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-inset-768x502.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/04\/com365-adlab-inset.png 1359w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Andrew Rogatinsky, Catherine Binu Maria, Shawn Zupp and Mei Mei Heipler (left to right) developed a campaign for the Gleason Family YMCA in 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>AdLab clients, who have ranged from Boston Symphony Orchestra to Celebrity Cruises, reach out for assistance or are recruited by the program\u2019s student-run executive board. (Students who have completed a semester of the program can later serve on the board, which also helps Zupp and Lee assign the roles for each project.) Clients pay AdLab a fee of $500 for the work produced over the semester, although sometimes production budgets need to be expanded to accommodate more ambitious campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zupp says the types of clients AdLab has taken on have evolved throughout its 50-year history. When Lubars and Montgomery started the program, students worked mainly with local nonprofits. In the 1990s, they began taking on local for-profit clients. In the last decade, the program has assisted more national companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AdLab\u2019s work has also evolved over the years to keep up with technology. \u201cIt was all print work in the late \u201970s,\u201d says Zupp. In the past decade, he says, \u201cwe obviously became a major developer of social media content, where so much advertising and brand marketing focus is going now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zupp himself was an \u201cAdLabber\u201d in the early \u201990s. He recalls sitting in on the all agency meetings and was an account manager on a US Coast Guard campaign to build awareness in the boating community about protecting North Atlantic right whales. The experience solidified his desire to go into account management. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the advantages of AdLab: getting to \u2018test drive\u2019 the role,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>THE ADLAB EXPERIENCE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In spring 2023, the Wareham, Mass., Gleason Family YMCA turned to AdLab for help with a campaign to boost their summer enrollment. Andrew Rogatinsky and Mei Mei Heipler were members of the team on the account. Rogatinsky (\u201924), the account executive, was the client\u2019s primary point of contact. \u201cIt was constant email communication, weekly meetings answering any questions they might have regarding the team\u2019s progress, and asking the client any questions that the team has,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Heipler (\u201924) was one of two art directors on the project. \u201cThe key message the client wanted people to take away was that the Y is a place where people can come together, and it helps build community,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-yellow-background-right\"><p>AdLab gives students the opportunity to take things out of theory and classroom lessons and put them into real working practice.<\/p><cite>Shawn Zupp<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Heipler, her fellow art director, Frank Wu (\u201923), and the rest of the team brainstormed and came up with a few options to present to their client. The Gleason Family YMCA chose two of the ideas. The first harkened back to the Village People\u2019s 1978 hit single \u201cY.M.C.A.\u201d and its refrain \u201cIt\u2019s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe did different plays on \u2018It\u2019s [blank] to stay,\u2019 such as \u2018It\u2019s fulfilling to stay at the Y,\u2019\u201d Heipler says. Heipler created graphics for their Facebook page and website. She and Rogatinsky also helped Wu on the second idea, a \u201cWhy the Y\u201d video that includes members sharing what they appreciated about the Y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both Rogatinsky and Heipler returned to AdLab to serve on its executive board\u2014Heipler as an associate creative director and Rogatinsky as vice president of new business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Heipler, the experience helped her sharpen her creative skills. \u201cAdLab emphasizes that we have a common goal of making good work for clients, making something that everyone is proud of and that you can either show in your portfolio or talk about in job interviews,\u201d she says. \u201cIt also helped me learn how to take feedback and use it to make my work better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Rogatinsky appreciates the unparalleled learning opportunity. \u201cYou\u2019re working for a real client, working with a team of eight people, each with their own individual roles. That\u2019s just not something you get in a traditional classroom setting,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s why I decided to apply to join the executive board. I wanted to stay a part of this very unique program that\u2019s one of a kind in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each Monday afternoon, veteran advertising executive Shawn Zupp supervises an \u201call agency\u201d meeting. Account executives, art directors, project managers, copywriters&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23287,"featured_media":41943,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[34,1481,876],"tags":[785],"bu-publication":[],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/38572"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23287"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/38572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41964,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/38572\/revisions\/41964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38572"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=38572"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=38572"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=38572"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=38572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}