{"id":43731,"date":"2025-08-10T17:34:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T22:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=43731"},"modified":"2025-12-10T15:06:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T20:06:02","slug":"qa-with-advertising-undergraduate-victoria-rocha","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/qa-with-advertising-undergraduate-victoria-rocha\/","title":{"rendered":"From COM to Career: Q&#038;A With Victoria Rocha, BS Advertising"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default has-media 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=\"1250\" height=\"625\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2025\/12\/COM_COMtalk_QandA_25-2_BS-AD-Rocha.png\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/12\/COM_COMtalk_QandA_25-2_BS-AD-Rocha.png 1250w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/12\/COM_COMtalk_QandA_25-2_BS-AD-Rocha-636x318.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/12\/COM_COMtalk_QandA_25-2_BS-AD-Rocha-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/12\/COM_COMtalk_QandA_25-2_BS-AD-Rocha-768x384.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\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\tFrom COM to Career: Q&amp;A With Victoria Rocha, BS Advertising\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\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\/alumni\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlumni\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\">August 10, 2025<\/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\/com-staff\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCOM Staff\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\">From COM to Career: Q&#038;A With Victoria Rocha, BS Advertising<\/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\/qa-with-advertising-undergraduate-victoria-rocha\/\" 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><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before she set foot on the Boston University campus, Victoria Rocha knew she wanted a career in advertising. As an undergraduate, Rocha landed an internship with <a href=\"https:\/\/us.mullenlowe.com\/\">Mullen Lowe<\/a> with the help of a COM professor with ties at the agency, and after graduation she headed to positions with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhcc.com\/\">Hill Holiday<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcb.com\/\">FCB<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidtheagency.com\/\">David<\/a> and now <a href=\"https:\/\/bbdo.com\/\">BBDO New York<\/a> as an associate creative director. In her career, Rocha\u2019s client list includes Pepsi, Michelob ULTRA, Spotify, Snickers and Clif Bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rocha spoke with COM as part of a series of interviews with recent graduates from Boston University\u2019s College of Communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a test-block-editorial-q-and-a\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-title\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-title-heading\">Q<span>&amp;<\/span>A<\/h2><h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-title-subheading\">With Victoria Rocha<\/h4><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>What does an associate creative director do?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">I work in the creative department of an ad agency. A lot of my day revolves around thinking conceptually about client problems or any campaign briefings I receive. Initially, I come up with concepts and ideas, like brand platforms. After that, we hopefully get to present those to clients, who hopefully buy into the ideas. Then we go into production, whether it\u2019s an activation or a commercial, for example. Filming a commercial on set is probably one of my favorite parts of the job\u2014it\u2019s really fun.<br>With my background in art direction, I also do a lot of design, so part of my day is making sure things look exactly how I want them to appear out in the world. Not only do I think about the campaign and big ideas conceptually, but I also consider how to bring these concepts to life visually in a way that makes the idea shine and works at its best. I spend a lot of time in Photoshop these days as well.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>You\u2019ve worked at several prominent agencies in a relatively short time. Can you talk about that?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">I think I\u2019ve learned a lot from all those experiences, and it&#8217;s been great. Personally, I never expected to move around so much, but it just so happened that many great opportunities came my way, whether it was the type of work or the clients.<br>Now at BBDO, I\u2019m working on Pepsi, which is a huge brand to create campaigns for. I love it\u2014it\u2019s so much fun and feels like big work, which is something I\u2019ve always wanted to do.<br>Originally, I\u2019m from Brazil, and I think the job turnover there is slower than in the U.S., so that took me some getting used to at first.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>Why did you choose Boston University\u2019s College of Communication?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">I came to the U.S. during my junior year of high school on an exchange program. I remember a few seniors I looked up to had gotten into BU, so it always felt like a place I could go. It was partly a personal, emotional decision.<br>But truly, I chose BU because of the advertising program. BU has an incredible communications school and a really strong advertising program. I\u2019d heard so many stories of people from BU doing well in the industry. Since I knew early on that I wanted to work in advertising, it was important to me to pick a school with a good reputation in that major.<br>I\u2019m so happy with my choice. It was everything I hoped it would be. I had high expectations for the ad major, and BU met them.<br>I also loved the campus itself and the city. I wanted a city campus, but not a place like New York City, which can be overwhelming at a young age with so much going on. Boston was the right amount of city\u2014it felt lively but calm enough to really focus on school, which was ultimately why I was there.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>What was the most memorable part of your time at COM?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">So many things stand out. I had several professors who really stuck with me. I also minored in psychology and dance, so balancing those two minors with my major was interesting.<br>One professor I\u2019ll never forget is the late <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/christopher-cakebread-1950-2020\/\">Christopher Cakebread<\/a>, who taught my COM 101 class\u2014my very first COM class at BU. That was a really memorable moment, walking into the big auditorium and being captivated by such a passionate and masterful teacher. He was one of the reasons I fell in love with communications. I still get emotional talking about him.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>Are there other COM teachers who inspired you?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">I stayed in touch with another great professor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/doug-gould\/\">Doug Gould<\/a>. I keep professional relationships close.<br>He taught a class on writing for advertising\u2014like developing TV spots\u2014and gave me a piece of advice I still use: good ideas should feel like a full hand.<br>What he meant was that a good idea isn\u2019t just one finger or a palm alone; the concept (the palm) should expand into all the fingers, the different executions of the idea\u2014films, print, activations, radio, PR, branding.<br>Every day when I\u2019m brainstorming, I think about Doug\u2019s \u201cfull hand\u201d example. It helps me make sure ideas are strong conceptually and versatile across platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>What specific skills did you gain from COM that later helped you in the real world?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">One thing I\u2019m really proud of, and that COM developed in me, is strategic thinking. Even though I went to BU wanting to be a creative, I got a strong background in strategy and a broad view of communications\u2014how agencies work and the advertising world overall.<br>Strategic thinking taught me how to analyze brands and identify brand problems we could then solve creatively. Many creative solutions come from solid strategic thinking\u2014finding insights and solving problems in interesting ways.<br>Another class that really helped was the portfolio class. This class put all the classroom theory into practice. Professors gave us briefs to solve, simulating the real world. I still work the same way\u2014receiving briefs and solving problems. The portfolio class was like a pressure test for what I was learning.<br>So, I\u2019d say strategic thinking and creative problem-solving are key skills I developed, and the portfolio class helped me merge those two.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>You mentioned taking classes outside of COM. Can you tell me more about those?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">I\u2019ve always been fascinated by psychology. Growing up, I struggled in school because I didn\u2019t understand how my brain worked\u2014having ADHD made things difficult. I was lucky to work with a psychopedagogue \u2013 a psychologist specializing in learning disorders and ADHD \u2013 who helped me learn how to organize my brain and myself, which made life and academics much easier.<br>That personal experience sparked my interest in psychology. I knew I didn\u2019t want to be a psychologist, but I wanted to learn more. I was curious. That\u2019s why I chose a psych minor.<br>It also helped me in advertising, since much of advertising is based on classical conditioning\u2014building associations between a brand and positive feelings or memorable messages. Knowing psychology theories about how the brain creates associations has been invaluable to my career and daily life.<br>Personally, I also loved understanding more about learning disabilities, which spoke to me on a personal level. I took behavioral and cognitive psychology classes, and understanding how the brain works fascinated me.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>Was there a moment in college when you realized you\u2019d chosen the right path?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">Honestly, I don\u2019t remember a single defining moment because I pretty much knew what I wanted as a career from the beginning. That certainty was an advantage\u2014I didn\u2019t put pressure on myself trying to figure it out. I picked the right classes from the start\u2014psych minor, strategy classes, portfolio class starting as early as sophomore year. That preparation helped me feel confident I was on the right path throughout college.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>What is your one piece of career advice for someone considering a career in communications or advertising?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">I have one, and it\u2019s how I got my first job out of college at Hill Holiday: The worst thing that could happen is someone says \u201cno.\u201d It\u2019s not so scary when you put it that way.<br>When you\u2019re looking for a job, it\u2019s so hard to navigate the market right after graduating. My grandma always told me to not be afraid to just ask. So, I did. I messaged the CCO of Hill Holiday on LinkedIn\u2014I even paid for LinkedIn Premium just to send a longer message. I didn\u2019t go through HR or a more traditional approach; I reached right out to the CCO. The worst response I could get was a \u201cno.\u201d So I wasn&#8217;t afraid to ask. If someone says \u201cno\u201d, you try somewhere else or try again later. There is nothing to lose.<br>So my advice is: Don\u2019t be afraid to ask for the things you want.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-question\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">COM:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\"><strong>Your grandmother would be proud.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-answer\"><span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-name\">Victoria Rocha:<\/span> <span class=\"wp-block-editorial-q-and-a-content\">Thank you!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before she set foot on the Boston University campus, Victoria Rocha knew she wanted a career in advertising. 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