Chicago: Leo Burnett brings 79 years of ad experience to students
By Cat Huynh
From Frosted Flake’s Tony the Tiger to Allstate’s “Mayhem” campaign, Leo Burnett, a global advertising company known for creating some of advertising’s most familiar characters, has had 79 years of experience building brands.
IU Journalism students had a roundtable chat with six different IU alumni during a media visit at Leo Burnett Chicago on Feb. 13. With majors ranging from finance to journalism, the alumni discussed their career track, how and why they ended up at Leo Burnett, and the company’s history and culture.
Upon entering the meeting room where we had our chat, we were given a padfolio with the Leo Burnett logo, as well as a thick black pencil. No eraser.
“There is no eraser because there are no mistakes,” Holly Springer, BS’02, account director of the Kellogg’s account, said. “You should build up on your mistakes.”
We then moved on to discussing the company’s work.
Senior Erin Johnson especially enjoyed viewing the extended advertisements that Leo Burnett had worked on for this year’s Superbowl, such as Always’ #likeagirl campaign and Coke’s “Share Happiness” campaign.
“Throughout our time at the agency, their passion for the advertising industry became more and more apparent,” Johnson said. “This same passion shined through every piece of content that Leo Burnett produces, and it was great to see and hear how and why they made specific pieces of work.”
The alumni then allowed us to ask questions, and gave us advice on the industry. The most important things that we learned from this experience were:
- “Acts, not ads.” – Leo Burnett’s philosophy is that ads shouldn’t speak to people, but rather it should speak with people. It’s about building a brand’s purpose.
- Make others feel worthy – We were told an inspiring story about Leo Burnett’s beginning in the ad agency. During the Great Depression he gifted apples, a luxury at the time, to his clients, regardless of size or prestige. This was to make everyone he worked with feel that they were worthy.
- Be creative – Creativity impacts human behavior.
- Stay curious, stay active – Rachel Winer, BAJ‘95, EVP at Leo Burnett, concluded our visit by giving us advice on how to remain active within the industry. “Always try to set goals for yourself. And always ask yourself, “What do I want to be in one year?””
- Be brave – Follow your passions and beliefs, no matter what.