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Students interested in exploring advertising as a career may work on hands-on projects as members of the IU Chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

Formerly the Bloomington Advertising Club, the group joined the national professional group’s student division last fall. Lecturer Craig Wood, who advises the group, said this new association will complement future advertising curriculum the school may develop as well as augment skills for students with other majors.

“The club is open for anybody across the campus,” said Wood, who has a decades-long background as an advertising executive. “You just need to have an interest in advertising and participating in the club.”

IUAAF meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays in Ernie Pyle Hall 214. The group is student-run, with most members coming from journalism, telecommunications and business.

“The basic objective of the club is to create an environment that will spark ideas for students interested in advertising and marketing,” said junior Jane Wang, president of the group. “We want to create a collective where people can inspire and help each other develop their art and their skills.”

Advertising is a broad field encompassing marketing, writing, graphic design, photography and other skills. Wang said she joined because of her love for graphic design and photography, while other members came to practice in other ways.

At each meeting, members work on projects for different clients. Right now, they are working with Pizza Hut and will Skype with the client as well as with ad agency pros. They also will visit agencies and will participate in national advertising competitions.

“This group is beneficial for anyone who is planning on having a career in advertising because it gives students a sense of what the business is like in the real-world,” Wang said. “Just by having an environment and a community of creative, like-minded individuals, members benefit from an experience where they are constantly learning and creating new things.”

Students collaborate on team projects, learn to use a variety of software, collect and analyze research, and present information and ideas for real-world client projects and individual work.

They also will test their work by entering projects in the National Student Advertising Competition this spring in South Bend.

“There will be about a dozen student chapters in the AAF taking part in the competition, and we’ll send five students from our chapter,” Wood said.

Another new organization is Alpha Delta Sigma, the national honorary society formed in 1914 for AAF students. Requirements for induction include junior or senior standing, membership in the IU chapter, 3.25 GPA overall and 3.25 GPA in at least two higher-level advertising courses.

“Alpha Delta Sigma is the only national honorary that recognizes scholarship in advertising studies,” Wood said. “A student inducted into it will have recognition until they graduate, and it is a distinction to be remembered for this honorary.”

Wang said she hopes IUAFF will develop a national reputation as a student chapter that creates top professional-quality work for both on- and off-campus clients.

“We hope that the work we create will reflect how important advertising is, how much it matters to us and how fun it is,” Wang said. “By making ads, we hope we can get our name out there and show those who love advertising what they can be a part of.”