Rowena Tse

Strategic Communications, May 2010

Please describe your academic background including the reason(s) for enrolling in the M.S. program at the School of Continuing Education.

I received my B.S. in marketing and information systems from New York University in January 2001. Immediately after graduation, I started my first job in advertising as an assistant account executive at Ogilvy & Mather. Six years and four campaigns later, I was ready to leave behind account management and take on a more strategic marketing role at a nonprofit organization. 

However, up until that point in my career, my work experience had been laser-focused in traditional advertising. To become more marketable, I needed to round out my repertoire and become well versed in other communications practices, such as digital and social media, public relations and branding. I searched for a graduate program that would expand my horizon and shape me into the kind of leader that proactively challenges the status quo. The Strategic Communications program was just the right fit.

Please describe your professional background leading up to your current position.

I had every intention to head to Silicon Valley after NYU (I was, after all, a marketing and information systems double major), but the economy had other plans for me. The dotcom crash coincided perfectly with graduation and essentially wiped out any jobs in technology marketing. So I fell back on my other love – advertising. I spent the next seven years in account management at two of the top ad agencies, Ogilvy & Mather and Draftfcb, managing brands like Motorola, Kodak, the White House National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and the 2010 U.S. Census.

It was through my work on the Anti-Drug campaign and U.S. Census that I found my calling for social marketing. In 2008, I joined the Advertising Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing critical social issues through communications. Knowing that we are making the world a better and nicer place gives me comfort and drives me to keep doing what I do.

What is a typical day like in your current position?

In my current role as vice president, campaign director, I lead strategic and creative development for a number of public service advertising campaigns—including campaigns to urge individuals to take action against domestic hunger with Feeding America, to empower bystanders to use Hands-Only CPR with the American Heart Association, and to encourage parents to take steps to prevent childhood lead poisoning with EPA, HUD and the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.  

On any given day, you can find me drafting a grant proposal, briefing one of our ad agency partners on a new campaign, providing feedback on creative concepts, attending focus groups, covering a television shoot, discussing campaign strategy with our clients, leading an internal brainstorm on a new social media campaign, crafting a formal POV on a media partnership, writing for the Ad Council blog, presenting a brand review, forecasting billings for the coming fiscal year or hosting a workshop at a conference. In essence, there is no typical day.  

How did the Strategic Communications program help you prepare for your career?

The Strategic Communications program taught me practical skills that I was able to apply at work the very next day, sometimes literally. A day after we learned about search engine optimization (this was back in early 2008 when SEO was still a relatively new topic), I was asked to evaluate a few website development proposals. Because of my newfound knowledge, I was able to evaluate the proposals through a broader lens and ask specific questions to the developers regarding SEO. But above all else, this program taught me to think and write critically, and not to be afraid of a blank piece of paper. The intense focus on persuasive writing in every class was challenging at first, but it is truly one of the most valuable skills I took away from this program.

What advice would you give to students who wish to pursue careers in Strategic Communications?

Be open and willing to learn new things. Communications is a field that is constantly evolving—social media campaigns didn’t exist two years ago, and today we have successful campaigns that are only promoted through social media channels. By the same token, don’t dismiss traditional media as old news.  In some communities, radio is the best and only way to reach your target. Continue to hone your writing skills. You’ll be surprised how few people in the communications field (even those with fancy titles) can write well. Being able to put together an eloquent and persuasive argument is one of the most sought after skills in our industry.