You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.                   ‐ Henry David Thoreau

Joy. Love. Persistence. Three simple words that I live by.  I find joy in life’s small things. It’s a smile from a stranger, an epic view or a great meal with friends. It’s the moments that make up life, and I make it a point to appreciate each one. It’s about being present and truly feeling each moment. 

I am a lover of life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s those tough moments that make me stronger and help fully appreciate the good ones. I am passionate about taking time to feel gratitude, gratitude for each moment. It’s about creating moments, loving moments and being in the moment. It’s the beauty of life. 

Among all, it takes persistence to remember to cherish those moments. Life can fly by, but appreciation and persistence helps to slow time down. Persistence is also what keeps me going, keeps me working toward my goals, and keeps me satisfied. 

When it comes to work, each moment I experience in the world is relevant. I take each of these moments and apply them to my work. It’s what inspires me, challenges me, and keeps my work strong. 

I am a lover of people and a humanity observer. I often find myself staring at others trying to figure them out, understand what makes them tick and what brings them joy. 

I am a hopeless optimist. I believe in the good of people and the good of humanity. I look on the bright side and see the good in each situation. It is a confidence and assurance that goodness will prevail.  

I am a good person. I’m honest, almost to a fault, and have strong integrity that I bring to each situation. I believe in justice and try to live each day with kindness. When in a difficult situation, I always try to do the next right thing. It helps to keep me in the moment and ensures that I am staying true to my beliefs. 

I am funky. I have a spunk, a sass, an energy that is contagious. It’s the vitality that I bring to each day of my life and to each element of project. 

I try to bring each of these qualities into my work. I live in life’s moments and bring this life to my work. 

I am passionate about building and communicating brands through smart and innovative creative work. My professional experience and time at the VCU Brandcenter provide many opportunities to hone my strategic thinking skills to make powerful platforms that inspire creative work. With a strong passion for developing consumer insights and business strategies, I can add immediate value to your team. 

I believe that brands should be authentic. Brands that matter have power. They have an intrinsic meaning and cultural relevance. Brands need to stand for something that is ownable and sets them apart from competitors in the marketplace. In having intrinsic value, brands set expectations for consumers. Each touch point and communication should further establish the brand’s core value in the mind of the consumer. Brands should be predictable and tell a cohesive brand story. 

Beyond this, there must be a culture that surrounds a brand. It should be a culture that encourages and facilitates a community of  like‐minded individuals. This gives brands meaning in the real‐world context. This community will share the same values of the brand and creates an atmosphere where people can fall in love with the brand. It is powerful and necessary to ensure that a brand thrives. 

The following pages demonstrate my strategic thinking on a few recent projects at the VCU Brandcenter. I approach the work by defining the right problem, understanding consumer needs and creating a solution that is true to the brand while meeting those needs. In engaging audiences and telling a relevant and meaningful story, brands can enjoy measurable successes. 

Enjoy. 

Situation: In recent years there have been a number of products that, because of changing times, changing culture and changing technology, have fallen into decline from the lofty success they once enjoyed. Burma-Shave was one of these brands. The goal was to re-introduce Burma-Shave, to position, package and promote the product to both the consumer and the trade in a fresh way.

Challenge: Although Burma-Shave had a functional benefit; the brand never communicated a deep emotional reward for the consumer. This lack of foundation in the building of this brand proved fatal once its advertising channel (roadside billboards) evolved and traffic patterns began to change.

Opportunity: Owning the “Path to Manhood”After thorough research of the industry competitors and the Burma-Shave brand, there is a great opportunity to re-introduce and re-invigorate Burma-Shave in today’s marketplace. Burma-Shave was founded on wholesome American ideals and quirky humor. In staying true to this, it was clear that there isn’t a product that speaks to the growing males who are starting to see themselves, no longer as boys, but as young men.

The Burma Burma-Shave brand embodies their new found expression of independence and confidence in knowing that they can begin to take care of themselves and make decisions that are uniquely individual, and uniquely true to who they are.

Target:Teenage boys ages 12-17

They are a very attractive target because of the way they consume and interact with media; more specifically: • They are willing to try new things because they are relatively new shoppers.• These boys get excited about content they find entertaining and interesting.• They are in a period of transition; the transition into manhood.• They expect the brands they use to be an extension of their personas. All facets of their brand consumption are, in essence, social.

Insights: • The majority of young males learn to shave by trial and error, and most are shaving incorrectly. • Learning to shave is a rite of passage. • This target desires products that are an expression of their individualism.

Positioning: Grooming the man in you.

Strategy: Demonstrate independence on their path to manhood.

This resonates with a higher emotional need, the need for independence. These young men are maturing from boys to young men and the act of shaving becomes a ‘rite of passage’ as they figure out how to shave on their own. Burma-Shave provides the tool for these young men to begin to demonstrate their independence and continue their path towards manhood.

We want to ensure that we communicate to these young men in a way that resonates with them by staying humorous and quirky while also providing the path to manhood.

BURMA-SHAVE

Solution: Re-introduce Burma-Shave as a ‘hero’ brand that guides the audience along the path to manhood. The product embodies their newfound expression of independence and confidence in knowing that they can begin to take care of themselves. The Burma-Shave brand is inherently masculine and straightforward. The new packaging and line of available products are an extension of these two attributes.

The essence of the Burma-Shave brand also represents independence and confidence as shaving becomes a function of daily life for the young Burma-Shave male. Through the use of the product, engagement in online education, as well as sharing these common experiences through the social community, the young male’s path to manhood can be an enjoyable experience.

Situation: Ihaveanidea.org wanted to launch a new awards show, the Tomorrow Awards, and incite participation in the shortlist judging process. The Tomorrow Awards is the first international award show dedicated exclusively to showcasing, awarding, and discovering the latest advertising trends, methods and technologies transforming the advertising and communications industry. They are passionate about advertising and the future of the industry.

Challenge: There is no pre-established worth to the award. Existing award shows have a history and a value in people’s mind. Additionally, they do not have the budgets that other big award shows have to promote the call for entries.

Opportunity: Create a campaign to drive traffic to the Tomorrow Awards website to increase awareness and encourage participation, either through submission or judging.

Target: Working professionals and freelancers in the advertising, marketing and communications industries.

THE TOMORROW AWARDS: FULLY ROBOTIC

Insights: Technology will only be great if there is an original mind behind it.

Strategy: Don’t be a robot. Create greatness by uniting technology with big ideas.

Solution: Create a faux advertising agency run exclusively by robots. First of all, robots transcend gender and nationality, so no matter which country or language, the message will be consistent. The robot agency, Fully Robotic, will have a website to serve multiple purposes. The website will educate visitors about the Tomorrow Awards, and will help to prevent industry professionals, as well as the entire audience in general, from becoming robotic.

While the robots have access to the latest technology, they do not have the creativity to create really great work. The main mission for the robots is to win the Tomorrow Awards, which is an impossible reality. They will become increasingly aggravated as time passes.

This message gives the opportunity to communicate the essence of the Tomorrow Awards, celebrating today the future of advertising, while also creating a story that can continue as the award grows in popularity.

Campaign Setup & Development

Start the Conversation

Optimization & Measurement

Campaign Setup & Development

•Fully Robotic Agency•Robot Personalities•Website •Social Network Profile Development

Start the Conversation

•Comment on Industry Blogs•Social Network Updates•Website Content

Optimization & Measurement

•Conversion Events•Google Analytics•Social Media Footprint

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Target: People who already eat healthy frozen meals are typically women, ages 20‐35 (college students to working professionals) who share aspirations to be healthy. They need convenience to feel healthy and typically eat healthy frozen meals to replace a workout. They typically do not want to engage in eating out at restaurants often or spending the time to cook a full meal. 

Insights: • Healthy frozen meals work for a diet, but most wish they didn’t have to eat them. • As single serve entries, women feel a sense of shame when eating a frozen meal alone. • Women will eat a healthy frozen meal at lunch so they can splurge and have a dinner they enjoy. 

Situation: Lean Cuisine brings together taste, health, and convenience to provide easy meal solutions. A segmentation study was conducted to determine the ideal target audience. Research methods included secondary research, competitive review, focus groups, one‐on‐one interviews and online surveys to develop target audience segments. 

Challenge: In this market, there is an influx of competition ranging from microwaveable to stovetop easy meal solutions. The variety available to consumers decreases brand loyalty across all segments. 

Opportunity: Determine ideal segment to make Lean Cuisine the “go to” healthy frozen food option for people already eating “Healthy Frozen Meals.” 

Microwave Mavericks ‐ 10%Typically single and finds it hard to cook for just one person. They are not comfortable in the kitchen and eating in solitude solidifies their loneliness. They do not find joy in cooking and will dine out or heat up a quick meal.

Segmentation: To fully develop the target audience and determine the ideal segment, the goal was to understand motivations, behaviors and preferences of “healthy frozen food” fans. 

Banquet Budgeters ‐ 10%On a budget and spends less on lunch than on their morning coffee. They feel guilty about spending money on fast food and would rather take advantage of frequent grocery store sales.

Diet Diverters ‐ 14%This group predominantly uses these meals for portion control. They typically do not understand nutritional labels beyond calories and fat grams, and feel good about taking the stairs as form of exercise.

Freezer Fiends ‐ 8%Eats frozen foods because they actually prefer the taste. They are comfortable in the frozen food aisle and turn to the freezer first when considering their next meal. 

Drive‐Thru Divas ‐ 57%Eats to live, not lives to eat. They are busy and have a drawer full of take‐out menus. They forget to eat and will typically fuel up by eating more at one sitting instead of eating frequent smaller meals during the day.

Strategy: Reach out to Drive‐Thru Divas to communicate that Lean Cuisine keeps up with your routine. 

Solution: In reaching this audience, we are targeting women to already prefer Lean Cuisine, but are only eating them a few times a year.  We need to remind them why they love it and why it is the best meal solution that fits in with their busy schedule. While these women would be content with eating snack foods, its important to communicate that Lean Cuisines are more filling and more nutritious than a pack of crackers.

10%10%

14%

8%

57%

Microwave Mavericks Banquet BudgetersDiet Diverters Freezer FiendsDrive‐Thru Divas

Creative Brief

A child’s first bicycle is more than just a toy; in fact in the child’s mind it’s not a toy at all. This bike moves them up in the world. It’s not their neighbor’s, their cousin’s, or their brother’s…it’s their own. The evolution of getting around begins with plastic big wheels, they then move to a tricycle, then a hand-me-down bike with training wheels, to finally what they have been wait so long for…their first big kid bike.

The child waits for this moment. It’s a huge deal in their life and a rite of passage. This transition is so big that the bike is usually given for the child’s birthday or for Christmas. It’s special and it’s a milestone that parents can share with their children.

The hardest part of raising a child is teaching them to ride bicycles. A shaky child on a bicycle for the first time needs both support and freedom. The realization that this is what the child will always need can hit hard. ~Sloan Wilson

Who is Schiwnn? A classic American company that is a cultural icon through shared experiences, history and tradition.

Why are we advertising? To sell more Schwinn kid bikes, specifically children between 3-12 years old.

What is the objective of the advertising? Spark nostalgia for parents with young children to remember the freedom of their first bicycle. The communications should motivate parents to create the same feeling for their children with a Schwinn bike.

Who are we talking to?

What insights do we have about our target that will help us?

1.Your first taste of freedom is leaving the driveway on two wheels. 2.A “big kid” bike is your own, not a hand-me-down.

It’s the bicycle that you grew up on. Schwinn was there when you took that first pedal by yourself. They were there when you graduated from the driveway to the sidewalk. Schwinn was there when your bike became your ultimate source of freedom and adventure. The experience of riding throughout the years epitomizes Schwinn bicycles.

Strategy: Giving your child their first taste of freedom.

Thought starters: 1.Everybody can share a story about when they first learned to ride a bike. 2.A child’s first real “big kid” bike is a rite of passage. 3.Learning to ride a bike is a life lesson. If you fall down, you have to get back

on and keep trying.

Kids We want Schwinn to be the first bicycle that gives kids their first taste of freedom. These kids are riding in their backyard and burning tracks into the grass. They are exploring their neighborhoods and viewing the world on their own for the first time.

Parents Communications will speak directly to the parents. Because Schwinn was the bike they first learned to ride on, they want to pass this along to their kids. It is a rite of passage that only Schwinn can own.

Thank you. 

Amanda K. Rue 735 S. Pine Street, Richmond, VA 23220

(804)387‐2775amanda.rue@gmail.com