Let’s be honest, marketing and advertising students in Boston have it EASY.  I speak from experience. As a Boston University COM ‘10 graduate, I took full advantage of the wonderful resources that this city provides to aspiring young professionals. Networking events. Tweet Ups. Agency Tours. Digital Workshops. You name it, I was there. Pivotal to my own accessibility to all of these great events was being a member of the Boston University AdClub.

Overdrive Interactive was proud to welcome the BU AdClub in April 2012

The BU AdClub is a student run ad agency that operates on the passion of it’s members, who volunteer what’s left of their spare time to provide local companies and campus groups free advertising services.  I personally owe a lot to the organization. I mean, its deep network (Melanie and Laura, if you’re reading this…HI!) provided me with the stepping stones that landed me in my current role as Account Executive at Overdrive.

I thought I’d lay out the background check above to show how my life has come full circle. No more than two years ago, I was the shy guy attending agency tours and information sessions. NOW, I am leading them. Cool.

Last Friday, Overdrive Interactive hosted an agency tour for the 2012 class of BU AdClub.  The word “tour” doesn’t really do the event justice, actually. Beyond the plastic penguins, client success posters, and Nicholas Cage cubicle shrine hanging in the social media department, there’s not too much space to mill (we’re still a small agency!) around.

The tour really ended up being a three hour Online Marketing 101 class for the students, ranging in class from Freshman to Seniors. Our CEO, Harry Gold, presented a synopsis of his half-day online marketing seminar, teaching them about social media marketing, SEO, and the importance of asking “And Then What” when formulating your digital marketing strategy. They learned about Online Media Planning and Social Media from Bianca Garcia and Sarah Mitus. I spoke to what aspiring professionals should think about when being an Account Manager, and Michael Orlinski, Director of Search, rounded things up with a crash course in SEM.

Shaun Campos speaks to a few Do's and Don'ts of Account Management

Anyone who works in this field knows that education is as important as anything in the road to success. What we don’t always realize, is that allowing yourself the opportunity to educate others is just as important as the education one actually receives. It’s a fact, and Overdrive loved opening it’s doors for the BU AdClub last Friday afternoon. Thanks again to Kaylee and the BU group for being curious about digital (and the tweet love, of course)!