Dear AAF-Baton Rouge,
I want to personally thank you and the AAF-Baton Rouge board for helping send our students to Paris and to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In short this trip would not have happened without your generous support. You have helped us establish an exceptionally beneficial program that will serve LSU and Baton Rouge for many years to come. I can truly say that this conference is the most inspirational I have ever attended in my career in advertising. What a great way to start six young careers!
I loved seeing the lights go on in our students’ eyes as they attended over 57 seminars along with dozens of workshops and master classes. From Robert Redford to Malcolm Gladwell to Patti Smith, in Cannes they saw the best work in our business and listened to brilliant people discuss an incredibly exciting future.
In Paris we visited agencies from Euro RCSG to Grey Paris, where the CEO Fred Wolff spent two and half hours sharing the future of the business as he saw it. These visits provided us with an even more in-depth view of the business and where things seem to be headed.
In the fall, we will host a night where these students can share their experiences firsthand. In the meantime, they have sent you some specific thanks below. I can’t thank you and the board enough for your continued support of the ad program at LSU. Y’all truly are the best.
Sincerely,
Lance Porter
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Dear AAF,
If I were to choose one word to sum up my summer in France, it would be an experience. I knew attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity would be extraordinary, but I did not anticipate how much I would learn! It was truly an experience like no other. I gained so much knowledge and insight from some of the biggest names in the business that I am ready to get my foot in the door and start working!
I learned not be discouraged trying to join the 3 percent of women who make it in the creative industry and to “fail fast and fix it.” I have also learned that the trend for brands to “do good” can only be successfully accomplished if it remains true to their values—not all brands should hop on board. However, “winning first shouldn’t be the goal,” assures Malcolm Gladwell. He encourages us to aim for third, not first. An interesting concept that only the 11:30 a.m. Debussy audience, myself included, will understand.
Thank you so much for helping me make my dream of going to Cannes a reality. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will cherish. Maybe if my hard work pays off, I can one day return to Cannes as a candidate for a Lion and make it a twice-in-a-lifetime experience. Either way, my summer in France was truly enjoyed and I owe it all to your generous support.
Merci,
Theresa Thao Nguyen
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I wanted to thank AAF-Baton Rouge for helping to subsidize the trip to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the advertising students of the LSU in Paris program. We had an amazing time, and I know what I learned was invaluable. From the inspirational top-notch speakers in the seminars to the hands-on workshops. I can’t wait to take what I have learned and apply it to my final year of study at LSU, and I am forever grateful for AAF-Baton Rouge for helping to make that possible.
Sincerely,
Joey Wilson
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As a public relations student, attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity opened my eyes to another industry that is deeply intertwined with PR. Seeing so many professionals speak about the future of the industry inspired me to look deeper into the industry. My favorite part in all was seeing how both PR and advertising work together toward a similar goal, which is to enhance and maintain an image for a person, product or brand. I was able to see that working within one industry does not mean limiting yourself to only one, and you can enjoy parts of one within the other. I truly enjoyed this wonderful experience and want to thank AAF-Baton Rouge for aiding my class and myself in attending the festival.
-Carolina De La Pena
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I wanted to take a moment and thank AAF-Baton Rouge for its donation to support the Mass Comm department’s trip to Cannes as part of the LSU in Paris program. The opportunity to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and to interact with advertising executives in an international venue will stay with me for the rest of my career in advertising. Your support of this program is most appreciated, and by giving LSU students such valuable opportunities, helps make LSU a better university.
Thanks,
David Peterson
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Dear AAF-Baton Rouge,
Thank you so much for your contributions and involvement with our study abroad program this summer. The advertising festival was phenomenal, and words cannot express the amount of gratitude we have for the committee’s support and donations.
Your invested interest in our trip speaks to AAF-BR’s long-standing commitment to providing exceptional learning opportunities for students at LSU, as well as other schools throughout the community. AAF subsidies allowed us to take part in a very exclusive and privileged educational experience, and the knowledge gained during the time we spent at the 58th International Festival of Creativity will undoubtedly serve us well in the future.
Again, we are incredibly appreciative of the Federation’s tremendous generosity and eagerness to help make LSU’s trip to Europe a memorable one. Our voyage to the south of France was an experience of a lifetime, and we cannot thank you enough for helping make the journey possible.
Laura Crosswell
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Since I am only going to be a Junior, I didn’t know much about the future of the industry or the different worldwide agencies. The festival opened up so many areas of new insight into the industry for me. The digital world is growing to new heights and cause marketing is a developing trend. The best part is that I got to learn everything from the best advertisers in the world. Thank you for generously contributing to sending our group to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. I learned so much that I could not have gotten from being in the classroom so I am very thankful for your part in getting me to Cannes.
Marlaina Zollinger