AdClub New York vs. San Francisco?
These trips were both so unbelievable, they are hard to compare! Through Oklahoma State’s AdClub, I’ve been able to travel to so many agencies and learn so much about the advertising industry from professionals often eager to share their stories and successes with us. Also, AdClub’s subsidies have helped to lighten the financial load. As a member of the club, I’ve been able to get money toward these trips and certain meals and activities paid for along the way.
The main difference between this New York trip and the San Francisco trip was price. Even with the subsidy, the SF trip was $1,000 less – mostly because NY is so expensive to begin with, and I received class credit. But, it’s hard to compare trips just by price. The priceless parts of the trips, like sharing a hostel in SF with my friends, or like riding the Staten Island Ferry at 1:30am with a group of AdClubbers passing the Statue of Liberty while discussing our ideas about America. It was very late, so we got all philosophical – but it was fun. I loved being able to explore and experience the city on my own time, as well as enjoying the tour and presentations from agencies in both cities.
In SF, we toured DraftFCB and the über-creative Goodby Silverstein. Goodby was unforgetable. McCann and Mediaedge:cia were definitely forgettable, as interesting as the info was. It was just a less exciting experience for me. Still, it was very valuable for me to see the way New York advertising, the pinnacle of the business, functions and how the people there get jobs and get by. We kept hearing stories of living in poor circumstances and with roommates until they were able to move up over time in their respective companies. Of course, the same goes for SF – high cost of living in that city as well.
The cities themselves are not equal – they both have so much to offer and so much to experience. I’d like to spend a year in both someday. But, if I had to choose, I think I’d still go with San Francisco. Both cities have a great bicycle culture, which is a big deal for me as a bike rider. But I think SF would be a good fit for me. NY is a place I’d like to try for a year or two, but not for too much longer. I don’t think my Oklahoma self could handle the stress for much longer. But, they say if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, so I definitely want to try it someday. We’ll see what the future holds.
So, much thanks to AdClub for helping make these trips possible. I was glad to be a part of it as VP this past year and I can’t wait to see what Wes and Jordyn have planned for the future of the club next year!
I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading up on my adventures in New York City with OSU AdClub on our summer class trip. To keep up with my future summer adventures in Orlando, Florida, working for Relevant Magazine, check out my newest blog – AdBrad FL. I’ll be getting started on it soon, once I get settled in down here.
Tags: adclub, New York, OSU, san francisco
