Each year, the faculty advisor of every student chapter of the American Advertising Federation nominates one outstanding student to be awarded the prestigious Vance Stickell Internship. Out of thousands of applicants, the top 20 are placed in high esteemed internships throughout the country. Ranking in at the top spot in 2010, Brittany Deterding’s application caught the attention of that nominating committee.
Standing out from the rest, at 16, Brittany created the foundation for her professional endeavors with an über successful website. Her achievements have continued to grow throughout her years at U of I. Her Campus Illinois sat down with Brittany to learn more about one of the most promising advertising students in the nation.
HC: How did you choose your path in advertising?
I first became interested in advertising because I dealt with it quite a bit in my web development projects throughout middle school and high school. My most recent independent project has been running the most popular fan website for Lauren Conrad, which I launched when I was 16 years old, www.lauren-conrad.net. It has basically acted as a side project while I’ve been in school the last 5 years. Funny enough, I actually came to the university as an atmospheric science major and quickly realized that it wasn’t my calling. I wanted to find something I could do to integrate my web development skills, and when I scrolled through the list of majors, advertising caught my eye. Soon after, I went in and talked to the faculty at the College of Media Student Services Center about the major and they told me that the digital aspect of advertising was up-and-coming and they thought I would be a great fit to the major. The rest is history.
HC: How did you become involved with advertising throughout your time here at the university?
At the beginning of my sophomore year, I became very involved in the Illinois chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and volunteered to help out with the chapter’s website, www.aafillinois.com. The following year, I became the EVP of Digital Communications and did a complete redesign of the website, which is what you see today. Last year, I also became really involved with the National Student Advertising Competition and headed all of the digital elements of the campaign for State Farm. Currently, I am the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of NSAC, for which I dedicate well over 20 hours a week and oversee a team of 48 students. We are working on $100 million fully-integrated campaign for this year’s sponsor, JCPenney.
HC: What has helped you along the way; do you have any advice to gaining an internship in this competitive field?
AAF has helped me tremendously in landing both of my past internships. My sophomore year, I went to the Chicago Advertising Federation Career Day solely looking to learn more about advertising and the industry. I ended up landing an internship at Euro RSCG Chicago as their first digital intern. Last summer I was selected as the most outstanding student of AAF Illinois and was awarded my internship through the Vance Stickell Internship program. I was placed at T3 (The Think Tank) in Austin, Texas as a web development intern. My advice is definitely to take full advantage of all of the resources provided to you by AAF, or any student organization related to your major or interests.
HC: What do you want to do in the advertising industry after you graduate?
Based on all my experiences, most think I want to pursue web development, but during my immersion in the agency world, I realized I am much more passionate about digital (and social media) strategy.
HC: What has been your favorite college memory so far?
One of my favorite memories was back when I was a sophomore, still new to advertising. My mentor in AAF, who was a senior at the time, invited me to attend an AAF Exec Board social he was hosting at his apartment. At this event, I got the chance to meet a ton of stellar advertising students that were about to do great things in the industry. Many of these students ended up on the Exec Board the following year with me and became some of my best friends; others are already out working in the industry and we still keep in touch. As adver-nerdy as it may be, that was a very influential night for me and one that I’ll never forget.
HC: What will you miss most upon graduation?
Spending all of my free time in Greg Hall… kidding, kind of. I will definitely miss getting the chance to work with, and be surrounded by, such talented people on this campus. I’ve met some incredible people from all walks of life (both in my college and outside of it) and they have all taught me so much and have helped me grow both professionally and academically.
HC: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
I see myself in some sort of leadership role at an agency either in Chicago or Austin. At that point, I am hoping to be in a position that I love that also allows me to spend a lot of time with friends and family.