Grady PHD Creative Collective 8.0 explores media lives and attitudes of Gen Z

Seven senior advertising majors had the opportunity to join together as Grady’s 8th Creative Collective team, sponsored by PHD, the worldwide media agency.

This year, the team spent six months looking into the media lives of 18- to 25-year-olds, part of the elusive Generation Z. They conducted secondary research and more than 110 in-depth interviews and panels as they explored three main topic areas including the evolution of entertainment, privacy and security, and the value of ads. The team shared their insights with more than 60 agency professionals at PHD’s New York office on Friday, April 12.

Despite the long evenings in Grady spent digging for the most compelling media and advertising insights, as well as the extensive preparation leading up to the big presentation, the team wouldn’t trade the experience for anything, according to senior Akyra Kelley.

“Knowing that agencies like PHD value what Grady students can do makes this experience so fulfilling. Being able to travel to New York to present a project that we had been working on for nearly six months was the highlight of my time in Grady,” Kelley said.

Through a competitive process, Kelley and her fellow advertising seniors Elizabeth Calloway, Ellie Harding, D.J. Herr, Bryson Hollomon, Owen McDaniel and James Ogletree, were selected to participate in the program.

“Working with PHD was an incredible opportunity for professional growth; I learned a great deal about future trends within the industry,” said Holloman.

The team also gained advice from PHD New York President Rob DiGiovanni and Avin Narasimhan, U.S. Head of Communications Planning, who met with the them after the presentation and shared their take on the importance of implementing an effective media plan into any successful campaign.

Karen King, a Jim Kennedy Professor of New Media and professor of advertising, led the partnership for the 8th consecutive year. King said,“We are grateful for the opportunity that this partnership with PHD gives our students to conduct research and do a deep-dive into the findings looking for insights. PHD has come to expect an in-depth professional presentation from our teams and, once again, these students did Grady proud.”

In the evening following the presentation, the 8.0 team met with other Grady advertising alumni, many of whom had been on one of the previous Grady PHD Creative Collective teams. This gave these soon-to-be graduates the chance to learn more about what it is like to live and work in New York City and enter the advertising industry.