Ad Lab
From College of Fine Arts and Communications
“When I arrived at BYU in 1999, I had the idea of starting an ad-agency-like lab for advertising students that rivaled a teaching university medical school: Learn in the classroom, practice in the operating room,” remembers Doug McKinlay, associate professor. “Of course, there is always an attending physician leading the procedure in the OR. Likewise, there should always be a monitoring hand in the Ad Lab.”
Resources for such a program were not available at the time, but McKinlay refused to put his vision to rest. He felt that an environment closely resembling professional advertising would greatly enhance the academic experience for students in the department.
McKinlay met Jeff Sheets, a then part-time instructor, in 2003. The two shared a vision, a love for students and a desire to build a great advertising program for the department. After months of hard work and recruiting a few clients, the Advanced Advertising Lab slowly came together. Sheets became the lab’s manager and has served as the inside face and the outside voice of the Ad Lab ever since.
In short, the Ad Lab is a student-managed, professionally-mentored ad agency. It serves as the central hub of the department’s advertising program, giving students experience in account management and planning, brand development, media strategy, creative development, art direction and copy writing.
The lab is integrated into advertising curriculum so that each student in the program has some connection to ongoing projects. Each year, approximately 15 students run the day-to-day operations of the client projects in senior management/creative roles, and another 40 students participate above and beyond their classroom assignments.
The lab’s first clients were local, start-up businesses and campus departments. Today, the lab’s client list includes Fortune 500 companies, world-renowned nonprofit organizations and pro-social causes. The lab, partnered with the Bradley Public Relations Agency, now fills 1,600 square feet with the latest technology students need to produce quality projects that can compete with professional agencies thanks to a generous donation from the Howard and Cristi Bulloch Family.
The Ad Lab provides students hands on experience working for an ad agency before they graduate. Ad Lab students have worked on projects for major corporations such as Ford Motor Company, Walden Media, Black and Decker, and the Ad Council.
In 2007, the Ad Lab made its first appearance at the Global L’Oreal Brandstorm competition in Paris. The Ad Lab, which was represented by Jamie Bond, Zachary R. Tolbert, and Stanton Jones won first for the Best Communications Campaign.
In 2008, Monica McGhie, Blake Hadley, and Matt Miller represented the Ad Lab at Global L'Oreal Brandstorm competition, claiming both the International Finals Top Prize and the Best Communication Campaign. They beat out teams from 38 countries and became the first team from the United States to ever win the top prize.
