“M.J.” is the consensus “captain” of the consultancy. Originally from Houston, Texas, Barnes ventured to Miami 10 years ago to take a job at Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B). Her six plus years of experience with the renowned global advertising agency proved invaluable. She joined SoC as a lecturer over two years ago, and last fall the dean asked her to help brainstorm and develop the framework for the project.
After a soft launch, the consultancy expanded in the spring to include 18 students. “With growth and referrals, we evolved very organically,” she says. “It was amazing. The spring was nebulous, energetic and chaotic.”
During the summer, things “heated up,” Barnes says. Twelve students signed on in internship capacity to work 40 hours a week. They developed the name—“orange” for the U and the umbrellas that sprinkle the campus, and “umbrella” denoting this overarching entity that connects the fields of study within the school—and shaped branding and other key concepts.
Terry Balagia, a veteran of the LA advertising world who joined the U as a lecturer in 2016, helped develop creative strategy. Balagia taught previously at the University of Texas (UT) and lessons learned there—the student agency buckled because funding depended on expensive client projects—helped Orange Umbrella avoid similar mistakes.
“Mostly, I helped M.J. see what not do to,” Balagia says. “The UT internship charged [clients] big money, and the clients came in with big expectations. The students couldn’t do it, they couldn’t keep up.
“This is a learning experience first—and we don’t want students to have an ugly experience. I want to protect the way they feel about advertising,” Balagia says.
In his extensive experience, he was often amazed at how much fun professionals had in the field. “We get paid for being creative, for writing commercials and shooting with great directors? What? How can that not be anything but fun? School should be like that.”
The consultancy has enjoyed a number of successes with clients in the early going, such as a Kick-Starter program for Growers 2 Home that raised $13,000 in a month.
Roberto Reyes, who handles business development for Growers, reached out to the University through his sister, a UM grad, when the company was looking to vitalize its marketing campaign.
“It’s definitely been a win-win. Our partnership complements their coursework, and for us it’s a way to accomplish something important for our business,” Reyes says. He credits Barnes with being “a good leader,” guiding the students and coordinating the collaboration.
The Doral-based company imports flowers from Colombia and ships to several U.S. states to sell at CVS stores. Students helped redesign a pricing scheme and developed a whole new communication strategy that’s proven very successful, Reyes says. Members of Growers meet occasionally with a group of 4-5 students to strategize.
Christian Felipe, a senior, joined the consultancy in the spring after a friend mentioned the class to him. Felipe was one of four students who recently shared a ‘Cane Talk on Orange Umbrella.
“I’ve gained a lot more experience as a leader,” Felipe says. “I’m doing assignments that I’ll be doing in real work.” In addition to client interaction with Growers 2 Home, he’s overseeing an expansive donor report on the IMC.
Gregory Mintz, a senior who helps rally the team for the status reports, learned about the course during a “2 a.m. conversation” with a friend.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do and thought this is a good place to get your feet in the water,” he says. He enjoys putting his creative writing skills to work, writing taglines and slogans. In addition to working with clients, Mintz writes a blog for OU, “filler pieces” that help develop his writing skills for a future he envisions in copywriting.
Ariella St. Rose, also a senior, knew she needed some learning experience and thought the consultancy would be a “cool thing to do.”
“I have excellent teachers and they try their best, but this is learning that you couldn’t possibly get in class. You don’t know until you go out [into the world]—things are so much different in real life than what you imagine,” St. Rose says.
She researched, wrote and designed parts for a client’s user interview aimed at increasing engagement. Now she’s writing QR code and doing print for another. “It was all new for me,” she says, “I had no idea how to do it.”
While a bit stressful, she appreciates dealing with clients and having deadlines that are real. “When you meet the deadlines, it feels like a reward,” St. Rose says.
Dean Shepherd says the consultancy has far exceeded expectations.
“The quality of clients, the quality of work they’re providing, the student dedication to the consultation is remarkable,” he says. “I do worry, and I’ve talked to the students about this, that it’s going to be tempting for them to spend too much time in the consultancy. They love it. It’s where they want to be, yet they still have classes to take and other obligations—they have to keep their priorities straight.”
He credits the students with nurturing the quality reputation the consultancy has forged in its early going.
“We don’t want to get a lot bigger right now. Quality control is extremely important; it takes a lot of effort to build a brand, and a reputation can be undermined. The students have been terrific in interviewing, not admitting students that were not quite ready or didn’t have the skillset set or the personalities,” Dean Shepherd says. “They’ve been exhibiting their own quality control, and that needs to continue. I’d rather be small and excellent, than large and mediocre.”
