ECP Agency Tour

By Lauren Lesniak

Started from the bottom, and now just look where he is! Rob Jackson, the Creative Director at Extra Credit Projects (ECP), has had so much success throughout the years that his company has been established. GVSU Ad Club had the privilege of touring Rob’s agency on February 19th of this year.

As soon as we walked into the door, we received a friendly greeting by Rob.

As we were waiting for all our Ad club members to arrive, Rob told us to “make ourselves at home” by exploring the entire facility. This allowed us to get a sense for the atmosphere.

I first noticed all his awards that had been piling up to the point where they decided to display them in a trash can by the front door.

I continued to look around their facility and was captivated by the creativity and thought process that went into the design of the atmosphere.

Following our independent time to explore the companies space, we had the pleasure of enjoying a PowerPoint presentation that Rob had put together for us.

Rob discussed his agencies belief in great detail. They have a very unique way of displaying their beliefs through a three-legged stool. The seat of the stool represents the “work”, while each leg stood for different aspects that they had to cover: creative, consumer and clients. If one of the legs were to be effected, the work and all the other aspects will be as well. If one were to fall apart, then all of them would as well.

Their beliefs are what make them such a unique and overall incredible company to become a client of.

A few of ECP clients are: The Chemical Bank, Harper Collins/Zondervan, Herman Miller, and even Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

Many of their customers become loyal because of their incredible work that they have done thus far.

The work that ECP has done with Michigan State over the years has been a major project for them. They promote the school itself, as well as events that Michigan State holds.

At one point they held a bike campaign which was used to reach and fully engage the community.  There anthem for the campaign was, “what do you ride for?” It was a way for them to to spread awareness, which was their ultimate goal.

The way they speak to the consumers and go beyond the typical lens is what makes ECP so unique. They aim to actively engage and interact with people as much as possible.

Rob gave some important advice for all of us to remember for when we go into the field of advertising…

• Advertising is a mix of group work and alone time, but alone time is generally where the inspiration seed is planted, it’s not a business that is for everyone – it requires certain characteristics that being said, advertising is fun, its creativity with a business sense!
• Believe in your work – good or bad, it will always come back around at some point; it may be months or it may be a year but it will always come back around.

Unfortunately, at one point our time with Rob and ECP had to end. Before we left the agency, Rob was gracious enough to pose for some pictures.

What’s a better way to end a tour than with a fun photoshoot?

We cannot thank Rob enough for the warm welcome and giving us such great insight into the advertising world. We gained so much valuable information that truly made our tour unforgettable.

From all of us at GVSU Ad Club, we deeply thank you for your kind hospitality.