Dixie Forum opens semester by hosting NYC marketing executive
Dixie Forum opens semester by hosting NYC marketing executive
For its first installment of the Fall 2017 semester, Dixie State University’s weekly lecture series Dixie Forum will host a VaynerMedia marketing executive as he shares industry insights.
Steve Babcock, chief creative officer at VaynerMedia in New York City, will open the semester by presenting “The Rise of Original Content and How Brands Must Adapt.” The lecture is set to take place from noon to 12:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29, in the Dunford Auditorium of the Browning Resource Center on the Dixie State campus. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.
In light of platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat pushing deeper into original content programming and democratizing talent, production and distribution, Babcock believes marketers need to stop hiding behind product placements and produce entertaining, binge-worthy content. In his Dixie Forum presentation, Babcock will talk about how brands and agencies can embrace a show approach, a pilot mentality of creative experimentation to make successful, engaging and entertaining content.
Babcock's advertising career began in what he describes as the most cliché way possible — in the mailroom. Since then, he has held creative positions at EURO RSCG, Struck, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, EVB and now VaynerMedia. In his current role as chief creative officer at VaynerMedia, Babcock continues to put business solutions first with his media-agnostic approach.
In addition to creating noteworthy campaigns for brands including Volkswagen, Domino’s Pizza, Kraft, JCPenney and Samsung, Babcock has been featured in industry lists including Forbes’ “30 Most Creative People in Social Media” and XYZ’s “Top 25 Young Creative Professionals.” His favorite professional achievements include inventing the Domino’s Pizza Tracker and the Red Thumb Reminder, a viral initiative to curb distracted driving.
Dixie Forum is a weekly lecture series designed to introduce the St. George community and DSU students, faculty and staff to diverse ideas and personalities while widening their worldviews via a 50-minute presentation. Next week, Dixie Forum will host Boyd Matheson, president of The Sutherland Institute, as he presents “Politics Has Failed; America Will Not" at noon on Sept. 5 in the Dunford Auditorium.
For more information about Dixie State University’s Dixie Forum series, contact DSU Forum Coordinator John Burns at 435-879-4712 or burns@utahtech.edu or visit humanities.utahtech.edu/the-dixie-forum.
