Buschhorn wins 2019 Educator of the Year from American Advertising Federation

Texas State University advertising program coordinator Jenny Buschhorn was named the 2019 Educator of the Year by the Austin chapter of the American Advertising Federation. 

 Buschhorn, who has been in the advertising industry for more than 25 years, says the award is great, but adds that her true passion lies in “working with students when we are putting together a campaign.” This year, advertising students put their learning to the test working to develop ad strategies and campaigns for Hewlett Packard (HP) and Capeltic Coffee. 

As an assistant professor of practice at Texas State, Buschhorn brings her real-life experience to the classroom. Prior to teaching, Buschhorn co-founded a successful strategic business planning company. She worked at several advertising agencies as account service representative and account planner. She developed and implemented strategies for clients ranging from Southwest Airlines to JCPenney, and from Frost Bank to Whataburger. 

Buschhorn is the second Texas State faculty member to win this award. Clay Craig, an assistant professor of advertising, took home the award in 2018. 

“Advertising program coordinator Jenny Buschhorn is an award-winning teacher who understands how to provide real world learning experiences for students. Her students develop strategic campaigns for national and international clients. It’s a win-win relationship for our students and industry leaders,” said Judy Oskam, professor and director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. 

“We want to teach students to think – how to problem solve,” Buschhorn said. For undergraduates studying advertising who want to be successful, she offers this advice: “[Have] a willingness to learn everything in the industry. There are lots of different parts, [and] really thinking about what we teach will make you more successful. If you understand how to do research and creative development and use today’s tech, you will be able to be successful.”

And what about the new advertising graduates — what advice can she offer? 

“I would say work super hard, take on any job anyone would give you. Remember what you learn in school — the way we do it, it applies really well. You have what you need to do well in the field,” she said.

For Bobcats who want a career in advertising, an internship is very important. “If you do an internship, you have a much higher chance of getting a job in this field. They succeed immediately. It cuts the job search,” Buschhorn said. 

 Buschhorn, who started in advertising in 1988 has seen a lot of change in the field. “The Number 1 thing is obviously the internet. Being able to connect directly with consumers via advertising — you can have more of a personalized, one-on-one conversation with them. You can tell people about your product and they can ask you questions. You can watch everything now.” 

When Texas State students began working with clients, they started small, Buschhorn said. “Now we’ve been able to change it into real-world problem-solving work with them,” she said. On Dec. 9, the advertising campaign class traveled to Hewlett Packard (HP) in Houston. Later, they will use live streaming technology to give a presentation to HP in Taipei, Taiwan. Another group will unveil a campaign to Capeltic, a Mexico-based coffee collaboration produced by the Tseltal communities of Chiapas. 

“The goal of this class has been to approximate an advertising agency,” Buschhorn said. “Now we get clients to realize how really good our students are.”