Author: Alexis Campbell                                            Majors: Journalism- Advertising and Public Relations

Paragliding over Venice and the Dolomites

Breathtaking- that’s how I would describe my entire experience abroad; and no, I don’t just mean when my breath was literally taken from my lungs after climbing up 500 stairs in a narrow spiral staircase to see the entire city of Florence. I am still in awe of the colorful beach homes in Cinque Terre, the Dolomite mountains surrounding my campus, the bluest coastal water that was crystal clear, the black craters carved out by the Mt. Etna volcano, the ruins of the ancient city of Rome, architecture with such detail uncomparable to anything I have never seen before, and so much more. This was the best summer of my entire life and I already can’t wait to go back.

To say that I learned a lot would be an understatement; I gained an abundance of knowledge and growth both within the classroom and outside of it. My first weekend abroad, I was in city where I knew no one, didn’t speak a lick of Italian, had no idea how to get around, and then I missed my train. This called for an immediate growth in my problem-solving ability to say the least. By the end of the trip, I would like to say I am pretty much an expert at the public transportation in Italy.

I am pursuing a degree in advertising and because Italy has one of the highest digital advertising expenditures it was the perfect place for exposure to top-notch advertisements. I noticed several interesting European advertising techniques; and these are just a few:

• In Italy, the advertisements are simplistic yet very creative, often utilizing bright colors. They have no smoke or mirrors, for example, just a pair of shoes on a bright backdrop.
• Vintage and Retro-looking advertisements are very in style. Many advertisements look like they are out of a 50’s postcard.
• There are several advertisements on historical buildings and national monuments. I was shocked to see billboards on Brunelleschi’s duomo in Florence and the Duomo di Milano. These advertisements seemed very out of place, this would never be seen on a religious building in America; likewise, an advertisement on the most popular building in the city doesn’t go unnoticed.
• And finally, ROME-ance sells. With Rome being the city of love, advertisements make that well known. Love, is a big part of Italian culture and is reflected in the designs. Hearts and subtle cues of love can be seen in a majority of advertisements.

One of the courses I took in Italy was “The Global Consumer,”  a class that provided an abundance of key insight relative to marketing in other countries around the world. When marketing to a different country, it is essential to know the history and culture of the people that live there in order to be effective at reaching your audience. I learned a lot about China and its unprecedented economic expansion that is expected to double America’s economy in the near future. Also in the past 30 years, China has moved over 300 million people out of indigence and poverty. Chinese citizens are being monitored by surveillance cameras on every corner, going so far as to use facial recognition technology to limit the amount of toilet paper each person uses at public restrooms. Currently, China is enacting the Belt Road Initiative in several African countries. This is a foreign policy program seeks to fund and build roads, power plants, ports, railways, 5G networks, and fiber-optic cables around the world. 139 countries have joined the initiative, accounting for 40% of the global GDP. The Chinese state and its subsidiaries have lent about $1.5 trillion around the world, and this debt to China includes a mix of cash loans, infrastructure construction agreements, and resource-backed loans. Many countries will struggle to pay this back; the poorest countries may be drained of money and resources.

I would definitely recommend this study program to anyone and everyone who is even remotely interested in going abroad. My advice for those studying abroad is to take every opportunity that you can and to say yes to everything for the full experience. Research the things you want to do and see and try to come up with a plan for the best ways to get around, but remain flexible as plans can always change. When a friend and I missed our train to Milan, within the hour we rerouted to go to Pisa for a few hours. Pretty unfortunate, huh? Step out of your comfort zone because you may never have these opportunities again.