As I see it, a project is not an episode of unwelcome drudgery—it is a chance to find a creative solution to a problem and an opportunity to be the most you possibly can. And if you don’t approach a challenge with the goal of being the best, why even begin?

Working within a group during my very first marketing course, Introduction to Marketing (Marketing 370), I was charged with refreshing marketing efforts at Rayovac. Focusing on the company’s newer rechargeable products, we developed the Lithia name and brand image, creating the “Good Choices” campaign to build public awareness. Even though Marketing 370 was a rather early milestone in my education, the course was my first real opportunity to envision a marketing plan and run wild with it.

Being vice president of promotions for the Marketing Club gave me many exciting opportunities to express creativity. When I joined the club, it had no existing membership and had to be constructed from the ground up. To convey the group’s youthful spontaneity (and win some new members), I created the club’s “Get Buzzed” image, which quickly became inseparable from the group itself. Different promotional vehicles, including posters, video clips, and even the antics of the Marketing Club’s yellow-shirted Buzz Squad, played off one another beautifully. I also adapted the campaign to promote a few of the club’s off-campus events—which were great successes.

Even my personal website, briantroutman.com, is an outlet for writing, graphic design, video, and other creative pursuits. An outwardly mature appearance coupled with a somewhat ironic tone give the site a distinct personality, one which (perhaps) mirrors my own.