During free hour on February 23, students met with Debra Frohlinger, a current partner at NeueVu, with extensive experience in the field of marketing. Frohlinger had attended Dr. Cohn’s New Product Development class in the morning and then sat down with students for an informal discussion during free hour.

Frohlinger is originally from South Africa where she obtained her degree in psychology and sociology. Once she graduated, she began looking for jobs and gravitated towards public relations and advertising. She landed a job in consumer research and then moved into brand management in South Africa. She then moved to Los Angeles and started working at an ad agency. She has continued to work in advertising due to her love for the work and the ability to work with inspiring and creative people. She has now been a partner at NeueVu since May.

Her advice to our students was to find what they are passionate about and pursue it. She also explained that advertising is currently changing, and instead of focusing on humanity, it is now based on analytics and numbers. However, she encouraged students to hold onto humanity within this field. She believes that in this field, people need to understand human behavior, and keeping humanity in mind within marketing is what keeps things creative and interesting.

Additionally, when asked about her advice for International students specifically, Frohlinger explained that for everyone it is essential to understand the culture you are living in. Even today, Frohlinger walks for miles throughout New York City without her cell phone to fully experience the city. In this way, she is able to take in new experiences and meet new people. She explains that marketing and advertising is about insights and therefore, immersing and engaging in the culture where you live is essential and helpful for this field.

Overall, Frohlinger was able to help students by answering questions and sharing her experiences. Tomislav Vucetic, an NYIT student who attended the discussion, stated “My favorite aspect of the event was being able to ask the speaker about her personal experiences. She communicated to us how she started in the field of marketing and which products she enjoyed working on the most. It was easy to see her passion about marketing and she even gave a few tips for students who are looking to enter the field.” She has successfully helped advertise various products and companies, and she encouraged the students to find what they value and work towards their goals!

By Konstance Teleisha