Saatchi & Saatchi's Carolyn Ude enjoys life in the fast lane

Carolyn Ude

Carolyn Ude (‘00) loves the rat race so much that she decided to get driving lessons.

“I have recently taken an interest in open-wheel formula racing,” said Ude, who lives near Los Angeles, where she is an account executive for Saatchi & Saatchi.

“I love watching the CART races and have taken a series of open-wheel racing courses at the Jim Russell Racing School at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma. Upon graduation from the advanced racing course last month, I am qualified to participate in my first race sometime this summer. Scary, I know, but so much fun to engage in a sport that continually challenges your mind and body. Plus, driving at those speeds is such a rush.”

Ude’s interest in auto sports didn’t happen by chance. She is an account executive responsible for overseeing all national advertising – TV, print and outdoor – for Toyota’s Camry and Avalon models.

“I have become pretty much a gear-head, talking about horsepower and the newest car models at the auto show in regular conversation,” Ude said. “I love that cars are such an enormous purchase decision for the consumer and one that involves so much emotion. Building brand and product image is so important, especially in an industry that has such a wide array of products to choose from.”

She offered thanks to Associate Professor Brett Robbs and other advertising professionals who taught classes in the School, adding that she was fortunate to know right out of college what position she wanted.

“I credit that to the curriculum and mentoring that takes place at the School of Journalism,” she said. “In our last year there, it was so beneficial to have a variety of agencies present to our classes about advertising and how an agency works.

“I find that a relatively small number of people in the advertising industry actually studied advertising and marketing in college. By majoring in advertising and minoring in marketing, I feel that I have a bit of a competitive edge and a greater understanding of the business as a whole.

“As part of the advertising curriculum, we were required to be knowledgeable in advertising media, research and, most importantly, creative. In advertising, it is all about the work, and by taking courses such as ad, copy and layout, I developed an understanding and appreciation for the creative process, especially the creative process under a deadline,” Ude said.

She said the most difficult part of her job is balancing her obligations to her client and to her employer.

“Working on the account management side of the business proves most difficult as we constantly walk that fence between being the advocate for the agency and the advocate for the client,” Ude said. “You work for the agency and must always support the creative, but you also have to take into consideration the best interests of the client when recommending business directions. It is vitally important to gain and keep the trust of both the agency and the client.

“Also, as part of the account management team, you may not be the person doing all of the work, but you are responsible for the end product. Meeting the deadlines in a timely and cost-efficient manner is very important and sometimes challenging, to say the least.”

However, she said, the job easily has more upsides than downsides.

“There are so many things that make this job enjoyable. Working with great people at the client level and in all the different disciplines at the agency is part of what makes my job so much fun. When working long hours, it is so critical to work with a great team,” Ude said.

It also helps to have an ocean at your doorstep.

“I have always loved the beach and cherish these few years that I can live across from the sand in a laid-back beach community. The transition to working full-time is made much easier when you can come home to the beach and essential to getting through the summers,” she said. CUde@saatchila.com