To Daniel Sheniak, the global communications planning director for Nike, following one’s passion is one of the most important factors in finding success.

Sheniak, an S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications alumnus, shared his experiences about life after Syracuse University with students on Monday evening in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium.

He began the lecture with a story of how he and a friend got lost on a road trip after college graduation. While on this trip, Sheniak got a call from the advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy with an offer to visit them in Portland, Ore. Now, more than 10 years later, Sheniak still works for Wieden + Kennedy.

“Open your mind and your imagination, and let it take you to a place that you would have never expected,” Sheniak said.

Associate advertising professor Carla Lloyd, one of Sheniak’s former professors, introduced him at the event. When Sheniak was assigned an advertising project, Lloyd said, he put the entire class on a school bus to put the students in the mindset of a young school child. She said Sheniak was always very creative inside the classroom.

Wieden + Kennedy agency works to “create strong and provocative relationships between good companies and their customers,” according to the presentation.

Sheniak explained how being “playful, innovative, provocative, soulful, timely and entertaining” all at once can yield great advertisements. He showed several clips demonstrating how Nike implements these attributes into its advertisements to create ads that have an effect on society.

“It’s about how much of an impact one ad and about 60 seconds can have,” said Michael Quagliana, a freshman undeclared major in Newhouse. “They take risks and it can be a flop or it can excel.”

During his presentation, Sheniak asked the question, “What are you going to love to do? Go find it.”

He said he always loved sports and was excited to find a job that incorporated his love of both advertising and sports.

“I’m thinking of going into advertising and involving public health with that, so this story — how he put in his passion and then became such a success — that’s inspirational,” said Nancie Sophias, a sophomore public health major.

Sheniak showed countless advertisements to demonstrate how to make an ad feel “vibrant and alive.” To do this, he said people must inspire others by setting up their own point of view, and participate by allowing consumers to engage with the brand in a natural way.

Sheniak ended his presentation by encouraging students to always “be true to who you are.

Published on November 27, 2012 at 12:15 am

Contact Leslie: laking04@syr.edu