Amy Ruhter McMillan
Associate Vice President of Marketing, IES Abroad
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Tell us about your marketing journey - when did you realize you had a passion and talent for it?
I actually never considered working in marketing, nor did I really even know what that meant until I started at IES Abroad. I was an English & Writing major, and I applied to every writing job I could find when I graduated. I started working at a huge consulting firm for a year right out of school, and that’s when I learned quickly that the corporate environment wasn’t for me. I started working at IES Abroad 18 years ago as the Recruiting Assistant—a Marketing Department didn’t even exist then. Growing up in Hong Kong and then studying abroad in Cambridge, England, I had a passion for living and studying abroad. I didn’t know yet that I would have a passion for marketing. I felt that perhaps if I worked hard enough, maybe one day I could do what I loved at IES Abroad—maybe they’d let me write their catalogs or edit the website. So I worked really hard and it worked! Today, I feel lucky to lead our marketing team in my dream job as Associate Vice President of Marketing. I think the key to being a good marketer is being empathetic. If you can put yourself into someone else’s shoes and think like them, marketing is easy. I don’t think I would be the marketer I am today had I not grown up abroad and travelled so extensively. It gave me the most fundamental tools to be empathetic regardless of culture or age or religion or race, and I use my international upbringing and experience every single day (thanks, Mom & Dad!). |
IES Abroad has won several awards for both marketing, both within the field and outside of it. What are some of your favorite projects you've worked on?
My two favorite projects by far are the “Your world [redefined]” campaign and our Study Abroad Film Festival.
“Your world [redefined]” was the first major marketing campaign we ever produced at IES Abroad. “Your world [redefined]” combined imagery from abroad and clever copy to show how studying abroad makes you see things in the world differently. That campaign won 16 marketing awards, including a national PRNews Nonprofit Award. The best part was that we were often up against campaigns carried out by major national PR/advertising agencies—next to our wins it didn’t say an agency name, but rather “IES Abroad Marketing Department.”
The Study Abroad Film Festival, now in its fourth year, received 70 film submissions in 2016. We continue to be amazed by the films our students submit—they are inspiring and often leave us laughing or crying, or both. This past year, our winner (and one of our finalists) were even interviewed on television and the radio, including ABC, CBS, Fox News, and WGN Radio. We have nearly 650,000 video views on our YouTube channel, in part because of the festival.
My two favorite projects by far are the “Your world [redefined]” campaign and our Study Abroad Film Festival.
“Your world [redefined]” was the first major marketing campaign we ever produced at IES Abroad. “Your world [redefined]” combined imagery from abroad and clever copy to show how studying abroad makes you see things in the world differently. That campaign won 16 marketing awards, including a national PRNews Nonprofit Award. The best part was that we were often up against campaigns carried out by major national PR/advertising agencies—next to our wins it didn’t say an agency name, but rather “IES Abroad Marketing Department.”
The Study Abroad Film Festival, now in its fourth year, received 70 film submissions in 2016. We continue to be amazed by the films our students submit—they are inspiring and often leave us laughing or crying, or both. This past year, our winner (and one of our finalists) were even interviewed on television and the radio, including ABC, CBS, Fox News, and WGN Radio. We have nearly 650,000 video views on our YouTube channel, in part because of the festival.
Any marketing fails or embarrassments you'd like to share?
I’ve been trying to think of a funny marketing fail to share, and I can’t think of one! I know there are some—everyone has had a marketing fail or I don’t think you’re doing it right. Marketing works best if it’s a team effort (doesn’t it have to be?), and therefore there will always be learning curves. Those failures or embarrassments provide insight that better inform your next action–and you have to appreciate that to strive to be a better marketer.
Where do you get your inspiration for your new projects?
I have a great team (including four IES Abroad alums!) who are all extremely dialed-in to marketing and study abroad. It is so easy to be inspired by study abroad! We also follow a ton of social media and news outlets across many fields, which can spark inspiration, and we also attend relevant conferences and webinars that keep us on top of the ever-changing marketing tools and innovative ways people are using them. Staying informed is a key ingredient.
WYou've been at IES Abroad for 18 years, which seems impossible because surely you're not a day older than 29! What's your advice to marketers just starting their career, or who have been at a job for a few years? What makes you stay interested and motivated?
I think the beauty of marketing in higher education is that the students and the way that you need to communicate with them changes so quickly. It means you’re always trying new things and looking for different ways to speak to future students in the most inspiring and relevant way.
I was part of the study abroad field before social media existed (maybe I shouldn’t admit that, I’m showing all my 29 years…). I remember years ago having to promise all but my newborn son that doing blogs would be worth it, but that we could never edit what the students said (gasp!) because we had to be authentic. Everything moves so fast. I feel extremely supported by IES Abroad, and in marketing that is a gift. It means that we can do something like dream up having a Film Festival and actually do it.
Two years ago, I was asked to give career advice for International Women’s Day—I think the advice I gave (would still give) applies to everyone, not just women. It was: Be brave. Even if you're the only wo(man) in the room, never underestimate the power of your intuition. Be empathetic. Kindness does not equal weakness—you can be good and be successful. Be smart. If you want it bad enough and work hard enough for it, you'll achieve more than you ever thought.
Where's your most recent passport stamp from?
Mexico--we took took our kids to Isla Mujeres, and the island had the clearest, greenest/bluest water I have ever seen.
If you could go to any country you haven't yet visited, where would you pick?
Right now, it’s a toss-up between Greece and New Zealand. Santorini calls to me...
If you weren't working in international education, what would you be doing?
I’ve been in international education so long that it’s hard to imagine working in a different field. I do know that whatever I do, I want to be a part of making the world a better, kinder place. Maybe that sounds lofty, but I get to do that now. I feel like I am an active participant in helping young people become better, more open-minded versions of themselves. Since I started working at IES Abroad, 86,416 students have studied abroad with us!
What's one song that always gets you pumped up at work?
“Something About You” by Hayden James (ODESZA Mix to be exact).
Our 2016 Film Festival Honorable Mention winner Oliver Lowe used it in his video, Motion in the South. Every time I hear it, I remember seeing his film about South Africa for the first time and I can’t help smiling.
I’ve been trying to think of a funny marketing fail to share, and I can’t think of one! I know there are some—everyone has had a marketing fail or I don’t think you’re doing it right. Marketing works best if it’s a team effort (doesn’t it have to be?), and therefore there will always be learning curves. Those failures or embarrassments provide insight that better inform your next action–and you have to appreciate that to strive to be a better marketer.
Where do you get your inspiration for your new projects?
I have a great team (including four IES Abroad alums!) who are all extremely dialed-in to marketing and study abroad. It is so easy to be inspired by study abroad! We also follow a ton of social media and news outlets across many fields, which can spark inspiration, and we also attend relevant conferences and webinars that keep us on top of the ever-changing marketing tools and innovative ways people are using them. Staying informed is a key ingredient.
WYou've been at IES Abroad for 18 years, which seems impossible because surely you're not a day older than 29! What's your advice to marketers just starting their career, or who have been at a job for a few years? What makes you stay interested and motivated?
I think the beauty of marketing in higher education is that the students and the way that you need to communicate with them changes so quickly. It means you’re always trying new things and looking for different ways to speak to future students in the most inspiring and relevant way.
I was part of the study abroad field before social media existed (maybe I shouldn’t admit that, I’m showing all my 29 years…). I remember years ago having to promise all but my newborn son that doing blogs would be worth it, but that we could never edit what the students said (gasp!) because we had to be authentic. Everything moves so fast. I feel extremely supported by IES Abroad, and in marketing that is a gift. It means that we can do something like dream up having a Film Festival and actually do it.
Two years ago, I was asked to give career advice for International Women’s Day—I think the advice I gave (would still give) applies to everyone, not just women. It was: Be brave. Even if you're the only wo(man) in the room, never underestimate the power of your intuition. Be empathetic. Kindness does not equal weakness—you can be good and be successful. Be smart. If you want it bad enough and work hard enough for it, you'll achieve more than you ever thought.
Where's your most recent passport stamp from?
Mexico--we took took our kids to Isla Mujeres, and the island had the clearest, greenest/bluest water I have ever seen.
If you could go to any country you haven't yet visited, where would you pick?
Right now, it’s a toss-up between Greece and New Zealand. Santorini calls to me...
If you weren't working in international education, what would you be doing?
I’ve been in international education so long that it’s hard to imagine working in a different field. I do know that whatever I do, I want to be a part of making the world a better, kinder place. Maybe that sounds lofty, but I get to do that now. I feel like I am an active participant in helping young people become better, more open-minded versions of themselves. Since I started working at IES Abroad, 86,416 students have studied abroad with us!
What's one song that always gets you pumped up at work?
“Something About You” by Hayden James (ODESZA Mix to be exact).
Our 2016 Film Festival Honorable Mention winner Oliver Lowe used it in his video, Motion in the South. Every time I hear it, I remember seeing his film about South Africa for the first time and I can’t help smiling.
