West Herford considers his decision to pursue an advertising career dumb luck. As a journalism major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Herford had to fulfill an elective, so he took a class on advertising based on a friend's advice.

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	West Herford is the director of client services for advertising, marketing, and PR agency Rawle Murdy.

"Something just really sparked me, and I stayed with it," Herford said.

Herford received his bachelor's degree in 1993 and returned to Chapel Hill in 1999 for his M.B.A. He started his advertising career at DDB, working in its London and Paris offices. He also worked for Arnold Worldwide in Boston and Grey Worldwide in Atlanta.

Now an established member of the advertising community, Herford is Director of Client Services for Rawle Murdy, a marketing, advertising, and public relations firm with a client list that includes Piggly Wiggly, Orient Express Hotels, Wild Dunes® Resort, and Circle K.

"What we do is gain a thorough understanding about our clients' business problems—figure out what's making our target audience tick," Herford said. "Then [we] work in concert with our PR and creative groups to make sure that we are coming up with messages and delivery mechanisms to hit people right between the eyes."

According to Herford, the most important part of advertising is understanding. To be successful, one must understand the client's problems and ideas as well as the target audience. In order to facilitate these levels of understanding, Rawle Murdy conducts "craft-paper sessions." In each of these sessions, people from the various departments of the company (media, creative, interactive, PR, and accounts) sit down at a table covered with craft paper and discuss the problem at hand, working through it to produce a great product for their client.

"The best [advertising] tactics, I think, start with the best insights," Herford said. "Some of the best advertising these days isn't necessarily the sexiest."

Like many other advertisers in the modern age, Herford realizes that the future of advertising lies in user-generated content. He said that the old adage "your reputation precedes you" is very true when consumers can easily praise or "torpedo you" on YouTube or in blogs and chat rooms.

Q. What do you do for fun? A. Nothing is better than enjoying a great bottle of wine with my wife and good friends. Q. What CD is in your CD player right now? A. Corinne Bailey Rae. Q. What is the last magazine you read? A. Fast Company. Q. What is your favorite TV show? A. Entourage. Q. Who is your role model? A. Bill Bernbach. He was one of the founders of DDB, and some would say he is the father of modern marketing.

"Your reputation is your number-one asset," Herford said.

Herford also said that those looking into advertising as a career are in for quite a ride. It takes a lot of hard work, but it is extremely gratifying.

"Strap in for a great ride," he said. "It's a fun industry; it really is. There are few industries that have the immediate gratification of advertising and PR and interactive marketing. You work hard, you put it out there, and you know immediately if you are having an impact on sales."

A native Southerner, Herford loves being in South Carolina, where he and his wife have ready access to the coast, and declared that each weekend is a holiday.

On the net:

Rawle Murdy
www.rawle-murdy.com/home/default.aspx?nid=1082

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
www.unc.edu

South Carolina
www.discoversouthcarolina.com

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