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The UCLA Ad Team developed this print advertisement for the Toyota Matrix last year.

One of the best places to learn about advertising and marketing at UCLA isn’t in a classroom; it’s with the UCLA Ad Team.

The Ad Team, which officially begins its eighth year today, has a tradition of developing and educating UCLA students in advertising and placing them with major advertising agencies.

Many employers said the Ad Team provides undergraduate students with a foundation in advertising that gives them an edge over other job applicants – even those who come from schools with advertising or marketing programs.

Before the end of this year, Ad Team members will have completed a national campaign for Florida tourism. The brochure they develop helps students build a portfolio that is respected by professional ad agencies.

“People aren’t even going to look at you until they see your book, your portfolio,” said Ben Weiner, CEO of WONGDOODY, which represents the Los Angeles Dodgers and MGM Entertainment.

“You live and die by the quality of your book,” he added.

The approximate 40 members of Ad Team will meet weekly to develop a campaign for Florida tourism, which they will present at the National Student Advertising Competition put on by the American Advertising Federation.

NSAC regionals are held in June. If UCLA wins regionals, they will qualify for nationals, which are also held in June.

Every year, the AAF decides on a specific product for which NSAC competitors will develop a campaign.

Last year, the product was the Toyota Matrix. The Ad Team had a 32-page brochure printed and bound, detailing every aspect of marketing the Matrix, from where advertisements should be placed to the product’s budget.

Each team member joins a different branch of ad development. Students without creative ability can still contribute to the Ad Team by helping with other needs, such as promotions or budget development.

The team came up with the slogan “Blend Out” and developed ads that made the Matrix stand out as unique. A common theme in their campaign was the placement of a red Matrix in an ad that had a dreary and colorless background.

Last year’s Ad Team members said working on the Toyota Matrix campaign provided them with experience that will be valuable in the professional world.

“Any one of us ... could jump on a (professional) ad team and contribute immediately,” said Matt Freeman, an Ad Team account supervisor and fourth-year philosophy student.

Sara Bamossy, who worked on last year’s team, said Ad Team helped her gain an internship at advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi last summer.

“When you are on Ad Team, you learn skills that allow you to hit the ground running when you start working,” said fourth-year Bamossy, who created her own major and is UCLA’s only marketing and communications student.

Bamossy said Saatchi & Saatchi has already secured her a job for when she graduates in June.

Saatchi & Saatchi’s L.A. director of human resources, Rose Davis, said groups like UCLA’s Ad Team can make applicants stand out from other job seekers.

“It shows they have an understanding, an ability and a passion,” said Davis. “In our industry, that is what you need.”

At a time when companies are reluctant to hire new employees – 6.4 percent of Californians are reported to be unemployed last month – the Ad Team can help students find a job, said John Kochian, UCLA speech lecturer and Ad Team faculty adviser.

Throughout the year, team members attend mixers frequented by industry professionals and are able to hand out their resumes at NSAC, which is judged by advertising professionals.

The team’s UCLA Anderson School student advisers are also available to help Ad Team members polish their resumes and help with interview etiquette – not to mention get them a job.

“They provide hook-ups, so to speak,” said Lejo Pet, a fourth-year sociology student and Ad Team account supervisor.

But the Ad Team is not all about careers. Freeman – who plans to practice law – said team members develop a camaraderie much like that of an athletic team.

“It’s not all work for us,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

With reports from Nat Schuster, Bruin Finance contributor.