You may see ’04 grads’ work every week when grocery shopping and not even know itSpring 2009 - By Catherine Klene
Sometimes when someone opens the newspaper, a mess of advertisements for everything from electronics to detergent awaits.
SIUE alumnus Ryan Kauffman already knows what will be in those ads — or at least in the Schnucks circular. Kauffman works as the advertising information coordinator for Schnucks Markets Inc. in St. Louis, but before he began creating the weekly inserts advertising apples, ground beef or cooking oils, Kauffman had a desk in Dunham Hall, learning marketing and advertising skills in Mass Communications classes.
Kauffman, a 2004 graduate, said his experience at SIUE was a mix of creativity and real- world applications.
“A lot of the stuff I did at SIUE was actually creative,” Kauffman said. “It just helped me
get in the business mentality.”
Kauffman said retired Mass Communications Professor Judy Landers taught a number of classes he was enrolled in, and he appreciated her real-world knowledge of the field, as well as that of some others in the department.
“They just seemed like they were really laid back, and they had really good knowledge about the industry,” Kauffman observed.
Landers said when the advertising program first began in the Mass Communications Department, not everyone took it seriously.
“A lot of people thought that concentration was easier than any of the other options,” she said.
Landers said the students’ creativity and willingness to work gave the advertising concentration the credit it needed.
“Once (the students) got some confidence… you could throw anything at those kids,” she said. “They are willing to try new things. They are not afraid of a challenge.”
Landers said the techniques and original thought developed in the SIUE Mass Communications Department advertising classes helped make the students more marketable in the business world.
Kauffman took his business and creative skills to Schnucks, where he spends his day collecting information from various vendors about products to go into the circular. He then coordinates photography, checks packaging and approves type and design for the advertisement.
The real trick, Kauffman said, is not pulling the information together, but knowing which area of St. Louis to give it to.
“We do many versions, depending where it’s going in the St. Louis area,” Kauffman explained. “Certain stores offer certain amenities that others don’t.”
Illinois liquor laws differ from those in Missouri, he said, and some stores may have specialty areas, such as meat markets, that others do not.
Beth Post, advertising coordinating supervisor at Schnucks, said Kauffman juggles many aspects of the circular but still manages to keep the jokes coming.
“He cracks himself up all the time,” Post said. “It’s probably one of his favorite things to do.”
Post said Kauffman focuses on the details and has the communication skill to deliver information with a personal touch.
“He has a great rapport with the people he has to work with every day,” Post said. “If there is information missing, he goes to the people that we get it from and gets the information and communicates that to the rest of our team.”
When Kauffman first enrolled at SIUE, he was not laying out graphics on a Mac. Instead, he was wailing on drums in a different wing of Dunham Hall as a music major. However, he said the rock star dream quickly became a mundane job.
“I just enjoyed playing, and practicing for four hours a day wasn’t fun anymore,” Kauffman said.
His passion for drums never disappeared though, and Kauffman now teaches the high school drumline at Fox Senior High School in Arnold, Mo. He and his wife live in South St. Louis with their two dogs.
Kauffman cautioned students that entering the job market today can be a daunting challenge, but there are positions available for college graduates in advertising, if the individual is willing to work at it.
“If you look hard enough … you can find something somewhere out there,” Kaufmann said. “Just have determination. Don’t take no for an answer.”
You can see Ryan Kauffman’s work at www.schnucks.com