What Advertising Really Teaches You
Advertising is an incredible first career. It’s creative, fast-paced, and drops you inside real businesses solving real problems. But here’s the truth most people don’t hear early enough: advertising is usually only half of a career.
This session reframes advertising not as a destination, but as a training ground. A place to develop instincts around human behavior, storytelling, and strategy — skills that compound long after you’ve stopped writing headlines or pitching decks. When you work in advertising, you’re not just selling products. You’re learning how companies actually operate: how they grow, where they break, and why some brands survive while others disappear.
Unlike most professions, advertising gives you rare exposure to multiple industries. Over time, you start recognizing patterns — what earns trust, what feels fake, and when a business truly connects with customers. That inflection point is where marketing really lives.
This session also tackles an uncomfortable reality: you will get older, trends will change, and you won’t always be the target audience. That’s not failure — it’s evolution. The goal isn’t to stay “cool.” It’s to become useful.
We’ll explore how to transition from executor to thinker, from trend-chaser to pattern-recognizer, and how to intentionally design your second act — whether that’s entrepreneurship, leadership, teaching, or something unexpected.
Bio:
Justin Hoot is a seasoned and award-winning marketing executive, specializing in innovative brand, digital, and interactive experiences with lifestyle, music, and consumer brands.
Over the last 12 years, Hoot has led innovative and groundbreaking work for some of the biggest brands and entertainers in the world, including Converse, Chaco, Jordan, Patagonia, Budweiser, Activision, Sonos, VH1, and The Fader, as well as major label recording artists Beyoncé, Modest Mouse, Future, Bleachers, and many more.
In his current outpost, he serves as a partner leading growth and client services at Someoddpilot, a creative company in Chicago, working alongside an expansive creative team to deliver high-caliber branding, campaigns, and digital work.
Hoot is a two-time graduate from WVU, where he earned both his bachelor's degree and more recently, his Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. He resides outside of Chicago with his wife and three children.