WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism students recently learned about the “Changing World of Advertising” from an executive at one of the most recognizable companies in the World.
Google executive David Pavelko visited the School last Friday to speak with students about the evolution of digital advertising.
Pavelko, a Morgantown native, is the Head of Travel for the Eastern Region at Google and manages marketing and advertising campaigns for travel businesses including airlines, hotel chains, cruise lines and car rental companies across Google search, display, YouTube and television advertising platforms.
Pavelko talked to students about the billion dollar industry of search-advertising, the future of mobile and their interconnectivity with media. He also gave them a real-time demonstration of Google’s recently launched “Google Instant,” a new search enhancement tool that shows query results as you type.
Pavelko said anticipating what consumers want is critical in the search advertising industry.
“Consumers are now more demanding than ever,” Pavelko said. “They’re much savvier. They’re asking for more information, and we’ve had to evolve to be able to provide them with the information they want – in fractions of seconds.”
Advertising junior Lauren Furey, of Germantown, Md., said it’s exciting for her to be entering a profession that is evolving so rapidly.
“In advertising, you’re always going to be learning something new,” said Furey. “It’s not like a math problem that’s going to stay the same the whole time. It’s a community, really, that’s just changing constantly.
Prior to joining Google, Pavelko spent six years at Cendant Corporation where he was Vice President of Business Development and was responsible for developing and managing marketing programs for Fortune 500 organizations for the purposes of leveraging Cendant’s travel, hospitality, car rental, real estate and financial services distribution channels. He also spent time at Choice Hotels in a similar business development capacity as well as a few years in the sports marketing industry, primarily managing sponsorship programs in IndyCar racing. Pavelko is a graduate of Princeton University.