Encourages Young Women to Explore Careers in Technology
Agency Leads Branding Workshop for Young Women in Science and Technology

ATLANTA-Talented young women should consider technology as a career choice because it is the backbone of most every industry today, including advertising, the CEO of a leading advertising agency told a group of young women from Georgia high schools at an annual technology forum last week.

"The advertising industry needs people who know technology. It is so vital to the work that we do," said Char Baxter, CEO of charbaxter.communications, an integrated branding and marketing firm specializing in technology companies. She spoke October 30 to about 50 young women attending the DeVry Institute of Technology's Young Women in Science and Technology event. "If you look at how technology permeates practically every aspect of our lives, even the creative frontiers of advertising, you'll see the opportunities in store for anyone with a technology degree."

Baxter led the one-hour workshop with Brigitte Brostrom, Senior Art Director for charbaxter.communications. The two engaged their audience in an exercise to brand a hypothetical new bottled water product. After considering marketing details from demographics to pricing, they collectively created a name, a tagline and look, and executed the design with the aid of a laptop, the latest digital graphic design technology and projection screen. "This exercise really demonstrated some amazing talent in these young ladies," said Baxter. "We caught a glimpse of the future and we liked what we saw. And I think the students enjoyed seeing how technology is used to create new brands for companies."

After the event, Baxter said she was encouraged by the excitement and creativity of the students, and the interest they showed in technology. "All of us have had a mentor at some point in our lives. Someone who shaped our vision, and helped us chart a course for the future. I believe that what we' re doing is important to ensure that the women who will be leading the businesses of tomorrow have the tools they need to forge the right career path."

Jeanne Johnson-Whatley, Director of Corporate and Community Relations for DeVry Institute of Technology's Georgia campuses, said the initial response to the workshop has been extremely positive. "The workshop was like a magnet for these students. They were engaged in what they were doing, attracted by the creative nature of the approach, and delighted to see technology at work in the advertising arena." Forty schools took part in Young Women in Science and Technology, now in its third year. Fifteen speakers were featured at the event, including Leah Ward Sears, Georgia Supreme Court Justice and keynote speaker for the event. Other sponsors included AT&T, TechLinks and the Metro Atlanta, Greater North Fulton and DeKalb Chambers of Commerce.

The workshop is of one of many recent initiatives by charbaxter.communications to support Georgia's technology community, and to demonstrate the importance of strong brand positioning in a slowing economy. At the recent Georgia Technology Forum, one of the premier networking opportunities in the state, the agency used the forum to unveil its offering of a free image audit to all qualified technology firms who want a professional assessment of how their brand can be strengthened.

About charbaxter.communications

With over $4 million in billings for 2000, charbaxter.communications traces its roots back to 1991. Early clients included SAP America, Deloitte Consulting and Imlay Investments. The agency continued its high technology focus by developing award-winning branding strategies for technology leaders across North America. These included Sequent Computer Systems, Portland, OR; i-Cube, a Cambridge, MA-based company that was acquired by Razorfish; Clarkston-Potomac, Raleigh; and Atlanta-based companies such as SQL Financials (now Clarus), SynQuest, Inc., Optio Software, Manhattan Associates and o2wireless Solutions, whose integrated rebranding launch won a 2000 gold ADDY award for the agency. Other clients range from startups to established players including Atlanta's Spectrum Software, Magnet Communications, Covast Corporation and The Complex Sale. A sponsor of the Technology Association of Georgia, the agency is also pro bono sponsor of the Georgia Coalition for Arts Education, a group that is working for legislation and funding to ensure arts education is a requirement in the Georgia public school curriculum. In addition, the agency sponsors and provides marketing support for Southern Beat, a PBS series on the history of southern music.