Following a Passion...
By Heather Conlan

When one thinks of SMSU’s Dr. Melissa Burnett, it’s usually synonymous with advertising. After all, she’s been teaching the subject for more than a decade and is known not only locally, but also nationally for her work with her advertising students in the American Advertising Federation’s World Series of Advertising competition. Many of her students, working to “survive” her Creative class, swore if they ever got out, they’d never take another ad class again. And yet, only a semester later, those same students would compete with each other, fighting for a spot on the coveted SMSU Ad Impact student team, under her tutelage.

It may be surprising then, that advertising wasn’t even on Burnett’s academic radar screen as an undergraduate. Instead, she majored in Economics. However, as far apart as the two disciplines may seem, many of the things she learned directly translate to the way she teaches advertising. With that degree, earned at SMSU, she learned how to logically think through situations and processes. “I learned thinking and how the thought process works. I also gained the ability to look at the big picture and shrink it down into a smaller strategy and then do just the opposite, which was the ability to look at small operations and analyze how the bigger picture fits. It’s really a way of thinking,” she explains.

After graduating from SMSU in 1980 she went to work locally in the finance area—first at a banking institution and later as a financial analyst for a production company. “I was in to making money and working with money,” she says. After awhile, though, she grew weary of the field. “I was good at numbers, but I eventually got tired of it. I like to have fun and everyone I was working with were people I would never spend any time with. Then I realized I was one of those people!”

That led to a life change. “I’ve always been fascinated with advertising and writing. I would have loved to have been a writer who wrote play scripts or movies or any kind of a writer…even greeting cards. I just enjoy the creative process.” So, she headed back to school. Burnett made the decision to return to school, this time at Drury University, to get a Masters of Business Administration, in order to test her abilities and open up more career opportunities. Little did Burnett know, the decision to get her MBA would change her life and career path forever.

Upon finishing her MBA program in 1984, she agreed to teach a marketing course at night. Burnett liked teaching at SMSU so well, she added a second class—this time in economic theory. Soon she found herself working in finance by day and moonlighting in marketing by night. “I loved teaching. And I really loved marketing even better than the economics. The part I enjoyed the most about marketing was the advertising aspect.” 

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Finally, Burnett decided to jump fields completely, going to work for a small local ad agency.  “I learned about every possible angle and area of advertising I had time for,” she admits.  For about a year and a half, she juggled her agency/teaching schedule but finally academics won out.  Once again, she would head back to school—this time to Oklahoma State University. “I wanted the PhD to give myself credibility and to set myself on the [marketing / advertising] career path I felt very comfortable with at that point.”

Before landing back at SMSU in 1989, Burnett taught a Marketing Strategy course at Washington State University in Pullman, WA.  "That was my first teaching job (full-time tenure track) after getting my PhD," she explains.

Burnett has now been teaching at SMSU for 15 years with an advertising consulting business on the side. She confesses she has truly found what she loves to do. “I love my job. Of course there are good days and bad days, but I have it made in terms of the full picture. Why? Because I followed my passion.”

While there have been many rewarding experiences as a professor, the most memorable revolve around the advertising team. “Working with the ad team, helping them and experiencing everything with them is priceless. Not just the times we won, but the times when we walked away knowing we did our best and believed in what we did.” Burnett also says she feels privileged to constantly watch beginner students change, grow, and learn how to create unbelievable things. “When you start seeing all of those elements fit together, that’s what’s rewarding.”

So what makes Dr. Melissa Burnett tick? What motivates and drives her passion for advertising? “I’m very competitive. And that’s why I’ve enjoyed Ad Team so much because they show people what they know and what they can do. And through the demonstration of their abilities it shows our department’s ability to prove how good our program is.” So competition is important, but novelty also drives her. “I like things that are different, I like change…it’s all about the new experiences.” Burnett’s mother has also been a major driving force in her life. “Clearly my mother is my mentor because of all of the help that she’s given me and all of the sacrifices.”

What do the students say about Burnett's teaching efforts? Ad team member, Miranda Unnerstall, says, "She knows how much we're all capable of achieving because she sees the potential in each and every one of us and she pushes us to be the best. We've all worked so hard and have never been so proud to be a part of the Ad Impact team."

As for advice Burnett would give to struggling, yet determined, advertising students, she says, “You can teach skill to a certain extent, and you can teach levels of knowledge, but you can’t teach motivation, desire, or attitude…I think it’s all about following your passion and as long as it’s exciting and interesting to you, then you’re headed in the right direction.”

After having established SMSU as the team to beat at AAF district competitions with more first, second and third place finishes than any team in the Midwest and with four national competitions under her belt in the last ten years, it’s time for a bit of a rest and new challenges. While Burnett will continue to play an integral role in SMSU’s advertising program, she has asked for a break from leading the SMSU Ad Team. Says department head, Robin Luke, “Her act will be very hard to follow, and we are grateful for her commitment these many years.”

And even though Melissa Burnett won’t be leading Ad Team, you can be assured she’ll still be teaching and creating and instilling excitement in advertising to her many students.

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