Rachel Gregory ‘11

Rachel Gregory '11 fell in love with marketing at Radford University.

“I love it because it’s the psychology of the consumer,” she said. “You get into the mind of the consumer to see how and why they purchase something.”

Gregory’s fascination with the discipline has her working as a media coordinator at ndp, a “full service” marketing and advertising agency in Richmond.

“My day to day role at ndp is different all the time,” she said. “I mainly assist buyers with placing the buys, both traditional and digital. I also assist the planners by helping create the strategy and plan for our client.”

She, of course, loves her job.

“I love everything about it. The culture, the people and the learning experience I get,” Gregory said. “They’re very good about paving the way for your career so you’re not complacent in what you’re doing. They are really understanding your goals and what you want to do in the future.”

As for her future, Gregory aspires to move toward media planning or media strategy.

“It’s interesting because it’s a puzzle on where to place the media to get the biggest audience and reach the most amount of people that makes the most impressions, which usually leads to bigger brand awareness,” the savvy marketer said.

In addition to her busy role with ndp, Gregory serves as president of the Advertising Club of Richmond, an all-volunteer social and networking club for professionals. She helps coordinate social events and a popular speaker series in which advertising and marketing experts engage with members.

“We also do a thing called Ad Bowl, which is really fun,” Gregory said. “We have a whole panel of people to go through and discuss the Super Bowl commercials each year.”

Gregory said the biggest event for the group is the Richmond Show, an advertising awards event that she helps organize.

The new Radford University Richmond Alumni Chapter is also a priority for the busy alumna. Nearly six years after earning her degree, Gregory gives back to her alma mater by volunteering as the organization’s social media and communications chief.

“It’s a great group,” she said. “We are trying to get Radford University alumni together for socials to reconnect and re-engage and to get a comradery together again in the Richmond area.”

Giving back to the university that prepared her for her career is a priority for Gregory, who attributes her success to Radford University faculty who taught and guided her along the way.

“Taking all of my marketing and advertising courses prepared me for my future career in advertising," Gregory said. "All of the professors in the marketing department are amazing, so I would attribute a lot to them for pushing me and motivating me throughout my years at Radford."