OSU taught Rhonda Hooper many things about marketing and advertising. How to relate concepts and ideas. How to get people’s attention. It also taught her a great deal about herself. However, Bonaparte’s, a smoky bar in the corner of Shepherd Mall in Oklahoma City that catered to law students, showed her how to listen, says Hooper, now CEO of Jordan Associates in the city. The former journalism major bartended there for several months between graduation in 1978 and her first advertising job at Ackerman & McQueen. Bonaparte’s, which closed years ago, taught her the service business. It gave her a greater empathy for people’s problems and frustrations and the way they think. Today, in her third year leading Jordan Associates, Hooper says those skills have been invaluable as she steers the advertising firm through new media, new ideas and new trials. “My job is about actively listening to clients and consumers as well as figuring out how to solve their problems,” she says. A little horizon broadening doesn’t hurt either. For her, that started at OSU in 1974 when she decided to focus on advertising and hasn’t looked back since. Thirty years later, she’s only the third Jordan Associates CEO in its 48-year history, ascending to the position in 2006 after 20 years working for the company. It’s one of the largest firms in the Southwest working with notable clients — ONEOK, Kraft Foods, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cellular One, Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr., Stetson and the American Dental Association. Now it’s enduring one of the most difficult economic times in history, but Jordan Associates has persevered, says Hooper. That’s because of marketing 101. Cutbacks by the competition leave openings for smart marketers to step in and take advantage of low advertising rates or previously owned premium sponsorships to strengthen their voice in the marketplace. “A recession is the best time to build a brand and market share,” she says. “When others are cutting back, you can get more for less, so we’ve been very resourceful for our clients in identifying and seizing opportunities.” Hooper says her preparation at OSU has helped her weather other market conditions and the latest in communication crazes. “I’m a loyal Cowboy,” she says. “OSU provided me a secure and nurturing environment in which to think differently, to be engaged, to be involved and to make a difference. It didn’t matter your background, who you knew, or your financial means.” Her strong belief in OSU led her to become a Cowgirl ambassador to alumni all over the country as the national president of the OSU Alumni Association in 2001. Hooper chairs the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Commission and serves on the executive committees of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Oklahoma as well as the regional board of governors of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. She still sees the benefits of that little bit of listening education she received in the shopping mall bar. “I find that prospective employees are better at grasping how our agency delivers smarter ideas, results and customer satisfaction if they have had real-world internships with creative companies or if they’ve worked in restaurants or other service industries. And if they’ve graduated from OSU, that makes them even better.” Matt Elliott College of Arts and Sciences 8 alumni Broader Horizons Photo by Phil Shockley Rhonda F. Hooper Distinguished Alumnus 2003 ’78 Journalism, Advertising
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