I’m Michael (Tianxin Zhang), a communication strategist in training at Boston University’s College of Communication. I study advertising, with a minor in Hospitality Administration, because many of the brand moments that matter most happen in person, not on a screen. I grew up in Beijing and now work in Boston, so I read every brief through two cultures. I can tell when a message will travel and when it will get lost in translation.
I start with a tension, not a tagline. Before any idea, I look for the gap between what an audience says and what it actually does, and that gap becomes the strategy. Then I plan how the idea moves through each channel. OOH stops someone in the street, social gives them something to share, film holds their attention, and a real-world experience makes the brand tangible. Each channel has its own job, so none of them repeat each other.
Off campus, I play drums in a rock band. The drummer isn’t the loudest player on stage. He holds the structure so everyone else can land. That’s how I approach integrated communication: one rhythm across many instruments, and knowing exactly when a brand should hit hard and when it should hold back.
Working set