Adapt and Adopt

By Naomi Boren

How does a degree in public relations and corporate communication lead to the position of senior ad buyer at Harmon Brothers? Utah State University alumnus Tom Broschinsky knows because he did it.

Broschinsky came to Utah State University on a music scholarship and began his degree as a music major. After taking classes in other majors, Broschinsky adapted his education plan and graduated in public relations and corporate communication. 

Shortly after graduation, he was hired as a social media specialist for Logan-based Camp Chef. After a couple years, he was given the responsibility of running the email marketing for Camp Chef’s manufacturing side as well as the retail side. The Internet was rapidly advancing during the time, causing Broschinsky to adapt to the new parts of marketing by using social media advertisement, and influencer marketing. 

“I got my toes in the water with Facebook advertising and then dove head in because it was really fun,” Broschinsky said. “I could quickly see the direct impact that my effort had on the business.” 

He now works as the senior ad buyer for Harmon Brothers. The company works with brands such as Squatty-Potty and Poo Pourri growing them from startups into well-known companies by using advertising. 

As senior ad buyer, Broschinsky's main purpose is to spend companies’ money to make them money. While this sounds simple, the digital world changes so quickly, he is constantly adopting new programs and strategies to continue increasing sales for clients.

“The thing I love most particularly with media buying on social platforms is it is changing all the time. I am always having to adapt, but it means that I can never get stagnant,” Broschinsky says. “There’s always this push that I have to keep learning. I have to keep iterating, which is really nice because I’m always having to learn and improve.”

Since he is spending so much money for clients, it is typical for Broschinsky to meet once or twice a week with them to go over budget information and review how the advertising plan is working. He also meets with social-media businesses to find ways to be more efficient on the individual platforms and stay up with program changes. He takes further time to learn new technology programs such as ChatGPT. 

“If I can learn to adapt to new scenarios and adopt new technology, then I can provide more value,” Broschinsky said.  “I was able to build templates using ChatGPT so now I can generate a pretty big amount of content in a short period of time.”

As seen through his education journey and career path, Broschinsky knows the importance of being flexible and taking on new challenges.

His advice to JCOM students: “Being willing to quickly adapt and adopt to new technology and new scenarios is going to be huge. The better understanding you have of digital tools and how to make them work for you will make you more valuable and your life easier.”