Spring Break
Former Yahoo employee shares wisdom
Husain Sumra
Issue date: 10/26/09 Section: News
Stories of Apple's past filled the Boccardo Business Center as about 40 students attended a presentation by a longtime brand marketer formerly of Yahoo, Apple and Amazon.
Allen Olivo had advice for students, as well as stories about working with Steve Jobs and the turnaround of Apple in the 90s.
Olivo said that when he graduated it was a tough time to find a job, but that it didn't stop him.
"Get used to it," he said. "There's going to be boom and busts."
He said students that have graduated should find a way to fend for themselves and find a way to get jobs.
"Keep yourself alive, and find your way in," he said.
Alicea Lam, a senior international business major, said Olivo's talk was inspirational.
"He has a lot of experience under his belt," she said.
Olivo said he took odd jobs when he was out of college, but he took them because it put him in positions to be near people who made hiring decisions.
He said he felt companies were going to begin spending money again.
"Companies are starting to reinvest in people," he said.
Olivo said he got a job with Apple in 1994 when the company thought it was on top of the world.
"(Then) this thing called Windows 95 cleaned our clocks," he said.
Olivo said the thinking behind the marketing of the original iMac and Apple decided to focus on something different rather than the performance and specs of computers in that era.
"I don't care what (the computer) does, I care what I do (with the computer)," he said.
He said the new marketing direction and the "Think Different" advertising campaign helped turn Apple around, along with the product changes that Steve Jobs made.
Junior kinesiology major Diane Quintos said she enjoyed the insight into Apple's advertising practices.
"(It) makes you look into the ads, the big ads, and makes you think 'Oh, that's how they did it,'" she said.
Olivo said working with Steve Jobs was a great experience, since Jobs is the smartest person he's ever met.
"There are only a few guys like him in the world," he said.
He said Jobs can motivate people to do things they didn't think they could do.
After Apple, Olivo said he went to Amazon but left after a year and returned to Apple to run brand marketing for the Apple Stores.
He said that he then left Apple for a second time and moved onto Hearst Corporation to increase viewership of the SFGate Web site.
After Hearst Corporation, he said he went to Yahoo and then left Yahoo in the summer.
"I'm at halftime right now," he said.
Olivo said he wants to figure out what to do next, but recommended that students who want to get into technology stay in the Bay Area.
"Silicon Valley/Bay Area is an incubator of really great stuff," he said.
He said students should relocate themselves right after college if they want to, because it becomes harder later in life.
"It's risky at older ages," he said.
Allen Olivo had advice for students, as well as stories about working with Steve Jobs and the turnaround of Apple in the 90s.
Olivo said that when he graduated it was a tough time to find a job, but that it didn't stop him.
"Get used to it," he said. "There's going to be boom and busts."
He said students that have graduated should find a way to fend for themselves and find a way to get jobs.
"Keep yourself alive, and find your way in," he said.
Alicea Lam, a senior international business major, said Olivo's talk was inspirational.
"He has a lot of experience under his belt," she said.
Olivo said he took odd jobs when he was out of college, but he took them because it put him in positions to be near people who made hiring decisions.
He said he felt companies were going to begin spending money again.
"Companies are starting to reinvest in people," he said.
Olivo said he got a job with Apple in 1994 when the company thought it was on top of the world.
"(Then) this thing called Windows 95 cleaned our clocks," he said.
Olivo said the thinking behind the marketing of the original iMac and Apple decided to focus on something different rather than the performance and specs of computers in that era.
"I don't care what (the computer) does, I care what I do (with the computer)," he said.
He said the new marketing direction and the "Think Different" advertising campaign helped turn Apple around, along with the product changes that Steve Jobs made.
Junior kinesiology major Diane Quintos said she enjoyed the insight into Apple's advertising practices.
"(It) makes you look into the ads, the big ads, and makes you think 'Oh, that's how they did it,'" she said.
Olivo said working with Steve Jobs was a great experience, since Jobs is the smartest person he's ever met.
"There are only a few guys like him in the world," he said.
He said Jobs can motivate people to do things they didn't think they could do.
After Apple, Olivo said he went to Amazon but left after a year and returned to Apple to run brand marketing for the Apple Stores.
He said that he then left Apple for a second time and moved onto Hearst Corporation to increase viewership of the SFGate Web site.
After Hearst Corporation, he said he went to Yahoo and then left Yahoo in the summer.
"I'm at halftime right now," he said.
Olivo said he wants to figure out what to do next, but recommended that students who want to get into technology stay in the Bay Area.
"Silicon Valley/Bay Area is an incubator of really great stuff," he said.
He said students should relocate themselves right after college if they want to, because it becomes harder later in life.
"It's risky at older ages," he said.
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