Alumni

Yuan “Jason” Wang, Gabelli ’20, ’21, ’22
“Prudential’s ‘Now what?’ campaign stood out for its innovative spin meant to reframe how people think about personal finance,” Wang said. While financial planning ads typically focus on “stress-inducing” scenarios, such as an unexpected healthcare emergency or sudden loss of income, Wang’s team tapped into the idea that people “shouldn’t just look at their finances when bad things happen,” but in good times as well. The ads in the “Now what?” campaign are hopeful and optimistic, depicting positive life milestones, such as a young tennis athlete winning his first professional game and a couple looking forward to retirement.
In May 2024, Wang was promoted to global strategist at McCann Worldgroup. As a member of its global intelligence unit, he collaborates with other strategists in such cities as Paris, Madrid, Shanghai, Thailand, and Singapore. He and his colleagues run culturally driven data analyses, surveys, and focus groups, producing studies that inform creative concepts and business pitches.
The positions he’s held at McCann, including an internship at Truth Central for McCann Worldgroup that led to a full-time job offer, came about from a professional connection Wang made with the help of the Gabelli School’s Career Development Center. Previously, he interned at Deutsch NY, where he worked on the ad agency’s Budweiser campaign.
After Wang earned a B.S. in Global Business at the Gabelli School, he continued on to earn an M.S. in Marketing Intelligence and an M.S. in Global Finance in just two years, greatly enhancing his skills and his résumé. He was particularly inspired by the support and encouragement he received from the Gabelli School community.
“My professors pushed me for excellence, and they cared about my life outside of my education and career,” Wang said. One former professor still sends him a Christmas tree every year, knowing that for many years the international student wasn’t able to return to Shanghai to spend the holidays with his family. He remains connected to his alma mater today, working with former professors and current students on various research projects.
Originally, Wang envisioned himself in a creative role at a Madison Avenue agency. Reflecting on his career, he noted that these aspirations were close to where he landed.
“What drew me to this industry was very much the creativity,” he acknowledged. “I can make something with my own hands or my work goes into something tangible,” in this case, an award-winning ad campaign featured on a massive billboard in the heart of New York City.