The Advertising Club Internship Program. So, I just googled advertising internships and the first thing that came up was the Advertising Club Internship Program. Link here:
Here is the copy from the website:http://www.theadvertisingclub.org/internships
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A CHAT WITH OUR INDUSTRY'S FUTURE
Every summer, the ADVERTISING Club coordinates a summer internship program that affords undergraduates from across the country the opportunity to intern at some of the leading media and advertising companies in New York City. Here's an opportunity to get the inside scoop - - every week, two interns share their experience.....
Joe Bologna, Fordham University
[AD Club] Joe, tell me a little about yourself and your internship this summer.
[Joe Bologna]
Fordham University
[AC]What is the most interesting thing you did as part of your job this week?
[JB]
This
week has been very hectic. All of the interns at McCann Erickson have
been divided into teams to develop an advertising campaign for two
different products. Next Wednesday our teams will compete with each
other in front of the executives at McCann, including Lori Senecal, the
president of McCann. While my team has been working on this project for
the past couple weeks, it is crunch time and we are all finalizing the
strategy and creative behind our campaign. I am working with the other
account interns on my team to really flush out our strategy so that it
is as concrete as possible. This has taken up most of my time this week; however, getting feedback from our account supervisors has been very interesting. I
have learned a great deal about how a powerful advertising strategy
should be developed and explained to the client. I could have never
learned this in a classroom, which makes my internship so valuable.
[AC]What is your favorite advertisement as of late and why?
[JB] My favorite advertisement of late would have to be more of a branded iPhone application rather than a conventional ad. McCann Erickson has just developed a new “Priceless Picks” iPhone application for MasterCard. The application allows the user to favorite their most priceless things on a map that others can see. Let’s say that you really liked your new haircut. You could post the hair salon as “The best place to get a haircut” and others will see where that salon is. It helps others find restaurants, beauty salons, or anything they are looking for based on people’s recommendations. What is so great about the application is that it actually engages the consumer with the MasterCard brand. The consumer will feel as if MasterCard is truly making their life easier with this convenient application. In addition, people look at their mobile phone screens more than any other screen throughout the day, which makes for a very effective advertising space. I feel that this application is one of the most innovative ways as of late that a brand is using social networking and mobile technology to their advantage.
[AC]Can you tell us the top three things you have learned while being in the internship program so far?
[JB]
My internship at McCann has taught me so much that it is difficult to
pinpoint the top three things that I have learned. However, if I was to
narrow it down to three things, I would focus on the following:
First,
I would say that one of the hardest aspects of advertising is not
trying to convince the consumer to buy into a product, but convincing
the client to buy into the campaign. An agency can think that it has
the greatest campaign in history, but if the client doesn’t think so,
the campaign will not fly. I never realized how much back and forth
goes on between the client and the agency regarding the smallest
details of a campaign. Patience is one of the greatest skills someone
can have if they truly want to succeed on the account side of
advertising. Without patience, an account leader would never be able to
handle the small requests a client makes on a daily basis. Ideas
change, target consumers change, and creative changes all the time. An
account leader has to handle all of these changes, while at the same
time remaining personable with the client.
Second,
this internship has reinforced the fact that advertising is just a
small part of any company’s marketing mix. Advertising only comes into
play if a company has money to do so after the product, price, and
placement are in order. This summer has been an interesting time to
intern at an agency in light of the economic situation. Companies have
been tightening their belts and this shows in their advertising
budgets. Clients only want to pay for what is absolutely necessary.
This puts pressure on those in the ad industry to be even more
efficient and innovative in the way they execute their campaigns.
Therefore, anyone going into the industry must be as well rounded as
possible in their knowledge of different types of media, strategies,
and advertising platforms.
The third most important thing that I have learned thus far in my internship is that you must be a team player to succeed in this business. It is common for people in advertising to have big heads, but it is important to sincerely listen to outside feedback. I don’t believe that any one person can ever take all of the credit for an advertising campaign. This summer has really opened up my eyes to the huge number of steps that are involved even before the creative are briefed. If you can’t take constructive feedback from others or understand that there is no “perfect” solution to any problem, your campaign will suffer. My group for the intern marketing competition at McCann is filled with very strong personalities. We all want to showcase our own ideas but are realizing that if anything is to come together into a cohesive campaign, we must all compromise and work together. We are doing just that, and the campaign is turning into something more powerful than any of us could have put together solely by ourselves.
[AC] Who do you aspire to be like?
[JB]
In terms of both my career and the way in which I interact with others,
I would have to say that I aspire to be like my father. As I move
forward in my college career, I realize more and more the challenges I
will have to face when entering the work force. In my eyes, no one has
been as successful as my father. From starting numerous companies to
raising 5 children, my father has done it all. His entrepreneurial
spirit and humble personality inspires me. He is both successful in
business and heart. It is hard to find someone that doesn’t get along
with my father and one day I hope to own a company where all of my
employees respect me the way they do him.
I
don’t just look up to my father for the way people respect him,
however. He is not afraid of taking a risk. He is not afraid to be the
one who everyone looks to if something goes wrong. His courage and
determination to make ideas come to fruition is admirable. I know so
many people who want to do something but don’t because they think that
they can’t. My father is not one of these people. He doesn’t let
boundaries faze him. If he knows he wants something, he will get it.
Using my father as inspiration, I know I will succeed at anything I do.
[AC]How do you see yourself in 5 years?
[JB]
Five
years from now, I see myself doing something with media, advertising,
or entertainment. I will most likely be on the digital front of
whatever I do, so there is a strong possibility that I will be working
in online advertising. I enjoy both marketing strategy and sales, so
the analytical aspect of online advertising would fit my interests. I
have always looked at Google as the dream company to work for (like
everyone else), but I still have a strong passion to start my own
company. I don’t want to put my career in a box, but what I can say for
certain is that in five years I will be creating something, I will be
leading a team, and I will be having fun.
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