This week we kicked off the intern project at Mullen. As predicted we’ve been assigned to groups with 4-5 interns stretching across many different departments. Our task is simple but broad: create something tangible that challenges the status quo. I’m pretty sure my face read like a book when the assignment was revealed. I could not believe the gave us a project that was so open ended with very little direction at all. My group comprises of myself (an account management intern), an art directing intern, a project management intern and a public relations intern.At first this group dynamic frightened me. With two very leader-oriented people and only one true creative, I was nervous. But between me and my fellow project management intern I feel confident we will stay organized and on top of everything. My fears dwell in the area of development. Essentially they want us to reach out of our comfort zones and be innovative but at the same time use the skills we already possess to make the project as real as possible. 

I used the intern project as an opportunity to reach out to the experience designer I’ve been working with on my account. As someone who has done only basic wire frames, HTML and mock-ups for class I wanted to run one of our ideas passed him. Not only did he think we had a great idea, but he was able to offer some brilliant advice. He volunteered to help us throughout the project and it gave me the opportunity to learn more about what he does as an experience designer. Not to mention we got to bond about our shared love for Wegmans.  

Additionally, I grabbed coffee with a strategist in hopes of learning more about what she does at Mullen and sharing my interest in the area. She was actually an intern last summer and provided me with a lot of wonderful advice. It was great to hear that she wanted to support my interest in strategy and hopes that I might have a chance to get my hands dirty with a project this summer.


As I end my second week here at Mullen there isn’t much work I can show yet for the time I’ve been here. Despite that, I can confidently say I’m still learning a ton and really love the company overall. The ability to seek help or reach out to those you don’t know is often a challenge. It can be embarrassing to admit you don’t know something or scary to contact someone individually. Mullen has provided a secure and friendly environment that has encouraged me to step up and ask others when I want to learn more. Over the next 8 weeks I plan to reach out to more people seeking not just their expertise for our project but also as an opportunity to learn more about areas outside of the one I’m interning in. 

Summer Insight Series Take Aways:
So each week we have a “lunch and learn” event with someone from the agency and all the interns where we have the opportunity to learn more about the area of advertising, the people who work at Mullen and their experience of working in advertising and at Mullen.

This week we had a session with David Swaebe, SVP Agency Communications and Business Development and Kate Kozlowski, Agency Communication Manger, about the area of new business. It was really interesting to learn about Mullen’s pitch methodology and their successful pitches including Zappos, Jet Blue and Acura.
Some key points they mentioned were:


1. Finding companies that are culturally compatible. It is not just about pitching to companies that spend a lot on advertising. It is also about pitching to companies that have the right fit and align themselves with similar standards that Mullen has. Many times they are “challenger brands” like Mullen who have a solid reason for “why” they exist.


2. Getting to know the client earlyMullen spend a lot of time immersing themselves in the companies culture and function from the beginning of the pitch so they can truly understand the brand through in through. This also helps to determine whether the company is compatible.


3. Hyper-bundling! Mullen offers its clients so much! In addition to traditional advertising services (OOH, print, tv, radio), Mullen also has in-house PR, media, digital and experiential departments. This full-service agency can really offer so much collaboration in a single pitch.

Check out some of their pitch campaigns:

• Zappos

• Jet Blue

So this summer I’m setting out to read 25 books. Yes, 25! Why? Well, I love to read and during the school year I don’t really have enough time to dedicate to reading. Also I have a ton of books I want to read and why not actually do it! This will require me to read at least 2 books a week and for a slow-ish reader like myself that’s A LOT! Especially if they are 300 pages +. I love me a good challenge and as a normal goal setter, I thought it only made sense to set a decent amount to achieve. So wish me luck!

As a rising senior in college with high ambitions to find a career in the field of advertising, the near future is always on my mind. In a year from now will I be unemployed, desperate for a job? Or will I be one of those lucky graduates that drives away from campus heading to my first full-time position?

As a woman entering a business which used to be primarily dominated by men I also dwell on the distant future. Will I be able to break through the glass ceiling? Will I ever be able to find and maintain a relationship outside my career? Will I be able to have a family and still pursue the job I love? 

Last night I had the honor and privilege to attend a diversity event thrown by and for employees of advertising agencies in the Boston area at the Boston Digitas office. The panel was moderated by Sandra Sims-Williams of IPG and featured Sasha Hartman from Hill Holliday, Christine Pillsbury from Beam and Sharon Crichton from Jack Morton.

Naturally these questions above haunt me every day, but after last night’s panel I can definitely sleep a little easier. What a relief it was to listen to these inspiring woman talk about how much they still, after all their year in advertising, love what they do. They have been able to maintain great positions in their careers and at home. Unfortunately they were very honest, explaining that “having it all” is not easy. It is a challenge that few are often up for, but they were supportive of the women who push through. Often women doubt their capabilities to balance life and work. Then time comes for them to take on additional responsibilities at home like marriage or children, they depart pre-mature. Not to say that women who give up a career to be a stay-at-home mothers are bad. It is more that women who would like to build a family should not fear that the only option is leaving all together.

They spoke to how much the industry has changed, allowing woman more opportunities to reach higher executive positions. Between discussions about the work/life balance, generation gap and sexuality, these women all shared great insight regard the present and future for women in advertising. My confidence began to swell as they spoke of an encouraging future for women in the industry. 

Great quotes from the panel:
“Greatest combination of creativity and business lies in advertising.” — Sasha“If you ever feel like your not in the right place, f*cking leave!” — Christine
“Never be ashamed to ask for help” — Sasha
“Millennials are so bad-ass. Their aspirations are unlimited.” — Sasha
“We can have it all, just not all at once.” — Sharon
“What glass ceiling?! If you want it, go after it!” — Christine

Each woman at the end was told to give 1 word of advice to sum up and they said:

Today is my 5th day at my summer internship at Mullen in Boston and I can tell you already that this is going to be an incredible experience. From the start I knew I was surrounded by the best in the business. During orientation on Monday we got a brief lowdown of who Mullen really is and what this summer could entail. They were sure to mention that they had about 1,400 applicants which were then narrowed down to 350 candidates and from there 37 of us were selected to work at Mullen this summer. I’ve never felt so honored in my life to have made it through such a giant applicant pool.

After our short orientation we were “picked up” by our supervisors. I feel very lucky to have such a great supervisor. Right off the bat I definitely felt that she was ready to trust me and over the past few days I’ve already been able to prove myself a confident intern that is both knowledgeable and ready to dive into anything. Overall I feel Mullen has a giant appreciation for their interns. This positive attitude towards interns has made me feel very included. It has give me a comfort that encourages me to contribute thoughts and ideas.

Additionally, I am really enjoying the company of the other interns. Even though I don’t have the privilege to work with any of them really on a day-to-day basis, I have enjoyed spending my lunch and some time after hours with them. I was surprised how diverse our group is. There are interns from all over the country representing 35 different college/universities. Since many of the interns are not from here, (like myself), it really give me the opportunity to make friends since we are all kinda in the same boat.

Lastly, Boston has been proving to be quite a wonderful setting for this experience. Though it is no New York City, I’ve enjoyed my past few days here and I’m looking forward to exploring more.

Summer Insight Series Take Aways:
So each week we have a “lunch and learn” event with someone from the agency and all the interns where we have the opportunity to learn more about the area of advertising, the people who work at Mullen and their experience of working in advertising and at Mullen.

This week we had a session with Michael Bourne, SVP Group Account Director, PR/SI. Each intern was responsible for sending him a tweet containing a question we had about him, what he does and his role at Mullen. With these questions, he created a Prezi that answered a bunch of them with different multimedia examples and stories. Here are my 4 take-aways from this session:

1. “5 billion people may hate you”
Not everyone is always gonna like you and that may totally be out of your control. It is the way that you handle that and move forward is what defines your success in the long run.

2. “We need everyone to think we’re ice cream”
Today, anything can be a medium for advertising. The better you disguise advertising and make it less or a disruption the more people will engage and enjoy receiving it.

3. “Identity is the story you tell yourself about yourself”
Advertisers must be story tellers. It is human nature, from the time we are little to tell stories. Our identity is a compilation of the stories we tell ourselves about our selves. Example: “I am a 21-year-old IMC student from New Jersey that loves theater and traveling.”

4. “Successful people have intelligence, energy and integrity” 
It is not enough to just be smart or have energy but to move forward in life and in your career you must maintain a stable level of integrity to climb higher and higher.

Good morning Boston! Yes, it is currently 6am. My extreme build up of excitement for my first day of my summer internship did not allow me to get too much sleep. This summer I have the absolute privilege to intern at one of the top advertising agencies in the world, Mullen. As I get ready for my first day I want to take a brief moment and point out a few  goals I have set out for myself as this will probably be my most important internship I have ever done and I need to make it count. Not only am I working for a company I might want to pursue a career with after college, but I hope that this will be my last internship therefore requiring me to absorb everything I can from the experience.

During the next few weeks I plan to share some of my experiences and update my progress on achieving my goals with a full evaluation at the end of the 10-week program.

Here are my Top 5 Summer Internship Goals:

1) Demonstrate my desire to learn
As I am someone who has had many internships and other related experiences I want to go back to basics. In some way I would like to “erase” my previous experiences to give me the ability to learn. This includes asking at least 3 questions every day to remind myself this is not only an opportunity to learn about how to do my job best but also to learn about others I’m working with.

2) Be friendly, outgoing and polite
Sometimes those that work around you but not with you may not take that extra step to introduce themselves or make the initiative to even get to know you. I can’t tell you how many people I saw last summer at the agency I worked for that just looked at me but never spoke a word to me. This summer I’m going to do my best to introduce myself to everyone I see. Being friendly, outgoing and polite can open doors to new connections and lead to more opportunities. Plus you can make friends that way!

3) Speak up when I have ideas or concerns
Keeping thoughts and concerns to yourself can be more harmful to you and those around you. It is best for me to share my ideas for it will demonstrate that I’m confident and actually have thoughts. There is no reason I should just sit there and wait to asked. Take initiative and show that you’re knowledgeable about advertising, the industry, the client, etc. If I don’t voice concerns I could end up doing something wrong or cause more problems. Don’t be ashamed to admit you don’t know, or you’ve made a mistake.

4) Take every opportunity that is given to me and seek out others when available
There will be times when people may ask me to do more projects or even grab a drink. Jump on these opportunities. Also when you hear of opportunities that interest you don’t be afraid to take them. As long as they don’t affect the work I’m already responsible for then go for it.

5) Say “Thank you”
Always remember to be grateful for this incredible opportunity. In an email they humbly remind incoming interns that they beat out over 1,200 applicants for a position. Um like WOW! So remember to say “thank you”. Say it those around you go an extra mile or even just every now and then to show your appreciation.

So those are my goals. Wish me luck as I head to work!

A little over a week ago I had the pleasure to attend the very first Advertising Week Europe here in London. I learned a bunch about what is going on in the industry and did almost a little test of how relevant what I’m learning in my classes is to the current trends. Overall, I felt very confident in the Ithaca College integrated marketing communications program. My professors can proudly pat themselves on the back. It was also interesting to compare practices taking place in the US to the UK/Europe. In so many ways the US is more digitally developed in the sense that there is SO much more online content streaming with sites like Hulu, and Pandora, etc. But advertisers at AW Europe were certain that the UK was a leading country when it came to the big up-and-coming real time buying technology.

Over the 4 day event  I sat in on 29 different session with a variety of different topics. Here are my top 7 take-aways.

7. “Traditional” Doesn’t Mean Bad or Ancient
During many of the session is sat in on professionals would speak about “traditional” media in such negative tones. Little was discussed about the current state of print or radio and what their futures looked like. What I then grasped from these talks not that traditional media is bad or old but rather unsubstantial in today’s market. Traditional ads must be supported by social, digital and mobile. It is not enough to have a traditional campaign. It must incorporate the digital and interactive space too.

6. Where are the Women?!
As a young woman entering the field of advertising in the next year or so, I’m so excited to launch a career in an industry that prides itself on its diversity. But never before had I seen a demonstration of the “glass ceiling” before me like I saw during AW Europe. Multiple panels showed odd the top executives of the leading advertising and media companies in the UK and Europe and there were few females to be found. It is great to know that 21% of UK’s top media companies have women in top management, a 7% jump from the previous year. Although this frightened and frustrated me, it also motivated me. I know what I have what it takes to make it to the top and no way is my gender gonna get in my way if I have any say.

5. Finding Ways to Incorporate the 2nd Screen
Close your eyes. Think of the last time you were watching tv. Where was your phone? You lap top? Tablet? I will bet anything that while you were watching tv, whether it was real time, DVR or online that your smartphone and/or tablet was in hand or nearby. Today we can’t keep ourselves busy with just one media platform but must stay entertained with multiple at one time. Great advertisers will understand their audience’s habits and create campaigns that interact with them in a way that will move from one platform to the next effortlessly. How? That is still unsure. Great examples of how companies are doing it now are apps like Viggle.

4. Human Needs Are Still the Key Drivers
No matter what media platform you’re advertising on understanding your audience’s human needs are will help build a message that will translate well and motivate them to take action. Advertisers must not get wrapped up in numbers and forget how to motivate their audience. Look back at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Understanding these five basic needs (physiological need, safety, love and belonging, esteem, self-actualization) help build great campaigns, not numbers.

3. To Not Adapt to Technology is Failing to Innovate
Technology is happening. Clients need to know that investment must be made on many platforms to reach key audiences. Technology is ever changing and brands must do the same while maintain their brand image and tone.

2. Real Time Bidding is Happening Whether You Know What It Even Is
Real Time Bidding (RTB), also known as Programmatic Buying is happening now and will forever transform the industry of media buying. In short, RTB has computers isolate the audience that an advertiser wants to target on a digital platform. Once it’s identified the audience it purchases the media in real time on behalf of the advertiser. It targets the placement of the ad even further and gets the best price for the placement. This technology can and will replace media buyers in years to come.

1. It is about telling a story over multiple platforms
In the end the real message I heard over and over again throughout Advertising Week was about how advertising is about telling a genuine story about the brand and its consumers. Now the challenge is to present it on multiple platforms.

Great work I saw:
Channel 4 Super Human Campaign for the Paralympics:
http://newrisingmedia.com/all/2012/8/17/channel-4-redefines-the-super-human-in-paralympic-campaign.html

T-Mobile Flashmob
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM

1. Do You Use the F-Word?
2. Massive Roundtable
3. Creativity on Facebook
4. The Science of Desire & How to Creative It
5. London Olympic Legacy

Favorite quotes:
 “24 year-old media buyer. Endangered species” – Jay Sears, Rubicomm
“Content is king. Distribution is queen. She runs the household” 
“Don’t start with ads. Start with business solutions.” – Suzanne Powers, CP+B Group 
“Set up, expand, twist and resolve” — Peter Souter, TBWA
“Give people what they want in a way they don’t expect” — Peter Souter, TBWA 
“Keep it real while presenting something aspirational” — Cilla Snowball 
“Clients just care about the value not how you do it” — Mark Creighton, Mindshare
“Failing to embrace technology is failing to innovate” — James Cann
“Everything we make is competing with everything we ever made” –Mark D’Arcy, Facebook
“Technology changes fast. People change slowly.” — Mark D’arcy, Facebook 
“You’d be surprised how creative you can be when you have no money” — Mark D’arcy, Facebook
“How do you beat Beijing? Throw the Queen out of a helicopter” referring to the Olympic opening ceremony. 
“Best way to predict the future is to create the future” 

• Verizon
• Apple
• BMW
• Pepsi
• Dunkin’ Donuts

It is not a surprise that I’ve started thinking about the job I want to acquire after college. Lets face it, I’m graduating college in a little over a year and the real world is knocking at the back door. The Ithaca College integrated marketing communications program is providing me with not only the skills and knowledge for any job in the field of communications but a well rounded perspective on the ad, pr and marketing fields. I’m confident that I will walk out with a bachelors degree that will be applicable for a number of careers.

Since freshman year I have found myself associated with the area of advertising more than anything else. Something about it just makes me gravitate towards it and not want to let go. 3 years ago I set my sites on working for an advertising agency. Through different internship experiences and my classes I’ve decided which area in advertising I want to pursue – account planning/strategy.

Is this my dream job? To be an account planner? Of course…?

Right now I see account planning as more of a job aspiration rather than my “dream job”. As a kid, your “dream job” is something out of a movie or a fairytale that you fantasize about being in the distant future, “when you grow up”. “Dream jobs” are occupations like ballerina, or astronaut. How can my dream job be something that I confidently feel like I can achieve?

Today, I was reading a book about bidding for the 2012 Olympics. Written by Mike Lee, the director of communications and public affairs for the London Olympics, the book explain what goes into bidding for the Games as it tells the story of how the London Olympics came to be. Then it clicked! I found my new “dream job”. When I’m older I want to work on a bid for an Olympics. Since I was little I have been fascinated with the biannual tradition and the idea of bring it to life is… a dream.

So here I am, 20 years old (almost 21). I declare that “when I grow up” I’m going to work on an Olympic bid.

You would think that royalty or important religious figures lived in these old castle-like properties. With beautiful stained-windows, decorative stone walls, and gated lawn properties it can be easy to mistake the universities and colleges in Cambridge for homes of only the highest people in England. In my next life I am going to university in England. I would love to walk across the gorgeous green malls and enter the gated properties with a backpack filled with interesting class work and books. The energy of Cambridge gives off a similar warmth and youth I often feel in Ithaca.

In the evening, I had the pleasure of attending a service at Kings College and hearing the mens choir sing. This was my first church experience. Though I was reminded how much a really love practicing judaism, I did enjoy listening to the choir sing. They sounded like this. Not to mention, the cathedral was BEAUTIFUL!