How I’m Already Thinking Like An Account Manager

When I began studying advertising at Ithaca College we discussed the different departments in an advertising — art directing, copywriting, media planning, media buying, analytics, account planning, and on and on. As we learned about the area of account management I sensed that this was where I belonged in the advertising world. From the time I was little I’ve always had the natural qualities of a leader whether I knew it or not. I was the “queen bee” of my pre-k play-group and class representative for my 4th and 5th grade classes. I’ve always been pretty loud, loved to talk, always shared my opinions and was always on top of my sh*t when it came to planning anything. In high school I continued pursuing leadership roles and the same throughout college. I can’t remember a project I’ve worked on in which I haven’t played the leading role, organizing my group members through the project.

Over the past few weeks I’ve really noticed a difference in the way that I think. I truly believe that spending summer working in the account management department at Mullen, under some really amazing account managers has shifted the way I think about working on anything. Here are 5 noticeable changes my mind has experienced which I believe have transformed me into a great prospective account manager:

Next Steps

While working on a project I no longer stay caught up in what just happened or what is happening right now. I set aside specific details regarding what I need next from those I’m working with. Specifically, I am working on a project as the leader of the Park School of Communications Dean’s Hosts. We are building a new opportunity for prospective students and each week we develop more of the logistics. After decisions are made with the group, I create a separate document outlining what I need next from the committee. This keeps the project moving forward, especially with a limited amount of time.

1 Problem. 3 Solutions.

The other day I was at a Student Government Association meeting. A class senator was proposing a great bill for the first time. His bill identified a problem that was quite concerning but did not initially propose a solution. My first instinct was to ask, “sooooo… what solutions do you have for fixing this problem?” And so I asked the senator just that. I’ve learned that when a problem arises you must immediately acquire at least 2-3 solutions for fixing this problem. Those in upper management who make decisions don’t have time to dwell on the problem. They want the answers to either fixing the problem or making it go away quicker.

Setting Goals. Setting Objectives.

Last week my Fundraising of the Performing Arts professor handed out a strategic plan for the non-profit organization that we are helping for our class project. He asked us to look through the plan and identify 10 goals that the organization was setting out to achieve through this plan. The next time we reconvened, we discussed our list of goals. So many of the students in that senior level course were unable to establish the language that is used when setting goals. Their goals were less than encouraging and more criticizing of what the organization was failing to do. In advertising you work closely as a consultant to your client, which involves positive and encouraging language when it comes to setting goals. Goals incorporate action verbs and KPIs. Also, just knowing the difference between goals and objectives. Goals are what you hope to achieve and objectives are ways you set out to achieve those goals.

Dealing with Change

Change is hard. No question about that. But it is happening all the time. Competitors, technology, consumers, are all changing. I know that I can absolutely guide potential clients through times of change by seeing past the change and making the best of the situation. Another great example from the Student Government Association meeting the other night was when we had a discussion about this policy Ithaca College is planning to adapt which will limit the number of pages students can print on campus. There is almost no doubt that this is going to happen. So instead of having a long discussion about whether it should or shouldn’t happen I suggested we talk about steps we can take to making the transition easier for students and discuss what the consequences of this decision will have on students. Knowing this, we can allocate our time toward building a recommendation to administration when they implement this policy instead of criticizing their decision to implement it.

Leading A Group

Finally, this is one I feel that I’ve naturally acquired and have built upon from numerous leadership experiences. I feel like I now more than ever,

– Utilize group members’ strengths strategically

– Offer a variety of tactics to motivate others

– Distribute tasks responsibly

– Focus on others’ goals and motivations to get things accomplished

Even though my job right out of college may place me at the bottom of the tree, I hope that being able to think like this will play a positive role in my 1) hiring and 2) success within the department of account management. I’m ready to strengthen my skills, continue the learning, and have anything thrown my way!

Internship Week 10: The End, Well Sorta…

Well, the summer internship program at Mullen has come to an end and I can tell you that it is bitter sweet. Just as I was ready to pack up my desk, hand in my laptop and say my goodbyes, I am happy to say I will be sticking around for almost another week to help out while my supervisor goes on vacation. But as the formal intern program concludes today I like to look back on the 5 goals I set for my summer internship.Overall, I am proud to have achieved each and every one of them.

During each Summer Insight Series session I made sure to ask at least 1 question. Even when the topics were about areas I did not have a chance of pursuing, aka creative, I still asked questions that showed my interest in learning how to do my part better. Like asking the creative director and the strategist, how can your departments work best with my department?

I made sure to walk into the office everyday with a smile on and tried my best to show that I am someone they would want to work with in the future. In addition to being kind and polite, I tried to share little tidbits about myself throughout the summer and give them a sense of my personality. I shared my experiences and commitments to personal relationships.

When it came to accepting every opportunity, I took them and ran with them. Even though they weren’t much, being able to excel at even one led to another, and then to another. Last night I was updating my LinkedIn page and was happy to recognize that I was able to add two more projects into my job description just from opportunities I received after performing well.

My experience here as Mullen has been fantastic. Here are just a few of the lessons and thoughts I end my internship with that will definitely follow me as I take the next steps in my career.

5 Key Take-Aways:
1. There is so much more to advertising
Yes, there is creating campaigns. Yes, there is pitching campaigns. But working in advertising agency there is so much more. Clients pay you to not only produce great work but to act as a consultant and a partner. Agencies are not meant to act like machines in which clients can put in their order and out pops the work. Both sides must meet in the middle and make decisions together. Additionally, clients pay agencies to offer their professional opinion no matter what. Agencies like Mullen also work to manipulate and integrate new technology in ways that have never been done before. Advertising is a brilliant platform to unleash media choices that push the boundaries.

2. The people you work with make up where you work
Yesterday I said goodbye to the first set of people and honestly it truly made me quite sad to see them go. I’ve not only made some really great friends but have felt welcomed from the start. This agency is filled with some incredible people and ones I will miss dearly. I hope that my future includes a place of employment that made me feel just as special and includes people as wonderful as the ones I had the privilege to work with here.

3. Your experience is everything you put into it
Throughout the summer I’ve had some low moments but each one was easily eliminated by the many high ones. Every ounce of effort I put into this internship was returned back times a million. When you input nothing into your work, no matter how minimal the task, your results will be even smaller. My effort was backed with enthusiasm and later recognize by those around me. Once this recognition was made, not necessarily verbalized, other opportunities followed as a result.

4. Be afraid but don’t let fear stand in your way.
At the beginning of the summer I made it a mission to reach out to people throughout the agency for advice. I scheduled coffee talks with a few of them in hopes that I could learn more about what they do and their role at Mullen. Oh man was I scared to email them and then once I did I was practically shaking when I waited for them to meet me. I won’t deny that I was absolutely afraid to do many things this summer, but when I was able to achieve things beyond those scary moment I was most proud of myself. I couldn’t stop myself from being scared but I didn’t let it stand in my way either.

5. This is what I want to do
There are few moments in one’s life when they feel like they are in the right place at the right time. Lucky, this is definitely one of those moments. Never before have I felt more confident about the choices I’ve made and the places I’ve ended up. I look back to my time right before I accepted my internship and moved to Boston and think “I would have been foolish to turn this opportunity down.” This internship reassured me that advertising is the career for me and I will do everything I can to make this dream a reality after graduation.

What Would You Ask the CEO of Your Company?

Yesterday, the Mullen interns had the privilege of sitting down with Mullen CEO, Joe Grimaldi. Not many employees at any organization have the honor of sitting down with the person that runs their company, especially one the size of Mullen. After all of the small interactions I’ve had over the past 10 weeks with Mr. Grimaldi , I was pleasantly surprised to learn about Joe’s background and receive the brilliant advice he had for all of us. Here are some of the highlights I am proud to pass on.

Advice for Starting a Career in Advertising:
Demonstrate your passion for advertising. This is not an easy business to be a part of with long hours, and high amounts of stress. You have to want to do it. When you’re promoting yourself online and during interviews, display a point of view. This means have your own opinion about trends in the industry and things that you like or dislike. Share “what you will be at the company”. Explain to the recruiters what you will contribute to that company if you were hired. Have resilience and infectious enthusiasm. This job will knock you down over and over and your ability to get back up will determine how long you last in advertising. Show people that you are someone they want to work with.

Thoughts About the Future of Advertising
Advertising has always been a reflection of a culture as well as a vehicle to lead culture. The future of advertising will include new forms of “direct marketing” that use analytics to better understand the consumer and target them even more. We’ll see tv behaving more like digital and mobile will expand. It is important to have a broad knowledge of everything and to be curious of all of these things. Despite how many numbers we can crunch, don’t become slave to the numbers. Meaning, don’t let what the numbers tell you make you forget about the message you are trying to transcend. We are in the idea business, don’t forget that. Entertainment is a fundamental aspect of advertising.

Book Suggestions
“A book is like an ad, I start reading when I’m interested and I stop reading when I’m not”
So Joe is not much of a reader but suggested authors like Larry Weber (of Weber Shandwick) and Fred Goldberg. He also suggested reading anything that allows you to see inside an agency.

Favorite Campaign
Joe immediately said that his favorite campaign is the next one Mullen produces, knowing that is the answer he should say. He then gave an honest answer which included some of these great campaigns:

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/nmwXdGm89Tk&source=uds

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/myG8hq1Mk00&source=uds

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/IJNR2EpS0jw&source=uds

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/zRaQRbAxXaA&source=uds

He also mentioned he has enjoyed the work for Dove, Old Spice, and Volkswagen. Lastly, he included his praise for agencies like Wieden Kennedy and Droga 5.

Everything Is a Learning Experience

Joe’s background includes jobs as a musician, a shoe shiner, a motorcycle mechanic, a media planner and a account manager. Each job gave him a different learning experience that has contributed to who he is and the leader he is today.

Shoe Shiner: “The enthusiasm and effort you contribute to any job matters.” The only way you can get the next job that is better is to do the one you have now as well as you can.

Motorcycle Mechanic: “This was an opportunity for me to shape my own art and take things apart then solve the problem” With this Joe described how creativity comes in many forms and through working on motorcycles he found that he could be creative when it came to solving problems. His ability to take the bike apart and put it back together again convinced him that he could eventually do this in an entrepreneurial way with a company.

Tips for Leadership

It is important to “create a cause that people thing is worth working and putting effort into.” When people can come to work and know they believe in what they are doing they don’t mind spending long hours doing it. They will be happy to contribute the effort and they will volunteer their time because they have faith in its outcome.

Final Take-Aways:

Outwork others
Never forget integrity, human dignity, and respect for everyone
Learn to play the hand you are dealt
Aim high

Internship Week 9: Why Do Things End Just When They Start to Get Good?

Well, unfortunately my internship is nearing its end and just as things begin to pick up of course. The hard work and dedication to my work has definitely paid off in small ways. On Monday afternoon I was approached by my supervisor’s boss to help out on a new business pitched. Even though I was only asked to collect some data, my elementary school acquired Excel skills came in handy. With the data I collected I was able to build out a graph that was featured in the first slide of the presentation deck. It was really awesome to be a part of this experience, especially when I learned we made it to the final round of the pitch process! Overall this demonstrated that my boss not only trusted me but made me realize that I had proven myself worthy of that trust.

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 the session was led by 3 members of the account services department that work on Jet Blue, JAMRS, and Google. As an account management intern I was very excited to see my department represented in the insight series. Many interns outside the account department ask me what I do and I believe that these three account people summed it up well. Describing it as “The People Department”. Account managers work as a liaison between the client and the agency. Great account managers must:

1. Be an effective communicator to both sides.

This means letting each side know what they need from one another. Whether it is translating client feedback or selling the creative concepts to the client. Their job is know how to best communicate the information base on the people that it’s being communicated to and what is being communicated. Like letting the creatives know that the client didn’t like any of their ideas and they need to start over is communicated differently than the client loved it and wants to put more money into the media buy.

2. Manage expectations

So much of what the account manager does involves managing the expectations for both those on the client side and the agency side. Sometimes when you’re presenting a piece of creative it is in the most basic form. Account managers must make sure the client understands how the creative will be vs when it’s presented.

3. Maintain the agency’s transparency

Account managers must be able to let the client know what is going on all the time. Between all of the client statuses are manage emails, calls and messages passed back and forth between the client and the account team. Account managers are always updating the client with what is going on all the time.

4. “Provide solutions, not problems”

When a problem arises it is almost always the account managers responsibility to fix it. Instead of dwelling on the problem or passing it on to someone else it is best to find solutions for the problem. If you can provide solutions to the problems you will be more of an asset to the account team.

Internship Week 8: Another Productive Week

Well week 8 probably tops the list at suckiest week here. Yes, suckiest is the adjective I chose.

I know it is silly to complain about getting paid to sit on Facebook, Twitter, Buzzfeed and Mashable all day but that is exactly what I’m going to do in this blog post so feel free to stop reading if you think it’s silly.

I would say I’m joined by about 50% of the interns in this frustration. Advertising is unfortunately one of those industries where work is some what unpredictable. Unlike the jobs of a teacher who comes in every and teaches from 8am-3pm or whatever and presents a lesson in forms of periods, writes lesson plans and grades papers. Advertising experiences busy points and dry spells. During dry spells interns are the first the feel the grunt. With little for full time employees to do it is even worse for interns.

So here I am at week 8 feeling ridiculously bored. I’m ashamed to be that intern that is seen never doing work. It’s getting very difficult to look busy for 8 hours every day. I hate to hold this against my internship experience here but honestly I’m getting tired of being an intern in general.

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 the session was led by Tim Cawley, SVP Group Creative Director. As a copy writer he was able to discuss some awesome advice that speaks on both a creative level and advertising industry level. Despite his experience in the creative department there is so much I took away from this presentation. He offered up:

6 Truths According to Tim:
1. “Work for good people”
He basically expressed the importance of working for a great agency where you learn and do work that is great. No matter the salary, when you’re starting out you need to work under people that you understand and that understand you. Having a mentor at the early stages in your career also is vital.

2. “Anything can be great”
The example Tim mentioned was Cannes Grand Prix winner – Dumb Ways to Die. This was a campaign for railroad safety, created for Metro Trains. Sometimes it isn’t about doing work that is for the client with the biggest budget. It is about doing work that contribute to your agency’s portfolio. Each assignment must be treated like it’s the best thing you’ve ever worked on no matter what.

3. “Be Nice”
Clients tend to offer a lot of feedback and we forget that it is way harder to be the client. Be empathetic and a team player. Don’t point fingers because it take a team to produce good work. Advertising is a small business and you want others to want to work with you. Advertising is a “a business of opinions” and you want the one people have about you to be positive.

4. “You’ve got to sell your best work every time“
Nobody cares about your work more than you do. If you want to be known for your work, be on your work! You life is attached to the work you do. The money you earn, the car you drive, and the house you own all goes back to the work you produce. Don’t wait for others to make the changes or edits. Do them yourself.

5. “Use the ‘Uncle-in-law Theory'”
In advertising we often forget that we are selling products to average consumers, not other people who work in advertising. Go to places where these “cheesy idiots” go. Malls. Theme parks. Wherever. Keep working until your idea works for your consumer.

6. “There is no such thing as the perfect presenter”
There are many types of presenter. It is all about being able to defend your creative choice. Don’t BS. If you don’t know, say “I don’t know” or get the right person to come in a give the correct answer. Prepare to know as much as you can about your work. Talk from the heart about the choices you make.

Lastly, Tim reminded us:
– Advertising is “using art to trick the world into believing what a company wants them to believe.”
– We work as employees work for the advertising agency at the end of the day and they are the ones who sign out paychecks. We must produce good work for the agency as that will lead to good business, more clients, and awards which will lead to good business, more clients and more awards.

Wild card: A commercial from a campaign that Tim worked on that he used his awesome song writing skills for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9q7_M5W0fE

Internship Week 7: It’s About Believing in What You Do

This week was an interesting week and by the end I was happy it was over. My supervisor was back and as predicted things went back to that way they were before. I returned to not only doing nothing but knowing nothing. I was kicked off everything I had been working on the previous week. I felt like I had proven myself beyond competent enough to handle the projects I was working on and when I was not longer even on the emails I perceived it as a symbol of mistrust. As a result, a goal I have set for this up coming week is to speak up and request that I be cc’d on all emails. It is important to my education and my experience that I get to learn my seeing as well as doing. Not including me on emails is preventing me from gaining the best learning experience possible.

3 Things I Learned This Week:

1. Importance in a companies corporate culture
This week some of the Mullen staff gave a great presentation about the “Mullenteers,” an opportunity to help set up community service and volunteer opportunities for Mullen staff. Even though the meeting was really for full-time employees I’m glad I went. As I prepare myself for job applications I am reminded it is super important to not only look for a company that offers an appropriate job for your but also offers a corporate culture that you believe in. It was really great to know that Mullen works hard to give back to the community as it is something I believe is very important.

2. Advertising agencies also work as consultant
Often it is miscommunicated that all advertising agencies do are pitches. They pitch to new clients or they pitch new campaigns to old clients. Like on tv, the client says “yes” or “no” to the pitch and then either the agency makes it happen or doesn’t and that’s it. This week I helped to put together a point of view (POV) for a client which included our recommendation for a decision regarding the use of some new technology. This was a different side of an agency I had never experienced before. In addition to pitching campaigns, an agency can also act like a consultant for their clients. Clients pay for great ideas and our expertise on all types of marketing.

3. Sometimes it’s about being the silent team player
As mentioned above, I helped work on a POV for our client. It was really a tasked distributed to our digital producer but when I noticed that she hadn’t done it even though it was due like 4 weeks ago, I went out on a limb and asked her if she wanted some help putting it together. She gracefully accepted my help and with her notes and my own knowledge I put together a draft of the POV and emailed it to her when I was done. The next morning the POV was sent back to my team with me cc’d on the email. Both my supervisor and her boss commented on how well it was put together and organized. I decided to open the file she sent back and noticed 97% of the content was what I wrote. In my mind I gave myself a pat on my back. Even though I did not get any credit for putting together the POV, I was happy to be a silent team player. In the end it isn’t really about who did it but rather that it was done well and helps the client. As an intern and soon to be entry level employee, I should get used to not getting credit for everything I do.

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’s session featured Ryan Houts, Senior Brand Strategist. He kindly gave a great presentation about the area of strategy and it’s role in advertising and at Mullen. Ryan walked us through a top secret example but it outlined how strategy works with the other departments and what they contribute to a project.

4 Take away from Ryan’s Session:
1. Strategist are dot connectors
Strategist take what the client wants, what the consumer wants, and current trends and connects them together to build a strategy that makes sense for everyone.

2. Planners have to care about everything
Planners can’t just be limited to print, broadcast or digital. Today, everything is so connect that a planner must thing on all platforms/media.

3. You can’t hold your ideas to close but you must stay true to your ideas
When a planner passes on their insight to creatives sometimes the creatives will look at the brief and completely go in a different direction. Planners must know when to lean back and let the creatives do what they want or remind the creatives to stay on brand/strategy.

4. A good account manager thinks like a planner
An account manager plays devil advocate in many situations. They fight for the client’s opinion with creatives and they fight for the creatives ideas with the client. Account managers that can think strategically can best know when to fight for which side. Also, there are times when a strategist is unable to write a creative brief. An account manager with the skills of a planner can make up for the lack of time and handle the creative brief themselves.