Our Internship's Almost Over, Now What?

By: Carly Tschantz, Connections Strategy Intern

Carly Tschantz

The word “leveraging” has become apart of all Starcom intern’s vernacular this summer. Yet, it does not just apply to media strategy anymore. Leveraging the new network of co-workers, acquaintances and other interns will be a key tool of the job search that we will all be partaking in (cue groans) this upcoming year.  Even though the prospect of entering the real world is a leery one given the current economic climate, us interns have some amazing opportunities at our finger tips. It is up to us to leverage them (there the word is again!). Here are some ideas to keep in mind and procedures to undergo as you wrap up your final weeks at Starcom.

Lasting Impressions

Even though this would make a great name for a mock 90’s band featured on SNL, lasting impression is no laughing matter. At this point, all the interns have put forth a great amount of effort, learned a lot and have contributed to our team’s campaigns in some way, shape or form. Now, it is up to us to make sure all that work was not for naught in terms of our career pursuits. How? By showing your appreciation to all of those who helped you along the way. Whether it is a quick e-mail letting your brand contact know of your departure or a handwritten note to your team members, it’s the little things that set you apart and will make the biggest impact into other’s memories.

Making a List, and Checking it Twice

Now you may not be Santa, but it is equally important to keep track of what is naughty and what was nice… I’m speaking in terms of the internship experience of course. I probably do not just speak for myself when I say that remembering what I did two weeks ago is a difficult task to accomplish. Now imagine how difficult it will be in two months? Two years?  It is of the utmost important that we keep track of what we’ve done this summer by WRITING IT DOWN. The ten minutes you spend reflecting and scribing all the projects you were apart of and/or owned this summer will help you articulate your experiences in your resume, an interview, etc. 

Contacts: The Currency of your Future

I can not stress enough how important this (take my lack of humor in this section to be indicative of how serious I am about contacts). Keeping a roladex of contacts and the roll they played in your internship will serve you not only in the near future but in the years to come. For us interns, your team, media module presenters, AORs, etc should all be included. This list does not just extend to your Starcom contacts but should also include any vendors you came in contact with. Your list will act more as a roadmap when you enter the professional world and will help you navigate the arena for advice, job leads and new opportunities in the industry.

Checking In…Not just something you do at a Hotel

Just as important as making the list of contacts when you leave Starcom, it is equally as important to keep it current. How? It is always a good idea to shoot team members an e-mail, whether it be media-related or not, to see what they’re up to. Likewise, they are a great resource as you start searching and applying to your first job. Shoot them a question. Find out what their experience was like. There are plenty of topics that they can give useful insight into. 

Hopefully, these tips will act as a pseudo-checklist as the interns depart from Starcom and go back to school for our senior year where, let’s be honest, distractions do not come in the form of Lotus Notes crashing or digital briefs.

A Unique Background, But a Perfect Fit

By: Bess Magnuson, Media Planning Intern

Bess Magnuson

Walking into our first day, I was an overwhelming mix of excited and nervous: new people, a new environment and, an entirely new type of job. Unlike many of the other Media Interns, I am not attending a large Midwestern school and I’m not majoring in Advertising, Marketing, Media, or anything of the sort. 

Rather, I am an Environmental Economics major at Colgate University, a small liberal arts school in central New York (and yes, the state-not the city). 

The media industry has always interested me and I was so happy to score such an amazing internship at Starcom. 

I became increasingly nervous as I heard everyone introduce themselves stating their majors. Almost all of the fellow intern’s majors were well connected with our future internship. I just kept thinking, the other interns have spent their entire academic career learning about the different facets behind this industry, while I have been drawing way to many graphs and writing (now useless) computer statistical analyses programs. 

However, once I got situated in my role, I learned Starcom encourages all of their associates to learn everything from the start, no matter their background. 

My supervisors, and other members of my team, quickly reassured me that even though they studied some of these topics in school, they originally had to start from square one and were just as overwhelmed as I felt. 

Starcom’s Flight School program trains all their associates, no matter their media level, about the specific components of Starcom, giving everyone the same learning base. They also review media terms and media math in the classes for associates.  While interns don’t attend Flight School courses, we do attend Media Modules, where we learn about several different topics.  

Because of these programs, Starcom is able to bring in talent with all different types of backgrounds, broadening their intelligent capital. Thus, Starcom is known for the associate training program and is revered by all their competitors in the industry. 

Now that we are approaching the final weeks of the internship, I’ve come to realize that while my major is different than everyone else’s, Colgate has provided me analytical skills that prepare me for jobs of all sorts.

I am so fortunate to be interning here, and I am learning about so many different areas of the business, which is exactly what I was looking for. 

So, if I were to give any piece of advice coming out of this experience, I would remind future interns, who have similar background to me, not to be discouraged and rely on the skills that you’ve been taught rather than the subjects. Starcom provides all the tools and assistance that you would ever need and it’s a great place to intern if you want to get to know the industry.

Lunch Outings: One of the Best Parts of SMG!

By: Kristen Radomski, Media Planning Intern

Kristen Radomski

It did not take me long to learn that in the media industry, lunch takes various forms: quick bites at your desk, low-key outings with colleagues, gourmet team lunches, catering brought in for meetings, agency partner gourmet lunches, and super-gourmet client lunches (to name a few). 

I have been fortunate to experience all of the above this summer, and as a self-proclaimed foodie and admitted food network addict whose favorite meal is lunch, I have loved every one! 

I have learned the most about the media world via agency partner lunches, which have allowed me to make connections with new contacts in the industry and better understand the relationship between our agency and our partners.

Although I relish trying new restaurants and socializing with new people, the many lunches I have spent at local spots with the other Spark interns have been by far my favorite.

Me and the other Spark interns walking to lunch.

The hour long ritual is what has allowed me to develop such a strong bond with some of the other interns outside of work. At Spark, even though we all work in different areas—media planning, research, corporate communications—our cubes are located all in a row. Our seating arrangement made it extremely easy to get to know each other (and go to lunch together) from the start. 

It must have been fate on our first day when Amy, another intern, discovered a color coded map of lunch spots in her desk discarded from her cube’s previous owner. The map pictured an aerial view of the general Spark/Starcom area and pin pointed different spots coded by category—i.e. fast-food, arguably healthy, sit down, and true gems.  I remember the moment vividly: how the four of us crowded around our new “treasure map” excited to discover each location. 

Seven weeks along, we have since outgrown that color coded map and have found our own favorite spots. Is it a “foodstuffs” kind of day, or is it rainy and feels a little more “au-bon” for soup? It’s beautiful outside—should we venture out to somewhere new on Hubbard? Media Module today—lets head out somewhere around Wacker—Pastoral? 

These questions are fairly trivial, but are an honest glimpse at what I look forward to everyday. The hour we take to sit together has brought me three life-long friends and a list of gems of my own that I will be visiting the rest of my career in Chicago!

Meet The Bloggers: Florida to Jim Beam

Here is a look at some Intern Echoes staff bloggers!

Name: Andres Marmol

Position: Media Planning Intern

Intern Echoes: Staff Blogger

School: University of Central Florida

Major: Advertising/Public Relations

Team:Tapestry

Brand(s) you are working on?   

ESPN Deportes and Sara Lee

What are you most looking forward to this summer?                     

Learning more about media as a whole and the necessary process to develop a successful media strategy.

What is your favorite place in the city you work in?         

Downtown, there is so much to do on any given day that you can't possible complain about boredom.

What is your favorite quote?

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other” -Walter Elliot

                                                                                                     

Name: Erica Kahler

Position: Media Planning Intern

Intern Echoes: Staff Blogger

School: Miami University

Major: Marketing & Psychology

Team: Jim Beam.

Brand(s) you are working on?   

Jim Beam

What are you most looking forward to this summer?                     

Exploring the city and trying new things.

What is your favorite place in the city you work in?         

I love the running trails in Chicago around the lake. I am training for a marathon so I'm there every day.

What is your favorite quote?

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

                                                                                                     

Name: Amy Anderson

Position: Strategic Research Intern

Intern Echoes: Staff Blogger

School: Notre Dame

Major: Psychology and Spanish

Team: Spark Research

Brand(s) you are working on?   

I will be dividing my time between research projects for several spark clients including ING Direct and Dairy Queen.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?                     

On the work front, I am looking forward to learning how psychological concepts and research methods are applied in media planning/buying to come up with strategies based on consumer insights. In terms of my personal/social life, I am looking forward to experiencing life in a new city!

What is your favorite place in the city you work in?         

Magnificent Mile of course!

What is your favorite quote?

“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.”  -Ayn Rand

                                                                                                     

Name: Erica Terry

Position: Media Planning Intern

Intern Echoes: Staff Blogger

School: University of Missouri

Major: Journalism

Team: Oracle

Brand(s) you are working on?   

Oracle

What are you most looking forward to this summer?                     

I'm looking forward to learning more about media buying/planning.

What is your favorite place in the city you work in?         

I love Millennium Park!

What is your favorite quote?

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him."
David Brinkley

Mobile Partners and the Next Best Thing

By: Erica Kahler, Media Planning Intern

Erica Kahler

Media agencies are tasked with finding the newest, most innovative ways to reach consumers.  Clients need to be visible in order to remain top of mind.  Think about it this way, if a brand only advertised in newspapers, which was innovative at one time, they would me missing a huge segment of the population today (internet news readers).  

Mobile is a new, but growing media vehicle. Right now, it isn’t extremely clear what the most effective way to use mobile is. Apps? WAPS? Location based services? But, clients are becoming increasingly interested in playing in the space, including the client I work for.

Even my experienced digital strategy/activation team wasn’t sure how to incorporate mobile into 2012 planning.  Luckily for me, the team passed the challenge on to me.  One of my many summer projects became learning about mobile.  It is a pretty vague task, isn’t it? 

 A media associate on my team and I met with Phonevalley.  Phonevalley is a mobile communication group owned by the same holding company as Starcom (Publicis Groupe). Allison, from Phonevalley, gave us an overview of what’s happening in the mobile space and who the big partners are. She also gave me a contact list of reps that would be able to give me insight about each partner. 

My plan was to request the same information from each partner, and build it into a deck to send out to my team.  I reached out to about 10 partners.  It was important to stay on top of what information I had, and what was missing.  I did so by creating a status sheet on Excel.  The sheet listed the partner, the rep’s name and contact information, and whether or not I had their mobile information.  If I didn’t hear back from a partner within a reasonable time, I sent follow emails and reminders.

I created a template for a PowerPoint deck.    The goal was to create a “cheat sheet” for my team to help build consideration sets based on brand needs and existing assets.  To clarify, a consideration set is a preliminary list of partners, publications, websites, and TV stations that Starcom recommends the client buy inventory with.  We then send RFPs (request for proposal) and narrow the list based on the returned proposals.

As partners provided the necessary information, I began assimilating it into a deck.  I sorted the partners by specialty (e.g. rich media, video, display) and created a summary slide for each.  After I had all the information, I reformatted the slides.  Starcom has a guide for how to format decks.  The format is called Space For Ideas, SFI for short.

I sent the completed deck to both my team and the Phonevalley team.   My team members seemed to like the deck and used it to build consideration sets.  A few days later, Allison from Phonevalley reached back out to me.  She said she shared my deck with her boss, who liked it and wanted to use it as a platform to educate on the basics of mobile. 

In building the deck, I left out a few partners because they were not a good fit for our client.  Allison asked if I had time to add those partners back into the deck for broader use.  Of course I took the opportunity! It was great to feel like I had created something valuable, which would outlast my short time here.

After finishing all that research, my team saw me as a source of information in mobile.  I earned the opportunity to create a mobile consideration set for one of our brands, which was exciting!  

I don’t claim to know where mobile is heading next, but I do know it is becoming a more important form of advertising.  It is crucial for brands to stay ahead of the curve.  Mobile is a huge touch point because it is so close to the consumer and there are a rapidly increasing number of users.  Had I not worked on the mobile partner project, I would have never learned about an important media vehicle. I am so fascinated by the industry and plan to continue working with mobile in some capacity after college.

The Census: An Overlooked Resource

By: Amy Anderson, Strategic Research Intern

Amy Anderson

In my time at Spark, I have learned that our success as marketers is contingent upon how well we understand our consumers. We pride ourselves in telling the stories that underlie consumer behaviors, and in using research to lend credence to those insights.  We are fortunate to have access to many research resources that help us tell these stories, but the abundance of options often causes us to forget about the public data that can be an equally valuable tool.

It is with this in mind that I completed an individual project analyzing the 2010 U.S. Census Data that was released this spring.  The Census data is a resource that is easy to overlook because it is such a hot topic in the media that few people actually take the time to review it on their own (myself included).  While it’s undeniable that there are resources out there that offer more granular, nuanced data about consumers, the Census data captures the larger-scale demographic changes that impact more specific aspects of American consumers such as lifestyle, attitudes and shopping habits. In the advertising industry especially, I think it is easy to get carried away looking at the more granular data, dismissing the Census data as vague or inadequate.  While it’s true that the Census data can reiterate facts that we already know, further analysis of the data may prove that we don’t know as much as we think we do. In fact, the 2010 Census data challenged several of my personal assumptions about various segments of the American population, namely Hispanics and Moms. 

For my project I not only completed an analysis of the available Census data, but I also zeroed in any data that concerned Hispanics or Moms because I found it personally interesting, in addition to being relevant to many of our clients. I made outlines summarizing key statistics, and kept a blog that helped me to connect the dots so I could begin to tell the story behind the data. Currently, I am in the process of interviewing employees who work on various Spark accounts so I can get a better feel for the relevance of my findings, and the implications they have for specific clients. During the last week of the internship I will be presenting my project for Spark.

One of the most interesting findings about the Hispanic population is that there are nearly two times as many native-born Hispanics as foreign-born Hispanics. The growth of the native-born population is due in part to slowing immigration among Hispanics, as well as their high birth rate relative to the rest of the American population. It reminds us that Hispanics aren’t “interlopers;” they are Americans and they are the second largest racial/ethnic group in the U.S. In fact, 75% of Hispanics are citizens. In addition, Census Bureau officials estimate that more Hispanics are identifying themselves as “Hispanic” on the Hispanic origin measure than in the past. 

Another interesting finding about the Hispanic population is that they are more likely to be married than non-Hispanic Whites, and less likely to get divorced than every other racial/ethnic group except Asians. Moreover, there is a higher portion of Hispanics in the work force than any other racial/ethnic group, and these Hispanics are more likely to hold full-time jobs than non-Hispanic Whites. Considering these statistics, it seems that Hispanics embody many “traditional” American values such as family, marriage and a strong work ethic. 

Overall, I have found that my Census project was a great learning experience that allowed me to develop my ability to analyze data and extract consumer insights. In the process I also improved my working knowledge of research tools such as Simmons, IMS, WARC and Emarketer, which helped me to gather supplemental data about Hispanics and Moms. Although I’ll admit that the project seemed daunting at first due to the scope of the Census data, it turned out to be a great learning experience that filled me with a sense of accomplishment. The self-directed nature of the research and of the project in general allowed me to focus on insights that I found personally interesting. In addition, I’m glad that I will be able to leave Spark knowing I contributed one own-able project that provided clients with insight. 

As I mentioned, I have kept a blog throughout my project to elaborate on some of my findings. If you are interested in learning more about my project, I encourage you to check it out at:

http://amysperspectivetakesform.blogspot.com/2011/06/amys-perspective-takes-form.html.

Commuting: An Experience to Cherish

By: Toni Thanas, Global Communications Intern

Toni Thanas

All I’m trying to do is read my book in the quiet car, but the lady across from me is snoring so loud I can’t even think straight.

 

She should really sit in another car; her snoring is not exactly “quiet.”

Oh the joys of commuting.  Prior to this summer, I was a public transportation rookie.  I had maybe been on a Metra train once in my life and I had never been on the CTA.  No buses, no subway, no “L.”  

So when I got my job at SMG, I was freakin out…How am I going to get to work?  What is the Metra like?  What IS the Metra?  The CTA?  Will I be forced to sit next to smelly people???  

I, of course, found out all of the answers to these questions.

The Metra is the commuter rail agency that serves the greater Chicagoland area.  It’s a really popular method of transportation, since Chicago traffic and parking can be awful most of the time.  In the month of May alone Metra ridership was 6,845,000.  They have 11 different lines that you could ride on too, so they go virtually everywhere.

The Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA, is the sister company of Metra, only they service the city of Chicago with the L (mass transit rail) and buses.  

Both the Metra and the CTA have become my best friends this summer.  

I take the Rock Island into the LaSalle Street Station.  Then I take the brown line to State and Lake and on the way back I take the purple or pink line to LaSalle.  I also experimented with the bus system for a short period of time from Union Station to 35 W. Wacker, but I’ve found the L to be far superior to the busses, especially with the Wacker construction in full swing now.  

With my almost nine weeks of experience now, let me reassure you commuting virgins out there—it’s not that bad.

In fact, I actually kind of like it.  Allow me to explain.  

First, it allows me to sleep in longer.  I am able to finish my makeup on the train, leaving me one less thing to do at home.  I know it sounds weird at first, but seriously every single woman is facing the window and staring into their compact for the first 10 minutes of the ride.

Second, it provides an excellent backdrop for getting work done.  Answering emails on my blackberry, writing summer school assignments, reading books, playing around on my laptop—it all can be done on the train… provided there isn’t a snoring lady in the car.  Seriously people, train etiquette, learn it.  

On the subject, I also need to address one of my biggest pet peeves about commuting.  

Headphones—and this is true on airplanes as well.  Please, I do not want to hear what you are listening to on your iPods.  I believe these magical ear buds were invented to avoid disturbing others around you.  However, there are some individuals that are not aware of this concept.  And it makes me enraged—enraged inside only though, because I respect the quiet car.  

Despite this downfall of commuting (and the occasional delay that always seems to happen when you are in a hurry), the Metra is a great way to travel.  Some would even say it’s “The way to really fly.”

Don’t let a commute discourage you from taking a job.  Here at Starcom, I was nervous at first because it seemed like all the interns were living downtown, going out for happy hour, and walking 10 minutes to work.  They were the cool kids and I was the one running (literally running) to make the 5:15pm train everyday. 

 

But in reality, not all interns live downtown.  There are even associates that still live at home and have to commute.  I can definitely say that I have saved a ton of money by living at home, but I’ve also gained an experience that I will remember forever.  

One day maybe we will be able to live downtown, and wake up two hours later.  But for now, commuting on the train is a great alternative.  Don’t be intimidated by the thought of it all.  Always keep the little schedule booklets in your bag too.  Take it from me (missed my train this morning) you never know when you will need them.  

Commuting is an unknown territory that becomes all too familiar after a few weeks of doing it.  The conductors start to recognize you and the people in your car (if you’re like me and sit in the same one everyday) start to smile at you when you pass by.  It’s almost like a new little community of friends.  And you can all commiserate together about the delays, the broken AC, or the walk over to work in the sweltering heat.  

My dad reminded me that some people do this for forty years.  Commuting is like second nature to them and they don’t even think twice about it.  And if I can do it for one summer, so can you. 

In the end, I think I’m even going to miss it—everything except the loud people in the quiet car.