For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the industry of Advertising and Marketing. Throughout college, I have taken classes about the hypothetical situations and client relationships that my teachers have encountered in their careers, but I have never experienced it myself. This summer I was placed in a program through my college that gave me the incredible opportunity of becoming an intern at Williams Whittle, and as a summer intern, I was eager to learn.
Having never worked at an agency and wondering what area I wanted to work in, Williams Whittle has guided me with the navigation of where I see my future career going. During my internship, I was given a behind-the-scenes look at account management, the importance of maintaining client relationships and working on various projects in all areas of Advertising. From healthcare and environmental accounts to client and weekly status meetings; I contributed to multiple business presentations and projects in nonprofit marketing, mattress recycling, and market research.
Some of my favorite projects included proposing new social content ideas for our mattress recycling account, doing advertising research, shadowing weekly status meetings for our healthcare account, and writing a 15-page healthcare market outlook report. The task was incredibly daunting at first, researching and predicting market trends for 2024 and 2025 to be a step ahead for our client. However, it forced me to look at the ‘bigger picture’ of market trends and realize just how important it is to be aware of what trends are happening in order to develop effective strategies for both creative and overall campaigns. Having a broader perspective after doing extensive research allows you to anticipate changes in consumer behavior and identify potential opportunities and threats in the market. It not only helped me understand the importance of strategy, but it also helped me understand the importance of coming up with ideas that can make a change.
Williams Whittle is so unique in the sense that you are allowed to work closely with your mentors and administrative team. Being under the leadership of WW President, Kelly-Callahan-Poe and Account Manager Lauren Meadows, I was given the incredible opportunity of giving value and input to the projects that I was working on while also receiving advice from these mentors; something that you don’t get in a normal internship. It is so rewarding knowing that the projects you are working on as an intern are not only helping your client, but the business overall. I even remember saying that in my first weekly status meeting, I wanted to act as a “fly on the wall” for every project and absorb as much as possible and I am grateful to say I did exactly that.
One thing that terrified me coming into my first internship was not having the proper skill set. WW creates an environment where you can take your current skills, from being a student for example, and see how you can apply them in the real world. It is also a place where I felt comfortable asking questions and gaining the proper experience to reach my full potential as an intern. I also gained hard skills in Excel and Canva, market research, data visualization, writing a creative brief, and soft skills in selling your personal brand. Williams Whittle teaches you the importance of hard and soft skills that can contribute to a variety of industries and clients, they help you realize that despite not having a lot of experience, you can bring something to the table – you just have to identify your skills first.
Having completed this internship, I can confidently say that I have acquired the proper skillset and am now in the right direction in deciding which area I want to work in advertising. This internship has also instilled in me a newfound confidence that I did not have before. I am incredibly grateful for this experience and reflecting on this summer, I too can come up with ideas that not only can make an impact on an organization but ideas that can change things for the better.
