Learning What It's Really All About: A marketing intern's perspective
I was sitting on my couch at my apartment watching ESPN Sportscenter this summer with my roommate. During one of the commercial breaks an ad for Nike appeared. My roommate asked, "How do you market and advertise a product like Nike?" I could only smile at him knowing I had once asked that same question as well.
As a student at the University of Notre Dame and a business marketing major, I was having difficulty coming to grasp with what actually occurs in the world of marketing. From my classes I was learning concepts such as integrated marketing, target markets, strategic marketing, web design and public relations but had little understanding of how these ideas were used in the real world. I was excited when I got an internship with Villing & Company to learn more about how a marketing agency works.
Through my internship, I've received more than a basic understanding and comprehension of marketing; I’ve been able to apply all the concepts I learned from school and also obtained a better understanding of how the various departments within the agency work together to create a strong result for the client. For example, in working with the McDonald's account I worked with staff in public relations, administration and creative to set up and organize a promotion. Each department in the agency played a key part in creating a result that was effective and beneficial to the client.
I also learned from interacting with the different departments how important the role of media is for many clients. By closely shadowing the media director I was able to understand how media planning and buying works – TV, radio, print and interactive. I realized that there is a lot involved in planning and buying media and properly marketing a client’s product or service.
I also was able to attend several client meetings and take part in an ad photo shoot.
It is from these interactions and these exposures that I began to finally understand how marketing and a marketing agency works.
My internship has been a great learning experience. I hope to be able to apply many of the things I learned this summer to a future career in marketing that will allow me to be successful in the business world. It should also allow me to provide my roommate with a solid answer about Nike advertisements.
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