Open House @ Campbell Mithun!!!

Campbell Mithun is hosting an open house for anyone interested in a career in advertising tomorrow, Feb. 20th.

I confirmed with a source @ CM that you can still RSVP, but you should do so NOW (literally).

It's refreshing to know that a large agency like CM is being so transparent about how they operate by inviting the public in to see the agency - someone definitely is taking a cue from Obama.

This would be a great opportunity for those applying to The Lucky 13, Campbell Mithun's internship program, to check out their office.

Are there any other agencies, big or small, who are hosting an open house anytime soon?

A Personal Apology

Just wanted to apologize for the lack of posts in the last few days, particularly at the most critical time of the internship seeking process.

With school, my internship and everything going on in my personal life (which is rapidly depleting) I've been choosing an extra 30 minutes of sleep over posting. I'll get some new positions up STAT.

Internship: Moses Anshell

Moses Anshell, an independent shop in Phoenix, Arizona is looking for interns year-round.

They offer positions in the following:

• Client Services
• Art Direction/Production
• Copywriting
• Interactive
• Public Relations
• Strategy & Insights

All internships are unpaid (sigh, lets hope they offer you lunch at the very least) but are eligible for college credit.

Internship: Grupo Gallegos

Grupo Gallegos is looking for an intern (possibly interns) for their shop in Long Beach, CA.

If you haven't heard of the shop, you've probably been living with your abuelita (granny) who doesn't have a computer or electricity - they've pretty much been blowing it up!

GG is a multicultural agency that specializes in advertising to Hispanic audiences. Their roster is top notch, including The California Milk Processors Board, Comcast, Energizer and Foster Farms.


Foster Farms - Transformation

Not only do they have an impressive client list, but the cred behind it. They've won numerous awards and were named Mulitcultural Agency of the Year (2008) by Ad Age.

About the internship:

12-week internship will expose you to all aspects of our full-service agency including: strategic planning, account service, media buying, and creative. You'll be part of our team as we develop and implement marketing campaigns for our clients

To be honest with you, I was totally floored to come across this internship - it's just that good. Make sure to check out their write up in Ad Age (download it from their website), it's particularly good for those who are interested in art direction/copywriting as it describes why Grupo Gallegos has a shop in Argentina.


Energizer - Beard

Internship info is listed under "employment" on their site.

In The News: Marketers cutting budgets amidst record job cuts

Part of prepping yourself for the ad world is to know the ad world. As of today I will periodically link up to some articles that are not only important to WE as interns but WE as an industry.

According to Ad Age, 77% of marketers are planning to cut their media budgets. The result of our 14-month recession is definitely taking a toll on the ad industry and those who work in it are being directly affected.

In another Ad Age article, the advertising industry cut 18,700 jobs in December alone, bringing the total job loses since the recession to 65,100.

As an intern or entry-level applicant, it's incredibly important to know the state of the industry. Expec more competition for entry level jobs & internships and less interest from recruiters in the upcoming months.

Just yesterday, a fellow blogger pointed out that an internship that Saatchi LA had posted on Youintern was no longer in place. It makes sense in hindsight, Saatchi LA, like almost every shop out there is suffering from the recession.

There is a silver lining. For those students who still have a few more semesters before they graduate, digital experience is key. In fact, internet-media companies and web-search portals are the only sector of the industry adding jobs.

That said, I'm curious to know what you've been doing in light of the economic downturn to make you stand out from the rest. Use the comments section to post your tips, stories, and reactions to the news.

Update: Adrants posted more information from the survey from the Association of American Advertisers (the source of Ad Age's article). Check it out.

Internship: Multicultural Advertising Training

The Multicultural Advertising Training (M.A.T.) program is currently looking for candidates for Summer 2009.

The requirements for the program:

• Minority college student (junior, senior, recent graduate or masters candidate)
• 2.7 GPA preferred (notice the lack of a period after GPA)

Unlike MAIP, it runs year round with Spring and Fall internships available.
Like MAIP, the program offers a variety of disciplines for students to pursue:

• Account Management
• Account Planning
• Media (Planning or Buying)
• Broadcast Production
• Print Production/Traffic
• Art Direction
• Copywriting
• Interactive
• Research/Search Marketing
• Public Relations
• Radio/Television Promotions
• Sales/Marketing/Ad Network

The internships are paid, however, housing and transportation are not included in the program. Ideally, this would be great for students who live in the Greater LA area or have the means to move there (I'll write a post on how to find money to pay for your internships - I strongly believe that you can find money just about anywhere).

The deadline for the Summer 2009 program is April 3rd.

Internship: Bozell

Bozell is looking for interns for it's Omaha, NE office (Yep, Omaha!)

The following positions are currently open:

• Account Service
• Art Direction/Design
• Copywriting
• Interactive

You can download the application on their website - The deadline is March 2nd.
Check out their video (or don't - it's rather boring. Just saying) and their Facebook page.

SJSU: Copywriting Course Needs More Students

Prof. Mark Jordan is looking for a few more students to fill up his Advertising 124 Copywriting course. The class meets Tuesday nights from 6pm - 8:45. Students should have completed MCOM 100W, ADV 91 and ENG 71.

This is a mandatory class for advertising students on the creative track and is essential for creating pieces for ones portfolio.

On a personal note, Prof. Jordan is quite the witty character - he's exactly the type of person anyone considering copywriting as a profession should be learning under.

You must add the course by Feb. 10th - see Sylvia in the DBH office for the add code or contact Prof. Jordan directly at mjordan@casa.sjsu.edu

Internship: IPG Lucky 13

Disclaimer: I'm an alum of IPG's Lucky 13 - so pardon my enthusiasm!

Hands down, if I had to make a recommendation for students looking for a comprehensive internship, IPG's Lucky 13 would be it.

I've heard countless stories of students who landed what they were hoping to be their dream internship, only to realize that the agency didn't know what to do with them once they're there. Not the case with The Lucky 13.

From day 1, I knew exactly what was expected of me. My Account Supervisor and the AAE who I worked directly under briefed me on the status of current projects and detailed what I would learn during my 10-weeks as an account management intern on the General Mills business. I still remember shuddering at their frankness concerning the workload.

By day 3, I was working on assignments side by side with the AAE, attending meetings at General Mills, and learning more things than most interns learn in an entire summer.

By the last day of the internship, I had learned more than I had throughout my entire college experience and felt ready to enter as a junior employee - which should be the goal of EVERY internship.

One of the things that I appreciated most about my time with Campbell Mithun, was the mentoring I received from not just my supervisor and AAE, but from anyone I came into contact with. It was through these interactions that I developed a very keen sense of the work CM does and the direction they're heading - but moreso, about what my role as an intern (and future job prospect) means to the agency.

Enough of the sentimentality - here's what The Lucky 13 do BEYOND their workload:

• Brown Bag Lunches - Weekly meetings with some of the agencies top reps from each division
• Speaker Series - Notable speakers explain what it means to work their field; followed by an hour of Q&A with CM's HR rep
  
• Social Activities - Including a BBQ with our Keepers (think mentors - I know, Keepers sounds creepy, but they're actually quite nice).
• Weekly Testimonials - Interns are emailed a question weekly and asked to record their testimonial in the "Confession Room" (think The Real World). At the end of the program the clips were created into a video (which I'm sure has leaked somewhere on the internet).
  
• Speed Interviews - It's like speed dating minus the date
  
• NSAC-Style Competition* - Interns were split into two teams and presented a fictional pitch to six judges comprised of agencies reps. The "client" - Grain Belt.
  

The deadline is rapidly approaching - so if you're interested, please visit their website. The application process is extremely intense, so dedicate the time necessary to stand out from the rest of the applicants.

If you want to see what my personal experience was like as a Lucky 13 intern, visit my other blog where I detail my life at Campbell Mithun & Minneapolis. You can also join the IPG Lucky 13 Facebook site, moderated by my favorite 13er, Val.




*For those of you who want to see the "campaign" we pitched as our final project, click here

Interns: Looking Beyond New York City

Oh New York City! Center of the Universe!

In an unofficial, unethical, and unoriginal survey, I found that the majority of college students want to start their advertising careers in New York City.

Reality Check. It's really fucking expensive.

This isn't a diatribe about NYC. I love the city - it's great. The bars are open late, the people are eclectic/beautiful/successful (add any adjective you want really), and the ad industry is booming (OK, not now, but you know what I mean).

However, I'd like to ask the question: How the hell can one afford to live in Manhattan (even the Burroughs) off of a Jr. Anything's salary?

One just needs to scan today's Craigslist postings to get an idea of how much rent is. It's ungodly. It's downright horrendous. It's more equivalent to what many Americans pay for a mortgage.

So why oh why do people insist on moving there right out of college when there are a handful of cities that can offer SOME (notice I still give NYC a lot of credit here) of what Manhattan has to offer and at a fraction of the cost?

One of my biggest factors in opting out of an internship in NYC this past summer was the experience I had the previous summer interning in New York City. The honest truth, I went through $4K in one month. I'll admit, I could have been more frugal with my spending habits, but even if I did cut down, I would have still been out a good $2K.

The moral of the story: Consider other cities/regions/locales. Remember that a zip code isn't everything and that an interns salary only goes so far. New York City will always be. Why not hold off on it until you've got the means to truly enjoy it?

Internship: Crispin Porter + Bogusky

CP+K is offering internships this summer in both their Miami and Boulder, CO offices.

Here's a list of disciplines they're looking to fill:

• Content Management (Account Services)
• Cultural and Business Insights (Account Planning)
• Creative Content Distribution (Media)
• Art Buying
• Traffic
• Studio
• Print Production
• Integrated Production
• Public Relations
• Interactive-Technical
• Interactive-Creative
• Creative

The application deadline for their Summer 2009 positions is April 10th.

On a side note, not really sure how CP+K's recent lay-offs will affect the internship program. However, one rule of advice: If you get in, you should be prepared to prove that you belong at the agency instead of the 60 employees who are no longer with the agency. In otherwords, don't pull this shit!

Internship: GSD&M Idea City

GSD&M Idea City, located in Austin, Texas has a number of internships in the following disciplines:

• Account Service
• Broadcast Production
• Creative
• Creative Project Management
• Graphic Design
• Marketplace planning
• Media
• New Business
• Public Relations

Full descriptions can be found on their website.

What's not on their website: Their Halloween slideshow from 2005*


*Flickr is by far the best source to scout out what really happens behind closed doors. It's like being a peeping tom, but less peepy.

Interns: Playing the field

Chances are, if you're hunting down an internship, you've probably sent out your resume to 10+ agencies. The first time I applied for an internship I thought of it as a numbers game. In my case, I emailed/called 50 agencies, heard back from three, and got one offer.

So what happens when you get call-backs from multiple agencies. It could happen, right?

Recently, a MAIP semi-finalist asked if they should continue looking for other internships despite being on track to land a very prestigious one (if not, the most prestigious). The answer: Abso-fucking-lutely!

Here's the deal. HR reps understand that all prospects are actively looking for internships. Just because you get a call-back, doesn't mean that the internship is a sure thing (however, you should definitely treat it as one).

This is where the notes section on your spreadsheet will come in handy. Tracking what was said and by whom will help you to avoid making mistakes if you get multiple agencies interested in you - could you imagine if you sent off a list of your favorite Lovemarks(a very Saatchi thing) to TBWA/Chiat/Day? Blasphemy!

The best thing that could happen to you is that you get multiple offers. This is where it will take some skill in leveraging your negotiation skills. For instance, if you get two offers, one paid and the other unpaid, you can make the HR rep of the unpaid internship aware of the compensation you're being offered at the other agency. If they really want you, they'll match it (This would only work if you were given some time to think about the offers - some internships expect you to give a response on the spot).

Be warned! You should have a value associated with each agency/program you're applying to. For example: If you've been offered an internship at Crispin Porter + Bogusky and one at Mom & Pops Ad Schack - you're definitely going not going to tell CP + K that The Shack is offering you a stipend. That would just make you seem like an idiot - right?

Moral of the story: Don't stop looking for internships just because you got a call-back/interview/nice email. Continue looking for the best internship until you've found the best match for you.

Internship: Saatchi & Saatchi LA

Update (2/11/09): The Saatchi LA internship is a no go. Many thanks to the blogger who pointed this out to us. Check out the comments section for the details.

Update (2/10/09): Not sure if Saatchi LA is still looking to fill the internship positions. I'll keep you posted.

Saatchi & Saatchi LA are looking for eight interns in the following departments:

• Media Planning
• Traffic
• Print Production
• Idea Management (Account)
• Interactive (Account, Media)
• Brand Integration (Event Planning)
• Strategic Planning

Check out their full posting on Youintern

Check out the agencies blog as well - you can pick up some insights into the culture of the agency by reading through a handful of the posts - particularly this one

Internship: Draftfcb

Draftfcb (Chicago) is looking for summer interns in the following departments:

• Account Management
• Media
• Planning
• Customer Intelligence
• Events/Sports Marketing
• New Business

The internships are paid ($600/week) - sweet!
Check out their post at Youintern.com for more info.

Below is some work they've done for Oreo's

Interns: Follow New Business

If you're on the look out for an internship at an ad agency, one of my top tips is to follow new business. Case and point: Fallon recently won three, count them 1-2-3, new business pitches over the past three months.

Flashback to a post I wrote a few days ago announcing Fallon's hunt for interns this summer. It's safe to assume that the influx of business has Fallon on the look out for talent.

The moral of the story is to keep your eyes & ears open. New business typically equals a need for new talent, and that dear readers, is where you can snatch up that ad internship you've been looking for. Who knows, you might just make it after all.

Friend or Foe?: Poster Boy Plot Thickens

As an ad person, I should be "uh-uhhhing" and shaking my finger all over the place, but I'm seriously jonesing for Poster Boy. The rumor-mill has started and now we get word that the little boy-that-could is now several boys(and girls) that are. What are the implications if there is a movement of artists who manipulate the advertising that gets pumped down the throats of Manhattanites?



P-boy(s) Work

MAIP Questions: Carmonize is here to help

I've been getting a lot of questions from students who are applying for MAIP 2009. I wanted to provide a forum for you so that you can ask anything that your burning hearts desire. Just know, I in no way represent MAIP or AAAA, but am a 2008 MAIP alum. My responses are purely from my perspective as a student trying to make it into the ad industry.

My background is in account management (with a not-so-secret penchant for planning), so do keep that in mind. If you have questions about any of the other departments, I'll be happy to answer them, but naturally, they will be skewed. In addition to my internship at Campbell Mithun (Minneapolis) through MAIP I have also done an internship at BBH NY in 2007. So feel free to ask some hard hitting questions. I'll do my best to get back to you within a few hours.

Interns: Creating Your Spreadsheet

I've just finished giving two presentations to SJSU's latest batch of ad majors. The consensus: They're keeners.

That's a good thing, because if they want to break into the industry they'll need to poke and prod as much as possible to soak up all the info between now and when they graduate.

After I give a presentation I always walk away learning something about myself. During Monday's presentation I learned that I wasn't just "Lucky."

No dear reader - I worked my ass off. I really fucking did. Here's a list of what I did prior to landing my first internship with BBH NY:

• Applied (and got rejected) to the Vance & Betty Lee Stickell Internship Program. In the process, I put together my first professional resume and found my mentor.
  
• Visited NYC with SJSU's School of Journalism and Mass Communications. While I was there, I visited Deutsch, McCann Erickson, CNN and Good Housekeeping. I talked to people - at the agencies/at bars/on the subway. I always got a card & followed up with them.
  
• I spoke with an Account Planner from RPA that a friend of mine hooked me up with. He was the first person who really gave me an understanding of what planning was and introduced me to Jon Steel's: Truth, Lies and Advertising - aka, The Planners Bible.
• I absorbed as much information from AdAge, Creativity, AdWeek, my professors and anyone else who would give me the time of day.
• I volunteered at The Billy DeFrank GLBT center. I learned how to talk to a wide range of people from what many consider a homogeneous minority. You couldn't be more wrong.
  
• I called/emailed/pleaded with agencies throughout the US for two weeks straight. I would wake up at 5 am and start calling agencies on the East Coast and then work my way west. When I had reached the Pacific Time Zone, I would start over again. In the process I learned how to talk to receptionists, how to leave a voicemail, how to email HR reps, and how to use Excel.

The last bit is what I want to show you. Keeping a spreadsheet of agencies is a great tool for anyone who wants to land an internship (or even an entry-level job). Here's a snapshot of one I did last year (while waiting for MAIP's decision).


So the first thing you'll notice is that there is basic info: Agency name, location, telephone and address. This helps to keep things all in one place and prevents you from hunting websites for general contact info.

The next thing you'll need are columns with your contacts info: Contact name, their direct # and email (also take note of the Initial Date of Contact and how you contacted them). Knowing when you contacted people is imperative to not coming across as annoying but showing that you're persistent.

The next section includes: Feedback and notes. This is the section you use to document the details of your conversations and helps you list your next steps (following what the HR rep asks you to do is imperative to making a good impression). Make sure you document everything you talk about immediately after talking with an HR rep.

That said - get working on your spreadsheet and I'll post something juicy in the next day or two.