One of the things I was most excited about when I started working here was seeing the inside of an advertising agency. While I knew my way around social media pretty well, I had zero agency experience. I was eager to see how the entire machine worked, not just the Push-n-Pull side of things. Since then, I’ve developed an understanding of the nuts and bolts of a full-service agency such as this one.
Along the way, I’ve discovered that while I really love word of mouth marketing, I definitely have an interest in traditional marketing and advertising, too. I always look forward to the chance to step outside of the web world for a bit and join in on brainstorm meetings. Even though the conversation may not to have a lot to do with the exact work I’m doing or campaign I’m implementing, hearing what the other departments are working on and giving them feedback helps me understand the client’s “big picture”. By just observing my colleagues doing what they do best, whether that be creative direction or account management, I’m learning about marketing, period, not just the social media part.
It’s pretty sweet that I work at the kind of place where I get to carry out new media projects but also dabble in the traditional side, too. Good advertising means that each part – creative, copy, online, offline – complements the other, so experience with the fundamentals of marketing is great context for the WOM I’m doing; it helps me do my job better.
