One of my new favorite sites is Mixergy.com. It’s kind of like One Day, One Internship for entrepreneurs. Nearly every day, Andrew Warner, the founder, does a video chat/interview with an entrepreneur. It’s a fantastic educational tool for aspiring entrepreneurs, and it’s also a pretty decent job search resource. One of the interviews that I watched recently was with Alex Algard, the founder of White Pages. He tells the story of how he started the Seattle, WA based company as a student with an initial $1,100 investment. White Pages is now a $57 million per year business. What do they do? They help people find people online. How have they made it so profitable? They’ve worked with the right advertisers from the start. Continue reading about White Pages…
I hope the title of today’s post didn’t make you hungry, because we’re not talking about internships in organic food. Organic is a San Francisco based interactive marketing agency with a brand that has gained a lot of keyword competition over the past 16 years. Yes, people were eating organic back in 1994, but the word wasn’t nearly as common as it is today. Doing research on Organic is tough because the organic search results (excuse my SEO pun) have all kinds of other stuff in them (at least they own Organic.com). Either Google needs to get inside my head to discern my intent, or Organic is going to have to hope that artificial packaged, processed foods go back in vogue. Ok, enough of my ripping on their name—Organic was ranked by AdWeek as the #1 interactive agency in 2007. That fits in perfectly with my impression of Organic from browsing their website and looking at their work. In fact, I’m blown away by how good Organic’s website is. It’s easy to use, it’s full of information, and it’s gorgeously designed. Their corporate mantra is “Exceptional Experience,” and they certainly live up to it. Continue reading about Organic…
I’m always amazed with the diversity of the non-profits that I come across. Yes, there is a lot of redundancy in the non-profit world, but I swear that you can find an organization for every idea, interest group, and cause. Take Advertising Research Foundation for example. They are a New York City based organization that aims “to improve the practice of advertising, marketing and media research in pursuit of more effective marketing and advertising communications.” They bring together people from all areas of marketing to promote collaboration and the open exchange of ideas. The ARF (as they’re often called) spends significant resources on developing new research and publishing it in the Journal of Advertising Research. They also put on all kinds of events and run councils on a variety of different advertising niches. Continue reading about Advertising Research Foundation…
I’m not sure if it’s a trend yet, but it seems that more and more creative/interactive agencies are moving away from client work and spending more time developing products. 37signals used to be a web design agency, and now they develop web-based applications that help people get things done. Brooklyn, NY based AD:60 appears to be taking a similar path. They’re still putting a strong emphasis on their client work, but they also seem to have a lot of interest in developing their own products. The agency’s offerings include Web Design, Website Development, Mobile Technology, Marketing & Advertising, and Consulting, while their current internal projects include MyBankTracker.com and BankTwitter.com. Continue reading about AD:60…
A lot of people find it ironic that I put an end to my job search by starting a company that helps other people with their job searches. I’ll admit that it’s a bit odd, but it seems to be working out pretty well. Maybe you’ll do something similar by starting your career with an internship at a job-search focused company like Mountain View, CA based LinkedIn. There are plenty of other companies trying to build professional social networks and online résumé sites, but none of them seem to have any hope competing with LinkedIn. LinkedIn reached critical mass first, and that’s why they’re one of my favorite online job search tools. Not only do they allow you to visualize your own professional network to see whom you’re connected to, but they also let you browse through the networks of different companies to learn more about their organizational structure. Where else can you get access to the résumé (which includes where they interned) of someone whose job you want to have five years down the road? LinkedIn is an amazing tool for smart job and internship seekers, and it’s also an amazing business—they’ve been profitable for nearly three years (which is impressive for a startup of their size and scope). Continue reading about LinkedIn…
Much to my girlfriend’s chagrin, I love watching fishing shows. I’d rather be out on the water, but when I’m trapped on the 30th floor in the middle of downtown Chicago and it’s -15 outside, there aren’t many other options. Unfortunately, ESPN has cut back on their fishing programming, and that doesn’t leave me with any other options on my cable package. If only we got Sportsman Channel, then I’d be much happier. They are “the only television network providing 100 percent hunting, shooting and fishing programming.” Unlike some other outdoor focused networks, they’re staying true to what they are instead of watering down their programming in hopes of better ratings. I haven’t had a chance to watch any of their programming, but I’m sure I’d like it. Sportsman Channel is based in New Berlin, WI, and they also have locations in New York, Denver, and Atlanta. Continue reading about Sportsman Channel…
The future of marketing and media is getting more results based, and that trend is going to continue as tracking technology progresses. Some people think that means that branding campaigns are a dying breed, but the folks at Undertone Networks would strongly disagree. They are a New York City based online advertising network that is helping Fortune 500 companies move their branding campaigns online. The trouble with doing this is that controlling your brand online is much more difficult than controlling it on tv, radio, or in print. That’s why Undertone Networks has developed an ad network that offers “Fortune 500 marketers an ad network where they [can] confidently and safely market their products and services without having to compromise their brand.” Continue reading about Undertone Networks…
When it comes to company names, I’ve seen a lot of things—all lowercase, weird characters separating two names, all caps, odd uses of numbers, and much more; however, today I’ve come across a first. ‘peeps creative is a company whose name starts with an apostrophe (as you have probably already noticed). It’s pretty unusual, but I guess it’s the kind of thing that you should expect from a creative firm. ‘peeps creative is based in Akron, OH, and they “build meaningful and demonstrably profitable marketing initiatives in the digital and traditional spaces.” They’re all about innovation and spotting trends, as long as it helps them deliver “high-end brand experiences.” Continue reading about ‘peeps creative…
Want a crappy job? You’re in luck. Today I came across WhatACrappyJob.com, which is actually the internship site for Bozell, a Omaha, NE based full-service public relations and advertising agency. There’s nothing extraordinarily special about the site beyond the domain name, but it’s well designed and informative, which is rare when it comes to Careers websites. I guess that’s what you should expect from the agency behind the “Got Milk?” mustache campaign and the “Pork. The Other White Meat.” slogan. Bozell’s history includes quite a few mergers, acquisitions, and buybacks. As of 2001 Bozell has moved away from Wall Street and returned to it roots as “an independent, client-focused, employee-owned agency.” They have an impressive portfolio of work and seem like a pretty cool place to work. Continue reading about Bozell…
As a Yankees fan I am obliged to hate anything and everything related to the Red Sox—and even Boston sports in general. That’s why it pains me to cover NESN (New England Sports Network) today. They’re one of the most successful regional sports networks (RSNs) in the country ratings-wise (#1 for 6 straight years), and they do it in the 7th biggest media market. NESN is jointly owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins, whom they cover along with the Celtics, Patriots, and plenty of local college teams. They were launched in 1984, which makes Watertown, MA based NESN one of the oldest RSNs in the country, and they now reach more than 4 million homes. I still don’t understand why anyone would want to watch Boston sports on tv. Continue reading about NESN…
I have to admit that I pretty much stopped watching local news after going to school and living in Central New York for four years. I swear that every night the news would come on at 11 PM, and there would be a new crew reporting live from a barn that caught on fire. Here in Chicago it’s more likely to be a shooting or possibly some government corruption. I’m sure that your area has its own regular story. Usually I like to talk about how the Internet is kicking traditional media’s butt, but that hasn’t been true when it comes to local stuff. TV and newspapers still own the local market, which is why NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago would be pretty cool places to intern. (Telemundo is a local network much like NBC 5 Chicago, but it’s tailored to a Spanish speaking audience.)They’re still the place to go for local news (whether it’s on the web or on the tube). Continue reading about NBC and Telemundo Chicago…
Product placement started out as a secret. Companies realized that they could pay to get their products featured in books, television shows, and movies, so they did. And we, the viewers, assumed that these products were included for editorial reasons. At some point we got smart and realized what was going on. It didn’t really change much, but we became a little more skeptical. Now product placement is assumed. If someone is promoting something, you take for granted that they’re getting paid for it. Delivery Agent is a San Franciso based company that realized this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They’re taking product placement to the next level with a level of integration that we’ve never seen before. They call this “shopping-enabled entertainment.” When you see Dwight Schrute wearing a great looking shirt on The Office—ok, bad example—when you see a beautiful necklace on Gossip Girl, you can go to the show’s website and check out the “Seen On” section for more information how to buy the necklace. There’s also SeenON.com, which aggregates the information from all of Delivery Agent’s clients and makes it easy to “shop by show” or “shop by celeb.” Continue reading about Delivery Agent…
You know you love tv commercials—at least good ones. Who doesn’t? They’re an art form. Just as much creative energy goes into the advertisements that pay for the shows you watch as goes into the actual shows. Well… not always, but often enough. How else are the advertisers going to keep you from ignoring their marketing messages? If you’ve ever wondered what the behind the scenes of creating television commercials looks like, you should check out Pogo Pictures. They’re “an Atlanta based film production company specializing in image branding & television commercial production.” They represent 4 award winning directors who have shot commercials for names like Bank of America, ACE Hardware, Ford, AT&T, Publix, Verizon, Kraft, Coke, Breyers, Comcast, Coca-Cola, SunTrust and Chevron. They’ve also worked with Departments of Tourism in many states and done commercials all across the world. Continue reading about Pogo Pictures…
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Be sure to scroll down for an addendum to this post.
Programs! GET YA PROGRAMS HERE! You can’t go to a major sporting event without hearing that ring across the crowd. I’m not typically one to buy a program, especially now that I can look up anything important (like up to the minute stats) on my phone, but I realize that for a lot of people it’s about having the memento. New York City’s Professional Sports Publications and University Sports Publications (different names but essentially the same company) are in the business of publishing these mementos. They are respectively the leading publisher of professional souvenir magazines and yearbooks and college souvenir magazines and yearbooks. PSP Sports is also the publisher of the official NBA magazine HOOP. Continue reading about Professional Sports Publications…
It’s hard to imagine that a film production company could morph into “a holistic interactive agency built for a digital world;” however, that’s exactly what New York City’s R/GA has done. Now, film production and advertising aren’t all that different, but it’s still a big psychological leap from one to the other. Moreover, not many companies are willing to take a huge risk and move where innovation takes them. R/GA embraces change. They’re also really freakin’ good at what they do. Their clients include Nike, Verizon, IBM, Target, Bank of America, and a bunch of other extremely well known companies. They also have the best corporate website built in Flash that I’ve ever seen. Everything about it works—I can actually give you links to specific pages. Beyond that, the site does a fantastic job of presenting R/GA’s brand. It’s packed with information and has fantastic videos (they obviously haven’t abandoned film production completely).
Everything that I’ve come across related to R/GA has impressed me. Their website. Their client list. Their portfolio. And even their Jobs page (powered by Jobvite—ok, I can’t link directly to the jobs, but the site is still very easy to use). Oh yeah, and don’t forget R/GA University. It’s R/GA’s take on continuing education for employees, and it includes six pillars: Professional Development, Industry Trends, Leadership Development, Inside R/GA, R/GA and You, and Work + Life Balance. They “believe that the broad base of courses piques curiosity and encourages people to try new things. And ultimately makes people more well rounded and better at their jobs.” Sounds like a great place to intern and learn on the job, huh? The only thing that disappointed me about R/GA is that they don’t have an internships page. They definitely have an internship program (proof: here, here, and here). I’m not sure if they take Fall interns, but they seem to offer paid internships in all kinds of different areas. Your best bet to find out more might just be submitting a resume through their Jobs page and seeing what happens (or you could always try LinkedIn for some networking).
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
Are you impressed with R/GA?
I’ve never really understood the idea of the “Summer Blockbuster.” Why would you want to sit inside and watch a movie when it’s nice and hot outside? I guess sometimes it gets too hot, and sometimes it rains, but I’d rather be outside. If you disagree with me, then you’re probably a big fan of Culver City, CA’s Sony Pictures. They’re in the business of producing, marketing, and distributing entertainment, and you’re probably familiar with some of their recent an upcoming releases like: Julie and Julia, Angels & Demons, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. They’re also responsible for Seinfeld. Since I’m not much of a movie buff, I don’t know if anyone actually cares what production house puts out a movie, but I do know that Sony Pictures’ end products seem to pretty darn good—they even made my favorite movie (about the outdoors, obviously), A River Runs Through It. Continue reading about Sony Pictures…
We’ve featured quite a few integrated integrated marketing agencies in the past, but I’m not sure that we’ve ever actually talked about what integrated marketing is. According to Wikipedia (original reference has a dead link), integrated marketing communications is “a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time.” That sounds desirable, but how do you accomplish that? You either do it all yourself, or you hire an agency that does it all. It’s really hard to to accomplish integrated marketing when you have one agency doing PR, another doing TV ads, and another doing interactive. Greenville, SC based Erwin-Penland is an agency that does it all—interactive, public relations, direct mail, event planning, advertising, strategic planning, and media—and they don’t farm any of it out to freelancers or other agencies. Continue reading about Erwin-Penland…
Sometimes I don’t completely get advertising. Take McDonald’s for example. How many people in the US have never heard of McDonald’s? Not many. So what’s the point in advertising? Maybe you can convince some more people to come in to buy off of the Dollar Menu or get more kids to beg their parents to buy them a happy meal, but it seems like McDonald’s would be just fine without any advertising at all. That’s something that the folks at Dallas’ Moroch will disagree with strongly because they are an ad agency that happens to do a lot of work with McDonald’s. And since Moroch’s About page says that they’re really all about helping their clients make more money (usually through advertising), I’m going to take a wager that all of the Mickey D’s advertising that you see has a significant effect on the bottom line. Beyond McDonald’s, Moroch also works with huge brands like Verizon, Walt Disney Pictures, Monster (yuck), and Make-A-Wish. That may sound cushy, but that means that there’s always a constant pressure to deliver spectacular results. Continue reading about Moroch…
Considering that we covered some PR/Communications internships yesterday, the name of today’s company may make it seem like we’re not providing you with variety. That’s not true at all. Fisher Communications is not a PR firm. They’re “a Seattle-based communications company that owns or manages 13 full power, 7 low power television stations and 8 radio stations.” When they say communications, they mean over radio signals. If you’ve always wanted a career in tv or radio, you probably know that it’s best to start local. If you can land an internship at a major national network, that’s great, but it isn’t easy. It’s not like getting an internship with a local company like Fisher Communications is easy either, but it’s definitely more attainable. Continue reading about Fisher Communications…
One thing that I’ve learned as I’ve become more familiar with the world of online marketing is that some of the most annoying tactics are some of the biggest money makers. In online marketing everything is about results. If you’re making money, you’re succeeding—even if the large majority of people hate the way you’re doing it. Kontera is a perfect example of this. They’re a San Francisco based online advertising company that “delivers the most relevant In-Text Advertising & Related Information solutions online.” What that means is that webmasters can insert Kontera’s code on their site, and it will automatically create links from the text on their web pages to targeted advertisements. I’m sure that you’ve seen it on the web before, and it probably annoyed you. Still, it works. Kontera is growing at a great rate, and they just secured $15.5 million in additional funding in a round led by one of the most prestigious venture capital firms in the world, Sequoia Capital. Continue reading about Kontera…
I used to be really into music; in fact, my first web based business was running a music fan site. I devoured information on the music industry and read a good mix of magazines and web publications. I don’t think I ever picked up a copy of Spin Magazine, but that’s because I was more focused on reading Hip Hop specific music magazines. Spin takes a broader approach, as they “survey the modern musical landscape and the culture around it with authoritative reporting, provocative interviews, and a discerning critical ear.” Now we all know that music industry and the magazine industry are both suffering through some major tribulations, and Spin is no exception. They seem to have gone through some layoffs just a few weeks ago, but that means that you’ll be taking on even more responsibility as an intern (hey, we have to look at the bright side). Continue reading about Spin Magazine…
“Go Local” is a pretty common buzz phrase these days. You’re supposed to eat local, shop local, and even study local. To some people this is a new idea, but businesses like Travers Collins & Company have been focusing on working locally for a long time (in their case since 1995). They saw a void in the Buffalo, NY area when it came to advertising, public relations, interactive and investor relations, so they filled it. Judging from the number of times “Buffalo” shows up on their client list, that seems to have been a smart move. They’re now “one of Buffalo-Niagara’s largest locally owned and operated integrated marketing communications firms,” as they have more than 40 employees. Continue reading about Travers Collins & Company…
The world of media is getting confusing. You’ve got marketing, PR, advertising, communications, social media, and plenty of other areas that are escaping me right now, and they’re all converging. The lines are getting blurred between each of these practices, and that means that media strategies need to be tighter. That’s what True Media is all about. They area Columbia, MO based, independent, full-service media strategy and communications company, and they operate with a “media neutral belief combined with a holistic integration of social media, PR, interactive and traditional advertising.” It may sound like a lot of jargon, but what it really comes down to is delivering measurable results for clients, and that’s what True Media does. Continue reading about True Media…
I know just what you’re thinking right now! “I don’t get advertised to enough.” (If you’re really thinking that, why don’t you check out our job search prep course that will teach you how to get an internship faster?) Ok, so that’s not really what you’re thinking, but it’s what the guys at Boston based Amp Idea are thinking. They think that online advertising has developed some amazing ideas, while outdoor advertising (and other similar mediums) have lost their effectiveness. They want to bridge that gap through things like Taxi Interactive Screens, Hotel Tourist GPS, Tabletop Restaurants, and Limo and Bus interactive devices. We’ve already checked out a company called Captivate Network that is doing this kind of thing in elevators, so it seems as though there is a lot of room for growth in “digital advertising in the out of home space for business owners.” Continue reading about Amp Idea…
More and more often, I’m hearing from people whom I haven’t heard from in a long time. The e-mail usually goes something like this: “I was just looking around online for summer interns, came across your site and then realized it was you!” A few weeks ago, the guy who e-mailed me was friend from high school whom I hadn’t seen in probably 8 years (that makes me sound old). He’s living in New York City and is part of a very early stage startup called LiveIntent that needs interns. They’re focused on “helping advertisers to unlock Twitter as a channel for advertising and customer acquisition,” which sounds like a pretty smart thing to be doing these days. I don’t have much more on what the company is all about, because they really are that new. Continue reading about LiveIntent…
I’ve done it. I’ve found the most ridiculous looking corporate website on the web. It has an animated moving background and multiple bouncing balloon/blimp logos that make it look like it’s straight out of the Imagination Land episode of South Park. It may be a little hokey, but it works for Niles, IL (right outside of Chicago) based The Bradford Group because they’re in the collectibles industry. Their customers aren’t concerned with flash and edginess, they’re all about sentimentality. When you’ve been doing direct marketing of collector plates, music boxes, and all kinds of commemorative items for 36 years, you probably know your audience. So, even though The Bradford Group’s web design leaves me laughing out loud, I’m not going to sell them short based on my taste as a non-collector. (And if you totally disagree with me and love the design, you can make it your computer’s background.) Continue reading about The Bradford Group…
I love simplicity. I also appreciate singularity. You know… One Day, One Internship. There’s so much clutter these days that it can become really hard to focus. I’m sure that you’re seeing it in your internship search, and you’re probably wondering why companies just keep layering on more complexity to what they do. If so, then you’re in good company. Mono is a Minneapolis, MN based branding, advertising, and design agency that is all about simplicity. They think that putting smart, innovative people on client projects is the key to great branding. That’s it. I like it. And so do their clients (it’s an impressive list). Continue reading about Mono…
When it comes to agencies in Marketing/Advertising/PR/etc., it’s hard for job seekers to differentiate between all of the players. Most are award winning. Most have great looking portfolios. And most claim to be the best at what they do whether they have a target niche or not. The best way for you to differentiate between these agencies is to do research. Talk to people. Look at their work closely and see if it’s the kind of stuff you want to do. Read the industry news. Give it a try! And you can start with McKinney | Chicago. They’re a Chicago (duh) based “full-service, business branding and marketing communications agency specializing in bringing companies and customers together through an integrated approach.” Continue reading about McKinney | Chicago…
Do you have a short attentions span? Too short to spend an entire summer interning with a single company? Ok, that’s probably not something that you’d usually want to admit to, but it might be ok just this once. Colaboratory is an Portland, OR internship program that allows you to work at 3 different companies over the course of the summer. It’s a collaboration of ad agencies (members of the Portland Ad Federation) that otherwise might be competitors in an effort “to make each other better and, by doing so, make Portland a better place to live, work and grow.” There are supposed to be 10 companies participating, but I only count 9 on the Partner Agencies page. They include The New Group, Grady Britton, Ascentium, Anvil, HMH, Fish Marketing, Leopold Ketel & Partners, Xhang Creative, and Pop Art. This is one of the cooler things that I’ve come across since I started looking at dozens of internships every day, so you should really keep reading. Continue reading about Colaboratory…
I really wanted to play a gag on you this year. I wanted to post a ridiculous sounding internship with a ridiculous application process, but I couldn’t bring myself to have fun at your cost. The job search is stressful enough. You don’t need someone messing with you even if you should know better than to believe anything that you read on April 1st. It’s going to be hard to top last year’s April Fools’ Day internships with Motley Fool, and unfortunately I wasn’t smart enough to save internships with The Onion for today, so we’re going to go with CollegeHumor, which “was founded in 1999 by two high school friends from Baltimore, Maryland who went to different colleges as a way to share all of the pictures, videos, and links their friends would IM and e-mail each other.” Somehow, a completely childish and immature website turned into a real media company over the past 10 years; in fact, IAC recently bought a majority share in CollegeHumor’s parent company. College, just like April Fools’ Day, is a time to have fun – often at the expense of others. I guess it makes sense that CollegeHumor, now based in New York City, has become a real business, with real employees, and real unpaid interns (ok, you don’t need to be a real business to have those). Continue reading about CollegeHumor…
