People say in business recruitment that it’s not what you know but who you know; in my experience that statement couldn’t have been anything more than the truth. After finishing my 2nd term at university studying food marketing management, I wanted to make the most of my Easter holidays gaining some valuable experience within the marketing and PR industry. My dad then suggested apt to me (his current marketing and pr agency), which I welcomed with open arms. After a lovely phone call with soon to be boss Angie, I was on my way for a 2 week marketing internship.
After being used to waking up no earlier than 10am as a student, it came as a bit of a shock being woken up at 7:30am. However, I quickly got suited and booted and was on the doorstep of apt by 8:45am. Well I say doorstep, I ended up at the wrong door, DUH! Then a lovely lady called Kalli came to my rescue and walked me into the right direction. Kalli only happened to become one of the most influential figures in my 2 week experience, guiding me through my projects.
So, after a bamboozling 3 hour Monday morning meeting with copious amounts of tea, I still only had a vague Idea of what I was meant to be doing. Then came the hour when I was given the freedom to roam; as I was only there for a short period of time it was about getting stuck into everything. After a chat with Victoria, we established I wanted to pursue marketing criteria but also a recent hobby of mine - blogging. I’ve always been a more creative-minded person but never thought I’d be academic enough for blogging. During my time at apt I managed to fulfil my ambition by taking my first baby steps on the creative writing platform. I began to learn the apt blog writing style and quickly adapted my skillset to suit the blog; more than anything it was about gaining self-confidence in my writing and finding an interesting way to tell a story or piece of news. In a short two week period, I managed to write five blogs with my absolute favourite being the April Fools Awards ceremony. Since my internship, I’ve reflected on my work with apt and decided to create my own blog.
“So did you actually do any marketing Chris?” I hear you ask. Well, over the course of the 2 weeks I was set two projects that involved principles of marketing; raising consumer awareness of a specific event or company. As a group we were set the task of generating promotional ideas for Lakefest 2013, a local music and water-sports festival which was taking place this summer. During this task I had to quickly gain an understanding of the company, target market and the location of this market; I was also set the individual task of bringing all the team’s ideas together to create a marketing strategy, one that would be later presented to the clients. I really enjoyed this part of the project because it let me use my analytical skills to create a suitable 2000 word marketing strategy for the client. My only regret is that I couldn’t be there long enough to see the whole project through.
My other project was creating a video advertisement for another one of apt’s clients, Create Great, allowing me bring out my creative side. I was set the task of creating a number of storyboard ideas that I would have to present to Angela at the end of the week. I’d done a similar thing for one of my university assignments so had a fair idea of what to do. It was just a great experience to finally do it in the “real world”.
One of my most educating experiences that came during my internship came about spontaneously. In my second week I was asked to take “lecture notes” for the group on contemporary trends in marketing. After 2 years of taking lectures notes at university I thought I was more than competent at this task. I then plugged in my headphones; got my notepad at the ready and the 30 minute information blast began. I came out of and found that it was one of the most inspiring webinars I’d listened to and it really helped expand my knowledge of trends in marketing. After digesting it all, I finally decided upon writing a blog which you can view on the apt blog.
So, because I’ve bored you guys to death, I’d just like to say a huge thank you to all the staff at apt who gave me a fantastic experience within their organisation. I’ve learnt some invaluable skills that have enhanced my personal development and me as a brand.The knowledge that I gained in just a 2 week period was incredible and that’s a credit to everyone at apt. Thank you!