@RandallHead

This semester has been brutal, and it has only been a month.  I haven’t been able to dedicate as much time to writing content for this blog, so I’ve been posting photos of artwork and projects.  Hopefully you don’t mind!

I go to school every day and head to work right after class.  I always have at least 2 projects going on simultaneously, and I’m also the president of AdFed and I helped found a portfolio club.  On top of all that, I still have to find time to see my friends and play some Borderlands 2!

I’m super busy, but everything is a lot of fun and I’m learning a lot.  I’ll keep content coming one way or another, but I will be focusing on more text-based content for this blog.  Let me know if you like the art I’ve been posting!

As you may know, I started my internship with Xdesign this week.  I got acquainted with the company and procedures on my first day, and I also got some gifts from my boss.  Some notable items include the latest edition of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! by Luke Sullivan, a copy of Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, 4 Andy Warhol Campbell’s soup cans and some Xdesign condoms.  Yep, we have our own condoms.  They are packaged in the small black packs with the white “X” on them.

I’ve been put on my first project and all I’ll say is we’ve been coming up with the most ridiculous, cheesy cow puns I’ve ever heard.  What could possibly be better than that?

I’ve been super busy with school and work, as well as clubs (AdFed and the Madison Ave. Project), but I am very excited because I know I’m gaining a lot of valuable experience.  I work every day after class, then I usually go to a club meeting before heading to the library to do my homework.  This is definitely the craziest semester I’ve had at LSU.

I’m having a great time at Xdesign and I’m ready to do some great work!  We have some great clients and hopefully I will have a lot of opportunities to be creative.  Here’s to a great senior year! 

As soon as I got back to Baton Rouge, I started looking for a Fall internship.  I want to squeeze as much out of my last year at LSU as I can, so I got in touch with a few local agencies and got hired at XDesign Inc  as a Social Media & Copywriting intern - score!  

What does this mean for the blog?  I’ve decided to keep the dream alive.  I want this blog to chronicle my growth and transition from student to professional.  My first foray into the advertising world with RPA is already here within these pages, and one day I’ll be blogging about my full-time job at whatever agency I can trick into hiring me.

So that’s the (new) plan.  I’ll be blogging about my experience at XDesign, what I learn in my classes, things that LSU AdFed does, and maybe some crazy stuff that happens outside of the advertising world.  I do live in the swamp, you know…

The summer’s coming to an end for me.  My experience at RPA was incredible and only left me wanting more.  I can’t wait to graduate and go to work!  However, that’s not to say I’m not excited for my senior year!

Today I went to LSU to talk to a professor, and afterwards I walked to the union and hung out with a friend for a few hours.  It was move-in day for the incoming freshmen, so I watched a lot of new young faces settling in to their dorms and adventuring through the student union.  Needless to say, I’m excited for another great year.  Perhaps the greatest yet!

This blog was made to chronicle my experience as an intern at RPA.  I have been contacted by numerous people applying to the Fall RPA internship, and became sort of an “internship ambassador” by accident.  I was glad to help them because I knew I would have liked an inside source to chat with when I was applying.

So with this post I am going to refrain from posting to this blog, leaving it as a living record of my experience at RPA.  Maybe one day I’ll work at RPA again and I can pick up where I left off.

If you want to keep up with my shenanigans, I’m starting a new blog called “The Cajun South” that aims to give insight to southern culture in Louisiana, according to an LSU Senior (me).  It’ll be way more personal and is in no way affiliated with RPA. http://cajunsouth.tumblr.com/

Thank you so much for reading about my experiences.  I feel really cool when people read what I write.

-randall

I can’t believe the summer is nearly over for me. I feel like I’ve been working at RPA for a year, but it’s only been two months. I’m probably going to be quite busy during my last week, so I’ve decided to reflect on my experience before it’s officially over.

My internship at RPA has been life changing to say the least. I’d say it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done. I moved across the country with a week’s notice, leaving everything behind to “grab the brass ring” and start my transition to the “real world.”

Since moving to L.A. and starting work, I’ve been a part of many projects that have challenged both my creativity and work ethic. I’ve worked with a diverse group of incredible people at a company with an unmatched culture. Let’s just say this hasn’t been your average summer internship!

What other agency has 48 interns? I was a bit nervous about moving to a new city, but with that many like-minded peers in one place, I was basically guaranteed friends. Not only does RPA boast numbers, but they also genuinely care about their interns. We’re treated like associates – we get real work, are accountable for our actions, and most importantly we are given the same amount of respect as any other employee. Where other company gives interns the opportunity to have lunch with the executives?

The knowledge and experience I’ve gained at RPA will certainly help me in my last year at LSU, but more importantly it will be instrumental in getting a job after graduation.

I’ve got a busy year ahead of me, but all I can think about is coming back to work at an agency. I know the west coast is in my future!

This week we had a class on media planning & buying.  The presentation was split into two parts, so my notes are as well:

Media Planning
 -The process of selecting the best combination of media to deliver your message, given specific budget and marketing parameters.
-What does that mean? Planners decide where to show advertisements to best deliver a message to their target audience.

Some questions to ask when making a media plan:

• Why are we advertising? What’s our objective?
• Who are we targeting?
• Where do we want to advertise?
• When do we want our ads to run?
• What ad space will be available at that time?
• How much money to we have?

Some possible advertising objectives: To create or increase awareness; To drive immediate action; To generate sales quickly; To establish or change a brand’s image; To create buzz; To promote a product or campaign

Target audiences can be determined using demographics, psychographics, product usage stats, and geography.

Timing of ads can be affected by product availability, seasonal sales skews, purchase cycles, competitive activity and promotional events

The biggest challenge of making a media plan is deciding on the right media mix.  Which media should you use? Combine old with new.

Old: TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, online
New: Mobile, tablet, social media, location based

Local Media Buying
-The purchase of local tv, cable and radio on a market by market basis.

 Local media is purchased when specific markets need to be reached.  For example, a “heavy up” may be requested in a key market as a companion to a national campaign.

Local media covers specific markets 
-Local is cheaper than national; if you don’t need to reach everyone, only reach who you need
-geographically relevant content can focus on local news, sports and events/
-you can tailor your message to each specific market

Are these career options good for you?

Some qualities you need: good communication skills, analytic, logic, organized, attention to detail, good with basic math, excel skills, creativity

You also need to be a good negotiator if you’re in buying! Sometimes you can work with stations to get better prices.

As a final note, it helps to go into media buying first and then into planning, because you will have a better understanding of your target markets and the stations you will be buying from, and therefore will be able to put together a more effective media plan

The classroom is not always the best place to learn about the real world.  Most of the time you’re just half-assing assignments and staring at all the beautiful girls you go to school with (unless you’re in a hard-science major. Sorry bud). 

So how do you prepare yourself for a grown-up job? Internships… Word on the street is that experience is only becoming more important.  An internship is your chance to learn and gain the experience that will make you an attractive hire. But you already know this.

So let’s say you took advantage of that knowledge and got a rad summer internship.  What do you need to know?  Here are a few of the most important tips I have after a week at my internship at an ad agency:

• Do everything.  Don’t pass up an opportunity to meet someone or go somewhere with people you work with.  Happy hour? Trivia night? Some random meeting? Do it.  You’ll meet a lot of important people.
• Maintain relationships.  That creative director you met at the bar last night? Stop by and say hello! Hopefully you remember his name… You never know who will take an interest in you, just show some initiative.  Networking, need I say more?
• Take full advantage.  Not just of any sweet perks you’re offered. Work hard, finish your assignments, then ask for more.  Learn as much as you can, ask questions and offer input.  They know you’re an intern, don’t be afraid to act like one.
• YOUR JOB IS TO MAKE YOUR BOSS’ JOB EASIER!  Whether you like the sound of that or not, it’s definitely true.  Companies wouldn’t hire extra people if they could handle all the work they have already.  Be your boss’ third (and possibly fourth) hand.  I’m not saying get him coffee.  Just do your work well and in a timely manner.  Meet with him to review your work, and follow any advice(criticism) you’re given.  Always ask for more work. Be awesome.
• ALWAYS carry a pen and something to write on!  You’ll get overwhelmed quickly if you don’t keep some sort of to-do list.  I also like writing my assignments out before typing them up, because I can make edits easily and take notes as my boss offers critiques.  Also good for brainstorming sessions…
• Be best friends with the other interns.  Especially the ones you work the closest with.  I’m lucky enough to work in a shared cube with 4 other awesome interns.  I have someone to eat lunch with every day, people to tell me where the bathroom is (because I’m still getting lost at RPA…), and people to offer me advice.  Plus they are probably just as awesome as you.
• Have Fun!  As cheesy as this is… it’s important. You have the freedom to explore and learn.  As an intern, you aren’t expected to know everything or be perfect.  Take time to meet people, experience new things and just enjoy yourself.  

I’m trying to live by these “rules,” and so far I’m having a great time!  I’ve learned a lot, met a bunch of people and I’ve been working on a lot of projects.  Hopefully you get the chance to try these things out, and they make a difference for you.  It’s always nice to have someone tell you what they wish they knew on day one!