From improving a resume to gaining real-world job experience, interning is a vital stepping stone in every career. In fact, research reveals a clear connection between internship experience and job prospects. However, great work experience doesn’t just happen–it takes nurturing and time from managers and peers.
Marketing/Biz Dev
Christina Siekierski (NY): What was your favorite project to work on?
My favorite summer project was auditing Simply Smarter, Siegel+Gale’s newsletter. I researched the newsletters and translated my findings into actionable solutions. It was my favorite project because I was able to research best in class newsletters and analyze the results to develop a strategy that will benefit the company.
Elizabeth Willard (NY): What did you learn about the branding industry that you found interesting?
I learned that most branding agencies work across the globe. I was able to collaborate on a variety of projects with my fellow interns in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Working with different offices allowed us to celebrate our similarities, while embracing our differences.
Branding agencies are configured like a puzzle. When you assemble the pieces, you can finally see the full picture. Collaboration and communication allow our different practices to work together seamlessly.
Ellen Harkin (NY): What surprised you about working in marketing/ business development?
I really enjoyed the collaborative approach taken by the marketing and business development departments. I contributed to many different projects for both teams. No two days were the same, and it made my workstreams varied and exciting!
Nicole Koman (LA): What was the most interesting experience you had in your role this summer?
I loved creating the LA Day in the Life of an Intern Instagram story. I captured videos and photos of the LA office and employees. This project was a bicoastal collaboration. This allowed me to express how unique my experience was, while also seeing the parallels between all of the interns.
Naming
Martha Trevail (NY): What three words would you use to describe the process of naming a new product or service?
Unpredictable, unexpected and introspective.
Emma Gibson (SF): What three words would you use to describe the process of naming a new product or service?
Challenging, stimulating and (oh so) rewarding
Brand Communication
Elizabeth Beymer (NY): What surprised you about working in brand communication?
Working in the brand communication department made me hyper-aware of the discipline that goes into each word we see out in the world. Whether it be a short piece of copy or a brand manifesto, there’s a stunning craft that goes into developing these messages.
Julia Rubien (LA): Favorite project to work on?
It was incredibly fun to write for a client that solves the world’s toughest challenges and believes anything is possible!
Business Analytics & Insights
Michelle Morgenthal (NY): Will you think of research differently after your internship, if so, how?
I realized that research plants the seeds in the branding process. I realized, when working alongside different departments, that nearly all work stems from the initial research uncovered by the Insights department.
Avijit Singh Nalwa (LA): What was the toughest part of your role this summer?
The toughest part of my role this summer was distilling information into digestible and actionable findings and opportunities. The depth and variety of knowledge we were able to capture alongside the process of engineering new methodologies made research this summer really exciting.
Strategy
Arjun Sahdev (NY): How do you describe your job to your friends and family?
My instinct is to describe myself as a brand doctor. Much of the client work consisted of diagnosing brand inconsistencies and providing recommendations on how to elevate unique brand strengths, in order to create a strong brand that delivers a simple yet memorable experience.
Kara Dixon (NY): What was the most interesting experience you had in your role this summer?
The most interesting experience was working on a project for a multinational software corporation. I distilled key insights from reports, captured compelling trends and market forces that impact brand ranking, analyzed competitors and disruptor brands in the industry, and described why categories are growing or declining in value.
Sydney Harder (SF): What was your favorite project to work on?
I had the opportunity to conduct an audit and deliver my findings directly to the client. I learned how to tell stories in a simple, clear, and relatable way. This invaluable skill is something I can apply throughout my career.
Liza Katsman (LA): What did you learn about the branding industry that you found interesting?
I really understood what a challenge it is for many branding professionals to rally executive leadership around the importance of brand. This can create huge hurdles of implementation for fantastic ideas or plans that we as consultants create.
Account Management
Emily Wong (NY): What was the toughest part of your role this summer?
Time Zones. Part of my role this summer was learning how to manage the bicoastal intern project! It was a great lesson learning to work with different people, schedules, and ensuring that we delivered the best outcome in a short timeframe.
Vanessa Waerstad (LA): What was your favorite thing about being on the account management team?
Being able to get an insight into the workstreams of so many different teams. You definitely get a unique perspective on how each team works, what they do, and the deliverables they create.
Design
Mohammed Labban (NY): Favorite project to work on and why?
I worked with the design team to help craft a new identity for a financial services company. I learned a lot about how a system develops and what it needs to work. I enjoyed the collaboration between different departments to produce the final identity system.
Saif Khawaja (NY): Favorite project to work on and why?
A particular consumer products company had great malleability of direction and were friendly clients. They came to us looking for a complete overhaul and I got to see the entire process unfold during my internship.
Hannah Rizza (SF): Favorite project to work on and why?
I supported my team in augmenting a brand’s identity system. Everyone was eager to improve the brand from every possible touchpoint. I feel lucky to have contributed to a brand that has so much incredible history.
Employee Engagement
Micael Lonergan (NY): Is there one key aspect to engaging employees? If so, what is it?
Creating a conducive internal brand culture rests on a ton of different factors that should be prioritized differently based on the specific client.
Human Resources
Cristina Ciccone (NY): What was your biggest takeaway from working alongside the HR team this summer?
I was able to touch upon the different roles that go into making a collaborative HR team. I was able to experience all that HR does for the rest of the company and its employees. This summer confirmed that I want to pursue a career in HR.
Experience
Eva Philips (NY): What is journey mapping and what role did it play in your role?
Journey mapping acts as a useful tool for a wide range of purposes. Current state journey maps determine what a client is doing well and where there is room for experience improvement, while future state journey maps are recommendations for the future experience. I always referred back to the journey maps we created in order to ensure my work addressed the client’s and project’s needs.
Heidi Chu (NY): What was your favorite project to work on?
The most exciting project I worked on was building out a microsite for 80,000 employees. We had to create a series of wireframes for the microsite while simultaneously taking client feedback into account. I learned how to organize content for multiple categories and work with a variety of teams and skillsets.