Frederick Swanston- Big agency experience with little agency attention.

As both a PR and an advertising major, sometimes it is hard for me to differentiate the two because so much of what we learn in each concentration is applicable to the other. Two weeks ago, I got to see how a PR agency runs and the types of things they do daily. Last week, I took the shadowing experience a step further and visited an advertising agency to see what they are all about.

The agency that I chose to visit was Frederick Swanston, located in Alpharetta, Georgia. I was assigned to shadow two account executives on the team, Amy and Robyn. I got to see the types of accounts they work on and how they do an ad campaign from initial contact with the client to the end result. They even showed me the computer programs and ways of storing files on a company-wide database that make it easy to keep all the information on an account organized and available to anyone in any department. I got to meet with various people in the office and talk to them for a few minutes to see what their particular jobs within the agency are. I met a few creative directors who handle the art and copywriting aspects of a campaign. I also got to meet the woman who handles most of the online web design advertising for various clients. I got to sit in on a conference call with her and Amy, as they spoke with one of their clients, Veriphone, about a new homepage design that had been developed. It was interesting to see the interaction between client and designer and how they walk through a printed out format of the site together in order to approve and/or make changes to the product.

My experience at the ad agency helped me to see how PR and ad agencies are similar in many ways, but very unique in others. They both work closely with various accounts and have similar job positions to maintain organization and structure in the office. There are obvious differences, however, in a paid advertising campaign and a PR campaign. I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to witness both sides of the spectrum and be able to compare my two concentrations from these experiences.

PRSSA Shadow Day at Porter Novelli

The GCSU PRSSA chapter offered a special opportunity to students last week when we got to participate in Shadow Day in Atlanta. We selected our order of preference for agency, corporate, and nonprofit PR, and I was assigned to Porter Novelli, a prestigious PR agency known worldwide. When we arrived, we were shown to a conference room and we met some of the top professionals in the Atlanta office. We first met Tia Jackson, the HR manager, and Katherine Mason, the Account Executive. They introduced us to the agency and gave us a basic overview of what is done there. We then were welcomed by Jana Thomas, Senior VP, who talked further about how Porter Novelli is a great company to work for. Jack Newton, Vice President, then introduced himself and presented "Social Media in Today's Marketing Mix," in which we learned how PR and social media go hand in hand. We learned the difference between participatory social media, such as Facebook, in which companies can take part in conversations and interaction with customers. There is also search engine optimization, in which PR agencies can help clients move up the list on search engines such as Bing or Google when people search a particular topic. He also talked to us about how with a product, (he gave us the example of a blog) there are creators, participants, observers, and inactives. Part of what a PR agency strives to do is to move people up this ladder so they are all participating in some way.
After hearing about social media, Wendy Ruben, Account Executive, talked to us about the healthcare practice at Porter Novelli. Most people who work in this department have both PR and medical experience and combine the two skills for a great career. Next, we heart from Katherine Wetzel, Account Supervisor, and Kara McClain, Senior Account Executive, about the technology practice at Porter Novelli. They spoke about how they don't expect all new interns and employees to know how to do everything, but they look for a willingness to learn when they are dealing with people in this department. That was encouraging to me, as I was somewhat overwhelmed with just how much responsibility is placed on the shoulders of someone working with big accounts like Porter Novelli works with. Katherine Mason, Account Executive, then came in and spoke to us about corporate and consumer practice, and then we had a roundtable discussion with some newly hired employees who just finished their internship there. This was the most laid back part of the day, as most of these people where close to our age and had just finished with internships and job searches. They encouraged us to work in an agency for 2-3 years before we step out into the corporate world. They explained to us that working with Porter Novelli will prepare you to have all the PR experience you would need to work somewhere other than in an agency, but that working for Porter Novelli long term is a great choice as well.
Overall, the experience was eye opening since I had never been to a PR agency before. I also enjoyed the mixer at Aja that evening, as I met even more PR professionals and had the chance to network.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to put this day together and let us learn more about this awesome agency. The experience was so valuable and I would love to shadow more great companies in the future.