MAIP Comes to a Close | Reflecting and Looking Ahead
It has officially reached the final week of my full-time summer internship with MullenLowe. I remember how far off Friday August 6 seemed when I began, but it is incredible how quickly this summer has flown by.
That being said, so much has happened over the past nine weeks.
I created two Summer Project Campaigns with my amazing MAIP Team for Jollibee and Izze. This was my first time creating a campaign with this many team members, which really lent itself well to creating great work since everyone came with their own unique expertise and ideas. Our work clearly paid off because the Izze campaign was selected as a finalist, giving us the opportunity to improve upon and present our project to a panel of judges within the actual agency.
Additionally, I created my first ever website. Figuring out how to purchase my own domain name (really isn’t as complicated as I made it out to be in my head), strategically thinking through my skill set and piece together a site that reflects who I am currently has been a great professional milestone for me.
Within my actual internship, I learned how to work across numerous new platforms to create and manage jobs, track finances, log hours and update status documents. Understanding how to effectively use technology to complete tasks that keep teams informed and projects running smoothly is essential as an effective Account Management employee. I loved how many facets there were to my role. One day I would be researching future talent options and the next I would be working on gathering insights for a social media campaign.
One of my favorite parts of the job was interacting with my first real brief for my team’s client, Corona Beer. In the past, I have worked with real companies to solve real issues through classes, but the campaigns have only ever been thought starters that the clients take into consideration. Working at an agency, I loved to see the pieces unfold and the work being done come to life whether it is on Instagram or a billboard I see.
Working on an alcohol brand, I have learned a lot about the industry as a whole through the lens of advertising. There are so many legal considerations that come into play with regards to vetting talent, hosting giveaways and writing copy for social posts.
The HR team at MullenLowe did a great job of keeping the interns across the Boston and LA offices in the loop through virtual lunches, events and team building activities. We got to attend sessions across different departments to gain a sense of what people did in roles that were far different than others. We were also able to talk to industry leaders, including the President of the MullenLowe Boston Office, Kelly Frederickson. This inspired me to continue reaching out to people who inspired me, so I began setting up chats and got to pick the brain of my very own team’s Brand Strategist, Sheida Karami.
Last but certainly not least, I joined the MullenLowe LA office’s Asian Pacific Islander’s ERG and had the opportunity to meet the group and attend one of our very own events about self-care practices to promote mental health wellness with speaker Dr. Arnel Calvario. Being part of this ERG allowed me to feel more connected with my fellow Asian Pacific Islander’s across the agency.
I feel so fortunate to have had this experience with MAIP at MullenLowe, and even more fortunate that I will continue working for MullenLowe part-time this Fall while I finish out my senior year at the University of Denver! Here’s to more opportunities to learn, grow and push myself.
